Travel to Florence will likely mean traveling through Florence International Airport, (FLR), also call Amerigo Vespucci after the Italian explorer, navigator and cartographer who discovers America. The airport is locate in the outskirts of Florence, — almost walking distance from town at just 3.7 miles from the city center.
It’s a small airport – just one runway and a small terminal with some cafes and shops. A number of European carriers use the airport to fly in from other cities in Europe.
For those who are not walking into Florence from the airport, luggage in hand, taxies take around 15 minutes and buses will take 20 to reach the central railway station from the airport.
The airport is also easily reach from other Tuscan cities, such as Prato (5 mi), Pistoia (14 mi), Montecatini (22 mi), Lucca (40 mi), Siena (42 mi), Arezzo (47 mi), Pisa (53 mi), Carrara and Massa (72 mi), Grosseto (88 mi), and the seaports of Livorno (71 mi) and Piombino (105 mi). The Pisa Airport is the second airport in Tuscany that has reasonable access to Florence. The Pisa Mover shuttle connects Pisa Airport to the Pisa Centrale main train station throughout the day, offering plenty of train connections to Florence’s SMN train station, about an hour away.
Getting around in Florence: Travel to Florence
The best way to explore Florence is by foot as the city is quite compact and easy to navigate. You can also opt for ATAF bus. These can be efficient and are more cost effective than pricey taxis. Best Times to Visit Florence
The best months for visiting Florence is between May to September. The weather is warm and region hosts a plethora of music, art and theatrical festivals during the season. But with peak season comes the visitors and the streets, cafes and shops are crowded with tourists, making vacancies and decent hotel rates hard to find.
Travel to Florence: Top Things to Do
Visit Palazzo Vecchio
This was once the most important administrative building in Florence and was once the palace of the Signoria of the Republic of Florence. The palace was built in 1299. Now a museum, its halls are bath in the paintings and sculptures of the Renaissance. A facsimile of Michelangelo’s David and the statue of Hercules and Cacus by Baccio Bandinelli greet you at the entrance. A peaceful inner courtyard designs by Cortile di Michelozzo, brings arcades and gild columns, a copy of a fountain by Andrea del Verrocchio (the original is inside the palace), and walls paints with several city scenes.
Three floors of great halls and galleries adorn at the city’s peak of power by such masters as di Vinci, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio and others make this attraction a must. In the summer, the museum also organizes small tours of the parapets on the outside of the palace. Select Italy offers two tours of interest: one that covers the art and history while a Secret Routes Tour takes groups into hidden rooms and the attic as well as the other famous rooms.
Uffizi Palace and Gallery
This can found just off the Piazza Della Signoria and, as it is consider one of the top artist museums in the world, expect long lines. The massive building was built between 1560 and 1580, design by Giorgio Vasari. It houses magnificent collections of ancient sculptures and paintings dating from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, specializing in the 14th-century and Renaissance period. Find true masterpieces by Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Beato Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo, Raffaello, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. Also find precious works by European German, Dutch and Flemish artists.
Boboli Gardens: Travel to Florence
This gorgeous garden is connect to Palazzo Pitti and it covers some 11 acres that are divided into numerous sections with sculptures, plants and fountains with designs and quarters that date back to the Florence’s rule by the Medicis.
Piazzale Michelangelo
This attraction can be found at the south banks of River Arno on a hill close to Boboli Gardens and is the best place to get panoramic views of Florence and the Cathedral. Likewise Also find a magnificent bronze statue of David in the middle of the square. It’s a lively place where vendors and artists sell their wares and musicians entertain.
Bargello Palace National Museum
The Bargello Museum is located in the Palazzo del Bargello, a fortress dating back to 1255 as the headquarters of justice. In 1574, it became a prison. Despite a centuries of alterations the palace preserved its shape and history and eventually came to house the Museo Nazionale in 1859 — the first national museum in unified Italy. It now houses tmany important Renaissance sculptures and masterpieces of the minor arts from varying periods. Thereafter Works by Donatello, Luca della Robbia, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and Cellini are among the treasures, as are bronzes, majolica, waxes, enamels, medals, seals, ivories, amber, tapestries, furniture and textiles from the Medici collections.
Travel to Florence: Visitor Tips
+ Consider buying a Firenzecard. The card costs 85 euros and it is valid for 72 hours starting from the first entrance. Card holders can enter only once into all the museums on the Circuit with priority entrance privileges and without making reservations. Occasionally The card also brings food & drink discounts, transport and tourist services, and some shopping discounts.
+ If you are not purchasing a Firenzecard, make sure to reserve spots and times at all the targeted museums.
+ Eat Gelato.
+ Moreover Climb the 500 steps to the top of the Duomo.
+ Take a food tour and a cooking lesson
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