TRAVEL INFORMATION - Florence and Tuscany - page 301

Travelling by Bus and Coach
Florence is linked by coach to most major European
cities, and local companies operate an extensive
network of services within Tuscany. Coaches are
considered to be quicker where there is no direct train
link, particularly in the countryside. Although the train
is faster for long journeys, the coach may be a cheaper
option. The coach companies' main offices, usually
situated near city railway stations, stock timetables and
route maps to help you plan your journey. This
information is also provided online, but due to the
complexity of schedules it is usually more helpful to
consult a local travel agent.

A ticket office in Pisa, selling Lazzi
and CPT tickets

discussing your requirements
with a travel agent who can
help you understand the
complex schedules and
routes. On most routes,
reserved seating is not
available. Passengers need to
line up before the bus
departure time in order to get
a seat. Expect a long wait
around the holidays.

ARRIVING BY COACH information offices near Santa

Maria Novella railway station.
Siena's main bus and coach
company is TRA-IN, which
runs local and regional servic-
es. Local services leave from
Piazza Antonio Gramsci and
regional buses from Piazza
San Domenico. There is a
ticket office in both squares.
TRA-IN runs buses to most of
Tuscany, including a direct
coach to Rome twice daily.
In Pisa, the city bus
company CPT serves the
surrounding area, including
the towns of Volterra, Livorno,
San Miniato and Pontedera.
These buses leave from
Piazza Sant'Antonio. Lazzi
runs a service to Viareggio,
Lucca and Florence from Pisa,
departing from Piazza Vittorio
Emanuele II, where there is a
Lazzi ticket office. Arezzo's La
Ferroviaria Italiana bus lines
connect to all the small towns
nearby including Cortona.

Santa Maria Novella railway
station in Florence is
Tuscany's main arrival and
departure point for all long-
distance coach journeys, and
the hub of the extensive local
coach network. The Lazzi
company runs coach services
to major European cities
from Florence and sells tickets
for Eurolines coaches. Tickets
can be booked at their office
by Santa Maria Novella
station. There are express
services from Florence to
Rome, run by Lazzi, and from
Florence to Siena run by
TRA-IN or SITA .

DIRECTORY
FLORENCE
CAP & COPIT
Largo Fratelli Alinari 9. Map 1 C4
(5 B1). Tel [phone].
www .capautolinee.it
COPIT of Pistoia
Via Filippo Pacini 47.
Tel [phone].
Lazzi
Piazza della Stazione. Map 1 B5
(5 B2). Tel [phone].
www .lazzi.it
SITA
Via di Santa Caterina da Siena 15r.
Map 1 B5 (5 A1). Tel [phone]
60 (Tuscany) ; 055 29 49 55
(national) . www .sitabus.it

THE NETWORK

Florence has four main coach
companies. Lazzi serves the
region north and west of
Florence and SITA serves the
southern and eastern regions
(including Siena, San
Gimignano and Volterra). The
COPIT bus company connects
the city with the Abetone/
Pistoia, region and CAP links
it to the Mugello area north of
the city. All of these
companies have ticket and

TICKETS AND
RESERVATIONS

Coach tickets must be
purchased at an authorized
ticket reseller or at the bus
company's office. It's worth

SIENA
TRA-IN
Piazza Antonio Gramsci.
Tel [phone] or 0577 20 41
11. www .trainspa.it

PISA
CPT
Piazza Sant'Antonio 1. Tel 050 50
55 11 . www .cpt.pisa.it
Lazzi
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.
Tel [phone] . www .lazzi.it

AREZZO
La Ferroviaria Italiana
www .lfi.it

A SITA coach, serving southern and eastern Tuscany