Florence train station

Have you ever used Google maps/directions? It works the same way as directions in the US. It looks like about a 16 minute walk (1.3 km or ~0.8 mile). So it depends on how heavy your luggage is and whether you want to drag it for that length, the walk itself looks easy enough. You can zoom in on the map and see.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Firenze+S.M.N.,+Piazza+di+Santa+Maria+Novella,+50123+Firenze+FI,+Italy/Hotel+Loggiato+Dei+Serviti,+Piazza+SS.+Annunziata,+Florence,+Metropolitan+City+of+Florence,+Italy/@43.7758366,11.2496442,16z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x132a56a5110a5089:0x1958e826bdc6c329!2m2!1d11.2478839!2d43.7765223!1m5!1m1!1s0x133a235305a699c5:0xbcb4970b96cebfb9!2m2!1d11.2599935!2d43.7766165!3e2

It's under a mile, and flat - unless you have a ton of luggage, walking should be ok.

Thank you for the responses. Agnes, I just downloaded Google Maps (no, I haven't used it; i'm rather a novice) but will try to familiarize myself with it.

Another option is to take either the #6 or #14 bus from the train station. Those buses depart from near the taxi stand at the station and you can get off just around the corner from the hotel. The stop at the train station is called Stazione Arrivi (there are multiple bus stops at the train station) and you get off 4 stops later at Santissima Annuziata. Go to your left when you get off the bus and turn right a very short distance later at the piazza. Walk a short distance along the loggia to the hotel entrance. A cab is simpler, but the bus is cheap and easy. The #6 and #14 buses run very frequently, and don't be confused by the fact that there will be a letter after the bus number. For that part of the route, they all go the same place.

thank you!

I don't recommend the use of city buses with substantial luggage however. Buses can get crowded downtown, and pickpockets take advantage of crowded buses to target tourists, especially those encumbered by luggage and therefore too busy maneuvering their suitcases to pay attention to their surroundings. The top hits for pickpockets in Florence are on city buses and on the regional commuter trains. If you have luggage and walking 3/4 of mile is too long for you consider a taxi. The taxi fare varies depending if it's week days or sundays, but for that distance it shouldn't be more than about 7 euro (plus 1 euro per bag).

I assume you're referring to the main rail station in Florence, Firenze Santa Maria Novella? As with most places in Europe, there's more than one station in each city.

Thanks for that info, Roberto.

Ken, though we haven’t booked tickets to Vernazza yet, I assume it will be that station.

...though we haven’t booked tickets to Vernazza yet, I assume it will
be that station.

I'll have Ken and the others weigh in on this but if you're trying to get to Vernazza from Florence, your fastest option will be from Firenze Campo di Marte station and not Santa Maria Novella. There is a 7:38 AM Frecciabianca train which gets you into La Spezia at 9:11, and there you'll catch a regionale to Vernazza: total time of 1 hour, 57 minutes and just one train change.

All other options from either Campo di Marte or S.M. Novella will take you at least one hour longer and nearly all will involve more than 1 change. Personally I think this is the best option and worth getting out of bed early for. :O)

Editing to add: if you go with this option, I'd probably grab a cab to Campo di Marte.

Are you going to Vernazza for a day trip, or will you be staying there for a few days? If you're going to stay, I don't see any need to leave Florence early in the morning. If you arrive too early, your accommodations may not be ready yet. You can see all the rail solutions on the Trenitalia website.

While later trains may have a few more changes, those are not really that difficult. Some departures from Florence will be via Regionale trains only, or a combination of Regionale and express trains. In the same situation, I'd just buy the tickets at the station (probably using a Kiosk), a day or so before you'll be travelling. There's no price advantage with advance purchase Regionale tickets and you won't really save that much with advance purchase tickets for the express trains, as that's a fairly short route.

With locally purchased Regionale tickets, you must validate the tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

If you're going to stay, I don't see any need to leave Florence early
in the morning.

Ken, it looks like they're staying in the CT but I thought that particular train would still be a good option if their time there was going to be short. Guess I figured that their accommodation might keep their bags until check-in but yes, luggage is a consideration if it's a rented room, as many are in Vernazza.

llmoyer123, Ken is right that changing trains isn't a big deal so if you're going to be in the CT for several days, you don't really need to get up at the crack of dawn to get there. As he has instructed, use the Trenitalia website to explore the options and buy your tickets in Florence.

Kathy,

I haven't looked at any of the other threads from this OP. You're right, hotels / B&B's will usually store luggage until check in time, but I never travel that early unless there's a compelling reason to do so, for a couple of reasons.....

• when on holidays, I do not like getting up that early unless absolutely necessary.
• I don't like to miss the breakfast that I paid for.
• on longer train trips, I like to go to my room right away, relax for a few minutes and get organized.

Yes, we will be in CT for 3 nights (4 Days).

I’d leaned toward direct trains, as they hold the allure of being less intimidating (in terms of multiple connections).

As far as I can tell, there are no direct trains from Florence to Vernazza so you'll have at least one change. Of course the choice is yours. Be sure to also consider the overall travel time, which ranges from 1H:57M to 3H:40M. The departure which takes 1H:57M has a change time of just 6 minutes, so you'll need to be quick.

Ken is correct: there are no direct trains from Florence to Vernazza so you'll need to make at least one change.

when on holidays, I do not like getting up that early unless
absolutely necessary.

LOL, Ken. I wish we could sleep in. Too many years on the corp. treadmill has made us 0-dark-thirty risers and we can't seem to shake the habit! Fortunately, dawn is a great time for a 'lil wander with the camera, and we can stop back at the hotel for breakfast. :O)

But I do realize that most folks prefer not to be crawling out of the covers as early as we do unless they absolutely must.