After reading many posts on here, I have been educated about the ZTL zones and want to avoid them. Many folks
have suggested finding lodging well away from the
Florence city center. Any suggestions for that
lodging? We will need a room for 3 adults on April
13th and we are doing our traveling by car. Thanks!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
I've never done this (slept outside the historic center in Florence) and thus can't answer your question. Hopefully others can, but in order for the others to give you the best answer, please tell us:Which road will you be using to approach Florence?If you're not sure which road, tell us from which direction will you be approaching Florence, coming from where?The reason why someone answering this question needs to know from which direction you're approaching is: they will need to avoid recommending a hotel that requires you to traverse or cross through one of the five ZTL's in order to get from your point of exit from the highway to the hotel.
Posted by
OP
Eugene, OR, USA
6 posts
Not sure which road, we will be coming from the Cinque Terre area.
Posted by
OP
Eugene, OR, USA
6 posts
After consulting viamichelin.com, we will travel
from Pisa east to Florence on S S67.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
I drove into Florence and stayed downtown. We parked about a mile North-North-East of the city center and walked with our bags rather than risk the hotel failing to clear us into the ZTL.
The Hotel Aldobrandini wasn't very nice and was expensive. Judging by what other travelers were saying, most choices in Florence are the same. If I were going tomorrow, I would definitely do exactly what you want to do. I haven't done it yet and don't have good lodging to suggest.
I checked your thread hoping to hear some good recommendations.
If you don't get any good responses, here is how I would research it. Start by checking out Lonely Planet or Michelin Guides for lodging options. Rick's are heavily weighted to staying in the city center. Hopefully they will say if they are convenient to public transportation downtown. If not, you can ask some places you might be interested in staying how to get downtown from their hotel. You could also get a map of Florences transportation system online and check lodging choices against that.
Posted by
OP
Eugene, OR, USA
6 posts
Where can I find maps (both now online and then when I'm actually driving in Italy) with the ZTL zones marked so I can plan accordingly?
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Here are 2 online maps:Google Map http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&tab=wl&q=ViaMichelin map http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htmI'd start with Google Map because it's easier to use. But the Michelin map has more information about restaurants and hotels, and you're going to want hotel information so you can see hotel locations and confirm that they're not in the ZTL's and that driving from the highway to the hotel doesn't require you to go through a ZTL.Here's a map of the Florence ZTLshttp://www.bella-toscana.com/traffic/firenze_ztl_map_new.jpgThe ZTLs are not shown on the Google or Michelin maps, so you'll have to cross reference.
