The city of Florence is located on the main Italian road links, which is that north-south axis that starts in Milan, and link the cities of Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples and the south of Italy. For this reason it is crossed by main roads and railway services.

By car

The city is served by two motorways, the A1 (Autostrada del Sole) and A11 (Firenze-Mare), which connect the city respectively to the north and the south of Italy and the Tuscan coast. The city is well connected to Siena through the Firenze-Siena highway, and is connected to Pisa and Livorno through the Firenze-Pisa-Livorno highway. Other major highways are: the State Road 2 Via Cassia that leads to Rome, the State Road 65 which leads to Bologna, the State Road 66 that leads to the State Road 12 and then the State Road 67 that connects with Tosco Romagnola Forli. Among the less important state roads there are the State Road 222 towards south and State Road 302 towards Faenza and the Romagna region. To get around the city, however, the main streets of Florence are the viali di Circonvallazione boulevards, which surround the city centre that closed to through-traffic. Because of the particular structure of the city, with all the major places of interest located in the historical town centre, we recommend to visit the city on foot or by public transport.

Railways

Florence has three major railways stations, as well as other minor train stations: Firenze Santa Maria Novella (the main train station, a masterpiece of Italian rationalism), Firenze Rifredi, and Firenze Campo di Marte. The smaller stations are: Firenze Belfiore, Firenze Castello, Firenze Rovezzano, Firenze San Marco Vecchio, Firenze Statuto, Firenze Porta al Prato, Firenze Le Cure, and Firenze Le Piagge. The high-speed trains (Treni ad Alta Velocità, or TAV) area operating since 2009 and connect Naples with Turin, via Rome, Florence, Bologna and Milan.

Airports

Several European airlines service Florence's Amerigo Vespucci Airport, which is located in Peretola district, and offers links to national and European flights. There are other connections with the major Tuscan Airport: the Galileo Galilei Airport in Pisa.

Transports in Florence

Tramway

A tramway operates in Florence, consisting of three lines. The T1 has been active since 2010; the other two are under construction.

T1 Line: connects Scandicci the station of Santa Maria Novella cross the River Arno at the Cascine Park.

The T2 line: it starts at the airport in Peretola, interchanges with the high-speed trains, runs through the city centre and ends at Piazza della Libertà.

The T3 line: connects the Careggi hospital to Santa Maria Novella train station crossing the Fortezza da Basso.

Bus

The principal public transport network within the city is run by the ATAF and Li-nea bus company; inside the centre there are three lines of eco-friendly electric buses.

Long-distance buses leave from a variety of terminals scattered about Stazione di Santa Maria Novella. The major companies are SITA, Copit, CAP and Lazzi.

Cycling and car sharing

In Florence there are 78 km of cycling lanes, sometimes poorly maintained and poorly connected to each other. There is a bicycle rental service and rent are the main stations where you can rent a bike are: Santa Maria Novella train station, Campo di Marte station, Rifredi station, the flowerbed in front of Piazza della Libertà, piazza della Calza and piazza di Cestello. It also an active a car sharing service with about 20 parking spaces provided.

ZTL, ZCS and Parking

The centre of the city is closed to through-traffic, although buses, taxis and residents with appropriate permits are allowed in. This area is commonly referred to as the ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato), which is divided into five subsections. The entrance is protected by telematics door. Cars without permits are allowed to enter after 7.30 pm, or before 7.30 am. Outside the city centre there is instead the "ZCS" (Zona a Controllo Sosta), which is divided into 14 zones operated by “Servizi alla Strada S.P.A.". Residents can request a special permit to park the car within the limits of the area in which they live.  

In the city there are several large parking lots, the main ones are: Santa Maria Novella station (underground), Fortezza da Basso (underground), Sant'Ambrogio (underground, under Piazza Annigoni), Piazza Beccaria (underground), Alberti (multi- floor parking) , Parterre in Piazza della Libertà (underground), Porta al Prato, Oltrarno (Piazza della Calza), Meyer ( in Viale Pieraccini), Bandino Giannotti, Viale Europa.