Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting Around Towns and
Cities in Tuscany
Tuscan cities are compact enough to get around
reasonably comfortably on foot, and the city buses are
relatively cheap, regular and wide-ranging. A one-way
ticket takes you 15 km (10 miles) out of town, making
the bus ideal for trips from the city centre to outlying
areas of Florence, Pisa or Siena.
WALKING
stroll around the main sights
of Florence can take just a
couple of hours. The main
sights in Pisa are all in the
same square. Siena is compact
but hilly, so be sure to wear
comfortable shoes.
The cities can be unbear-
ably hot in summer. Plan your
day so that you are inside for
the hottest part. Recuperate
Italian-style with a leisurely
lunch followed by a siesta.
Shopping is more pleasant in
the early evening, when it is
cooler and the streets start to
come alive.
Sightseeing on foot in Tuscan
cities is made all the more
pleasurable by the fact that
there are plenty of squares in
which to rest and watch the
world go by, or cool churches
to pop into when the heat
gets too much. Most towns
have pedestrian zones,
including the area around
Florence's Duomo and almost
all of Siena, in which walking
is very pleasant. On streets
where traffic does have
access, pavements tend to be
narrow and crowded.
Be sure to cross the street at
the white pedestrian
crossings, which are
sometimes accompanied by
traffic lights. Although
required to by law, not
all drivers will stop
voluntarily at
crossings so proceed
with caution. It helps
to make eye contact
with drivers and then
step out slowly but
confidently. Some
very large streets have
pedestrian underpasses.
Signs for sights and
landmarks have brown
backgrounds. In Florence, use
the Duomo and river as
orientation points. A gentle
One of Florence's ATAF buses in a
narrow street
CITY BUSES
Florence's city bus company
is called ATAF , Pisa's is CPT ,
and Siena's TRA-IN . City buses
are bright orange. Most lines
run frequently until around
9:30pm, after which they tend
to run hourly. There are des-
ignated night bus lines offer-
ing services through the night,
but these are very infrequent.
Florence does not have a
main terminus, but most
buses can be picked up
alongside Santa Maria Novella
station or in Piazza San
Marco. Buses run near most
major sights: normal bus
routes indicated by numbers
and names are supplemented
by electric minibuses,
indicated by letters C1, C2, C3
through to D, that serve the
narrow streets in the very
centre of town.
Pisa's buses also serve the
main sights. Most buses stop
at the railway station and
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.
In Siena the main bus stops
are Piazza Antonio Gramsci
and Piazza San Domenico.
There are bus information
kiosks at all these points, but
they are not always open.
Tourist information offices
can usually help, or consult
the route maps online.
In all cases, enter the bus at
the front or back and get off
through the middle doors.
The four low seats at the front
CYCLING
Bicycles can be rented in all
towns and cities. Lucca is a
great town for cycling as it
is flat and has a bike
path along the city
walls. Florence has
some bike paths on
the viali (tree-lined
avenues), but otherwise
bikes share the road
with other vehicles.
Tour companies, such
as Florence by Bike , offer bike
tours departing from Florence
and Siena. They take a pleas-
ant route into the countryside
and provide bikes, helmets,
water and food.
No Pedestrian
Access sign
GUIDED TOURS
Tours and private guides can
be arranged through APT or a
travel agent. For guided walks
around the city, contact
ArtViva or Context Travel .
Citysightseeing Firenze offers
a hop-on hop-off bus service
(complete with audioguide)
to all the major sites in the
city. Segway tours of Florence
and Pisa are arranged by
Segway Firenze . The Florence
tour is limited to the historic
centre due to the number of
narrow streets.
Signs showing pedestrian routes to
sights and landmarks in Florence
 
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