We are at a villa in Tuscany and planning to go to Florence for the day. Should we drive our car or take the train? There are six of us, including our 76 year old Grandmom who is usually mobile but currently under the weather!
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1872 posts
There is almost no free parking, but it is not difficult to find a place in paid parkings:
https://www.fipark.com/parcheggi/
Be warned that once you enter the central "walls" ring around the center, you should stick to approved itineraries or you will inadvertently enter the ZTL and likely got a fine. So study carefully itineraries before trying.
An easy parking option is getting out of A1 motorway at Villa Costanza, parking there and taking the T1 tram to railway station. I don't know if this would be acceptable for mother, but takes out a lot of problems. Generally speaking, if mother is not mobile enough the city center is not a place for her.
Posted by
Ohio
81 posts
We are in a similar situation - larger group/2 grandparents- and decided to hire a driver/van to drive us in to Florence to simplify things a bit. Not sure where you’ll be in Tuscany and if thats an option.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1957 posts
We are currently in Florence, and we are in our 70’s. Florence is very, very crowded. Cobblestones are starting to hurt my feet. You have to dodge large tour groups , vehicles etc. Make sure grandma can walk. Wear the best walking shoes/sneakers.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16606 posts
Tuscany where exactly?
Visiting Florence will require lots of walking as the city center is virtually all pedestrianized and no cars are allowed, often not even official taxicabs in many spots. It’s flat terrain but lots of walking nevertheless.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
3129 posts
If taking the train into the city is an option I'd opt for that if only for the convenience involved - I personally would want nothing to do with driving in or around Florence.
We found that the local bus system was quite pretty good, and it really saved wear and tear on our legs while getting around the city during our last visit. Tickets can be purchased from any of the local shops or, alternatively, directly from the driver.
Google maps was quite handy for displaying the various routes and geerally planning our outings each day we were there.