Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Tuscany is easily reached
and scheduled flights, includ-
ing a direct international
New York JFK-Pisa flight
daily in summer.
The city of Florence is
also well connected by
train and coach from most
European cities. Train and
coach travel, although slower
and not necessarily cheaper, is a
greener alternative to flying or driving.
by air, with airports
in both Florence
and Pisa. Amerigo
Vespucci (Peretola)
airport in Florence offers
connections with all major
European cities, although
it does not accommodate
long-haul flights. Pisa airport
(Galileo Galilei) receives low-cost
Alitalia aircraft
FLORENCE AIRPORT (FLR)
Florence's Amerigo Vespucci
airport, often known as
Peretola, is small, with relat-
ively few shops and bars. The
“Vola in Bus” goes to and
from the airport every 30
minutes 6am-8pm and hourly
9-11pm. The bus to the city
centre leaves from in front of
the airport building, while the
bus to the airport departs
from Florence's Santa Maria
Novella train station. The
evening buses (from 9pm)
leave from Piazza dell'Unità.
The journey takes 20 minutes
and tickets may be purchased
from the driver. Line 2 of the
tramway system will link the
airport to Santa Maria Novella
train station and Piazza
Libertà once it is complete.
Only take a taxi from the
official taxi rank. Drivers will
charge a supplement for
coming from the airport plus
a supplement for any luggage.
There is also an extra charge
on Sundays and holidays.
Fares start at €20 for the
journey to/from the airport.
Check that the meter is
switched on at departure.
Check-in area at Florence airport
GREEN TRAVEL
British Airways
. Some of the
low-cost airlines also serve
the region.
Ryanair
flies from
London Stansted and Dublin
to Pisa,
EasyJet
flies Gatwick-
Pisa, and
Meridiana
flies
Gatwick-Florence.
As there are few direct
intercontinental flights to
Tuscany, consider flying to
Rome and taking the train up
to Florence. The journey is
approximately 1 hour 25
mins. Alternatively, you could
hire a car in Rome and drive to
Tuscany. Alitalia flies direct to
Rome from Los Angeles, Chic-
ago, Montreal, Toronto, Perth
and Melbourne, and many
other airlines offer good world-
wide connections via Rome
and other European capitals.
Getting to Tuscany from
mainland Europe without
flying is possible due to Italy's
excellent train network,
which serves major towns and
cities including Florence, Pisa
and Arezzo. Small discounts
are available if travelling by
train in a group of 10 or
more. For information on
train travel
see pp308-9
.
For those areas of Tuscany
which are badly served by
train, such as Siena and the
coast, you may need to rent a
car - look for economical
diesel-engine models that use
less fuel. If you want to
explore the rolling hills of
Tuscany without a car, two
options are worth consid-
ering:
ATAF
(see p315)
offers
an inexpensive coach tour of
the Chianti area, while a
tourist steam train
(see p309)
runs occasional scenic day
trips to seasonal fairs. Most
towns and cities, can be
explored on foot or using
local buses
(see pp314-15)
.
ARRIVING BY AIR
There are numerous daily
arrivals at both Florence and
Pisa airports from all major
airlines, including
Alitalia
and
Modern exterior of Florence's Amerigo Vespucci airport
