Holiday Rental Il Visciolo - 2BR self catering cottage, Internet WiFi, walk to shops, car not required.
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Visiting Florence
Florence is easy and fast to reach thanks to a dual carriageway (RA 03) that is just 3Km out of San Casciano. You have many options at your disposal to reach Florence centre: using only your car, car and bus or tram, coach only. Keep in mind that once you will be in Florence you probably won't need to use the local bus service to move around the city. Florence is a small city, so using the ATAF bus service can usually be avoided if you are not in a hurry or elderly. The bus service could be useful to save you time on some occasions.
We suggest you to plan places to visit, take your time, and explore the city by feet.
More details about transportation inside the city of Florence.
Weekly closing for most Florentine shops is Monday (some just the morning) and obviously Sunday. Small shops are mostly closed at lunch (12:30 or 13:00 to 15:00 or 15:30, some till 16:00). Closing time is usually 19:30 or 20:00.
By car
Going in Florence by car is fast, the only problem could be the traffic inside the city, the parking (you will have to pay at least 1.5 euro an hour) and the ZTL, a zone with limited access.
Free parking in Florence is almost non-existent. Since 2023, the colours (white, blue, yellow) delimiting car parks have new meanings. Blue spaces are subject to charges. White used to be reserved for residents, now indicates free parking. Parking for citizens of Florence are now yellow coloured. As this is an ongoing change, not all the roads have been "updated" the new colouring system, so always refer to the vertical signals. Or better, safely park on blue lines then pay the hourly tariff.
If you don't dare about Florentine traffic and parking cost, locate car parks on a street map prior to your departure so you won't loose time in the search of one. Coming from Galluzzo and Due Strade, there are parking spaces with parking meters in the Porta Romana area (in the square, along Viale Petrarca, along the walls entering from Piazza della Calza).
Remember that you cannot enter ZTL with your car unless you have an authorization by Polizia Municipale (also called vigili urbani), which they give only for very limited reasons. The web site of the municipality of Florence has got information about driving in Florence.
Car + urban bus (car to Galluzzo and then ATAF bus)
If you don't want to use SITA coaches and you prefer going by car, you can drop the car into some toll or free parking just outside the city, in Galluzzo, and then take a urban bus (number 36 or 37) to the centre of Florence in Piazza Niccolò Acciaiuoli. Buy tickets before boarding (app or bar and news-stand nearby). There is a big parking close to that piazza. This choice is not the fastest as reaching the centre of Florence using a coach usually take less time if you're leaving from the village of San Casciano. But it can be a good choice if you go dining in Florence, as the last AT coach departs at 21:00 while urban bus service still operates till midnight. Please note that night line 68 that used to substitute lines 36/37 after 20:00 has been recently dismissed.
Car + tram
A good alternative, mostly preferred by people living in San Casciano, is reaching the tramvia line in Scandicci. There is a frequent (every six minutes) tram service, Linea T1, going from the town of Scandicci to Florence centre; you can get down at Alamanni Stop beside Firenze SMN railway station.
You can reach Parcheggio Villa Costanza and the tram directly from Autostrada A1, without entering the urban roads of Scandicci. But the parking there is not free. Alternatively you can venture yourself into the urban roads of Scandicci, then park the car close to a tram top. There is a small free parking lot near Villa Costanza, a bigger one at the local Coop (Nenni-Torregalli stop).
There are free parking nearby the stops Villa Costanza (end of line), De Andre (Via Sassetti, could be full on Wednesday morning), Resistenza, Nenni-Torregalli (better option).
Public transport only (by Autolinee Toscane)
The coach service between Florence and San Casciano is operated by Autolinee Toscane, formerly BUSITALIA until 2022 and SITA prior to 2012 (and still referred as such by people).
Buy tickets at a tobacconist or via AT app, go to the Autostazione (bus terminal) below Viale Corsini where the trips start or wait at one of the AT bus stops along the road. The coach will take you to Florence within 22-35 minutes (more details here) depending where you get down. You can choose to get down at the entrance of the centre, in Porta Romana, to visit Boboli, Pitti and Oltrarno; or drop off at the end of the trip Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the new hub since 2023. By the way, Florence centre is quite small, from Piazza Porta Romana to Duomo is just 20 minutes walk, across the most characteristic Florentine streets of Oltrarno. From Porta Romana you could also take a urban bus (line 12) to reach Piazzale Michelangelo with its great panoramic view of the Arno river crossing Florence and then go by foot down to the town centre.
Remember that you need to buy tickets before getting on the bus.
Please notice that since 2023, the trip of Busitalia's coaches ends (and starts) no more few metres away from the main train station Firenze Santa Maria Novella, but in Piazza Vittorio Veneto. From there you can take the tram T1 line and reach Alamanni or Fortezza stop for free, with the same AT ticket you used to reach Florence. Be careful: this is valid only for T1 line from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to Alamanni or Fortezza, you cannot go further with that same extra-urbano ticket.
Autolinee Toscane merged both SITA/BusItalia and ATAF
In old guides you can find references to BusItalia, SITA or ATAF. ATAF was the name of the public bus service inside the city of Florence, while Busitalia was one of the coach services that connected Florence to nearby towns and villages. Previously, SITA service had been renamed BUSITALIA at the end of 2012. Autolinee Toscane starting from end of 2022 is the coach and bus operator for all Tuscany, including Florence and the Florentine Chianti area. Despite being the same company, the tickets can be differently priced in each city, refer to the official AT web site for current prices.
This page was last updated on Monday 20 November 2023.