Cortona to Florence

You probably will be fine the day of - but if you have a chance it wouldn't hurt to get them a day or two before just to be safe. Or you can try to get them on line - http://www.trenitalia.com

My daughter stayed in Cortona for 3 months during college. She and fellow students just went to the train station and bought tickets and went. Florence is not that far from Cortona. Even Rick says for regional trains you don't really need a reservation. Don't spend extra for going through a middle man.

There is no train station in Cortona. You can take the frequent buses down to one of two train stations and take the train from there. You will want the Camucia-Cortona train station as it is closer to Florence than the other station. The trains are Regionale-class trains. No reservations permitted. Just buy you ticket and get on the next train. Journey takes about 90 minutes and the fare is 9.60Euros.

We took the train twice into Florence (from Camucia, just down the hill for Cortona). There's free parking at the station if you have a car, or catch a bus from Cortona. There's a ticket machine in the station (very old) and we needed assistance the first time we bought tickets, so allow for a little extra time. It wasn't clear which side of the tracks to stand on, so we asked. We took the train on a Sunday to a soccer game and the second time Wednesday morning. Neither time was the train very full when we go on, but as it approached Florence, the train filled up. I'd recommend printing the schedule both to/from Florence before you leave, so you can plan your day accordingly. And don't foget to stamp your ticket at the little yellow stamper machine.
You will love Cortona!!!

Note that the little yellow stamper machines are being replaced by newer, green/blue and gray ones, although some large stations may have both. The validation machine will be near the exit of the train station as you go toward the train tracks, or at larger stations, at the railhead.

Thanks for all of the great info. Look forward to wonderful times in Italy. Rebekah

You can take a bus from the main piazza in Cortona to the Camucia train station, or a taxi (less than 10 euro last summer).