Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airport
Buses and trains connect Pisa International Airport with Pisa and Florence, and there is also one bus per day
between Pisa airport and Siena. Buses link Florence airport with central Florence. If you fly into Bologna air-
port,
Appennino Shuttle
(
www.appenninoshuttle.it
)
buses travel to Florence (€19, 90 minutes, 10 daily).
From Umbria International Airport you'll need to take a taxi to Perugia (15km) and then a bus or train to
Tuscany.
Bicycle
Cycling is a national pastime in Italy. Bikes are prohibited on the autostrada (expressway), but there are few
other special road rules.
Bikes can be taken on any train that carries the bicycle logo. The cheapest way to do this is to buy a separ-
ate bicycle ticket (€3.50 for
regionale
(slow local train) services and €12 for international services), which are
available even at the self-service kiosks. You can use this ticket for 24 hours, making a day trip quite econom-
ical. Bicycles that are dismantled and stored in a bag can be taken for free, even on night trains, and all ferries
allow free bicycle passage.
Boat
Regular ferries connect Piombino on the mainland with Portoferraio on Elba; in summer, a handful of boats
sail from Piombino to the smaller Elban ports of Cavo and Rio Marina. From Livorno, ferries run to the is-
land of Capraia via Gorgona.
Bus
Although trains are the most convenient and economical way to travel between major towns, a bus is often
the best link between small towns and villages. For a few intercity routes, such as the one between Florence
and Siena, the bus is your best bet.
Dozens of different companies - loosely affiliated under the
Tiemme
(
www.lfi.it
) network - service the re-
gion. Most reduce or even drop services on holidays and weekends, especially Sundays; we cite frequency of
services on weekdays. Local tourist offices often carry bus timetables.
You can purchase tickets at most
tabacchi
(tobacconists) and news-stands, or from ticket booths and dis-
pensing machines at bus stations; they must be validated in the machine on board. Tickets are also usually
