Florence sits at the midpoint of the high-speed spine, which makes it the most efficient base in Italy. Siena, Pisa, Lucca and Bologna are all short regional hops that need no reservation at all.
Arriving
Stations
Firenze Santa Maria Novella
A terminus in the centre — trains reverse out. Ten minutes on foot to the Duomo, so no transfer needed at either end.
Firenze Rifredi
Some northbound Frecce and most regional trains toward Prato and Bologna. Only use it if your hotel is out that way.
From the airport
Florence's own airport is a tram ride (T2, 20 minutes) from SMN. Most travellers arrive instead via Pisa: the PisaMover shuttle plus a regional train to Florence takes about 90 minutes and the train leg is pass-valid.
Onward
Connections
| To | Fastest | Operator | Reservation | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rome | 1h 32m | Frecciarossa | €13 | 2-3 per hour |
| Bologna | 37m | Frecciarossa | €13 | 3 per hour |
| Venice | 2h 05m | Frecciarossa | €13 | Hourly |
| Milan | 1h 50m | Frecciarossa | €13 | 2 per hour |
| Siena | 1h 30m | Regionale | None | Hourly |
Every Tuscan day trip from Florence is a regional train, which means no reservation fee at all. Group them onto one travel day and a pass suddenly looks very good.
See
Worth your time
Uffizi Gallery
Timed entry only. Late afternoon slots are calmer than any morning.
Brancacci Chapel
Masaccio's frescoes, tiny visitor cap, almost no crowds.
San Miniato al Monte
Walk up for the evening. Better than Piazzale Michelangelo and quieter.
Mercato Centrale
Ground floor for produce, upper floor for a fast decent dinner.
Eat
What to order
Trippa and lampredotto carts
Street food that predates tourism. Near Sant'Ambrogio market.
Bistecca alla fiorentina
Sold by weight, minimum around a kilo. Split it.
Sant'Ambrogio market
Where Florentines actually shop. Lunch counters at the back.
Day trips
Where the trains go from here
Siena
90 minutes by regional train and bus. No reservation, no fee, pass valid.
Lucca
80 minutes, regional, walled and flat — rent a bike at the station.
Pisa
50 minutes, regional. An hour at the tower is genuinely enough.
Bologna
37 minutes on a Frecciarossa. The best lunch in Italy for the price of one reservation.
Book ahead
Tickets and tours in Florence
The sights below sell timed entry that genuinely runs out. Booking links are affiliate links.
Uffizi Gallery priority entry
Timed entry only. Late-afternoon slots are noticeably quieter than any morning.
Check availabilityAccademia and the David
Small museum, one enormous reason to visit. Forty-five minutes is enough if you book a slot.
Check availabilityChianti vineyards by minibus
The one Tuscan day trip the railway cannot do for you — the wine estates are well off the rail network.
Check availabilityBookshelf
Read on the way to Florence
Three books that make the window, and the city at the end of it, more interesting. Links are Amazon affiliate links and cost you nothing extra.
The Lives of the Artists
Giorgio Vasari
Gossip about the people whose work fills the Uffizi, written by someone who knew them.
Find a copyA Room with a View
E. M. Forster
Florence as the English discovered it. Reads in one Frecciarossa run from Rome.
Find a copyMore titles on the full city bookshelf or the Italian bookshelf.