How to Get to Florence: Flights, Airport Transfers and Driving from the US

Florence is in Tuscany, and the simplest way in is by air to Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport, about 2.5 miles (4 km) from the historic center, with a tram that reaches town in about 20 minutes. Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport is the other gateway, and high-speed trains reach Florence from Rome in 1 hour 25 minutes.

At a glance

• Main airport: Florence Amerigo Vespucci (Peretola), about 2.5 miles (4 km) from the historic center
• Tram T2 to the center: about 20 minutes to Piazza dell’Unità, about 35 minutes to Piazza San Marco
• Taxi to central Florence: 22 euros fixed fare, plus extras for luggage and night or holiday rates
• Vola in bus to the train station: every 30 minutes, 7 days a week
• Train from Rome: 1 hour 25 minutes by Italo, from 14.90 euros
• Entry for US citizens: no visa for stays up to 90 days

How do you fly to Florence from the US?

Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport, also called Peretola, is the city’s own airport. It opened in 1931 and has 40 check-in desks and 10 boarding gates. It takes both domestic and international passengers, and it offers many daily connections to Italian destinations and the main European cities. Travelers from the US can therefore plan a connection in Italy or elsewhere in Europe and finish the trip at Peretola.

Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport is the second option. It sits about 0.6 miles (1 km) from Pisa central station, and the Pisa Mover shuttle links the two every 5/8 minutes. Buses run from Pisa airport to Florence, Prato, Pistoia, Viareggio, Pietrasanta, Montecatini and Lucca.

How do you get from the airport to Florence?

The tram is the easy choice. Line T2 (the red line, called Vespucci) runs from Peretola to the center. The Peretola Aeroporto stop is a 2-minute walk from arrivals. The ride takes about 20 minutes to Piazza dell’Unità, near Santa Maria Novella station, and about 35 minutes if you ride on to Piazza San Marco. Trams leave the airport from 5:00 a.m. The last run is at 11:58 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and at 1:15 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

A taxi costs 22 euros to central Florence, plus extras for luggage and night or holiday rates. Taxi4242 and Taxi4390 both operate at the airport. The Vola in bus goes to the train station every 30 minutes, and a FlyBus links the airport with Prato, Pistoia, Montecatini Terme and Pisa Airport.

Can you get to Florence by train, bus or car?

Santa Maria Novella is the main station, in the historic center. Italo high-speed trains reach Florence from Bologna in 37 minutes (from 9.90 euros), from Rome in 1 hour 25 minutes (from 14.90 euros) and from Naples in 2 hours 42 minutes (from 23.90 euros). Milan is under 2 hours, and Venice is about 2 hours. From Rome Fiumicino airport, the route combines an Italo train and a Trenitalia regional train, from 22.90 euros for 147 miles (236 km).

By car, the airport connects to the A1 Milan-Naples motorway through the Florence North exit, and to the A11 motorway. The car hire terminal is on Via Palagio degli Spini, with a shuttle from the airport every 20 minutes.

How do you get around Florence once you arrive?

Bus and taxi stops are by the entrance, so you can reach the center on foot or hop on the urban network. Buses and the tram share the same tickets. A 10-ride carnet is 18.20 euros. Trams run daily from 5:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., and until 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Each person can carry one small bag up to 10 kg (22 lb) and 55x40x20 cm free. Larger bags up to 80x45x25 cm and 20 kg (44 lb) need an extra ticket, and bigger ones are forbidden.

Park-and-ride lots let you leave the car outside town. Villa Costanza in Scandicci costs 0.50 euros per hour or 7.00 euros per day, with tram line T1 reaching Santa Maria Novella in about 20 minutes. The T2 Guidoni lot, near the airport, costs 1.50 euros for up to 5 hours or 4.00 euros for up to 12 hours.

What documents do you need to board a flight to Italy?

U.S. citizens do not require a visa for short stays in Italy of up to 90 days, within a 180-day period. Passports must be valid for at least three months beyond the planned departure from the Schengen area, with two blank pages, and must have been issued within the previous 10 years.

ETIAS will be mandatory for US travelers starting in the last quarter of 2026. It is not a visa. It costs approximately 7 euros, lasts 3 years, and the process is entirely digital. Travelers staying up to 90 days must also fill out a dichiarazione di presenza, given on arrival in Italy.