Getting to Florence from Washington DC

Depends on various factors, primarily times and costs. I prefer getting to my destination, so I'd go with an easy plane change--ideally Brussels or Frankfurt, as Paris airport can be trying.

I'm in the "nonstop to Italy" camp. Fly nonstop either to Milan or Rome and take the train. Milan is often the cheaper airline ticket, but Rome is closer. In either case, get a train from the airport to the main station, then a high speed express train to Florence. In the case of Rome, there are 2 direct trains a day from the airport to Florence, although the timing has to be just right. Other times there are always at least one train per hour to Florence, and more frequent at various times during the day.

I'm with Sam. I try to fly non-stop whenever I can. Less change of your luggage getting lost in the transfer. No layover time in the airport.
We flew to Rome and took the train to Florence. Very easy to do. We bought first class tickets on the TVG which was comfortable and got free expresso and cookies.
Have fun.

Depends on timing.

Both could work but in most situations I'd take the flight. If you were staying in Rome first then train is by far best but since you aren't you will have to go into Rome and get a train. You won't know what time you get through passport control so can't book ahead, at least not without leaving a lot of extra time. Plus what's your return? After Florence are you going home or going elsewhere? If going home after Florence and flying out of Rome - will you need a night in Rome to make your return flight?

I like to fly direct but if there is like a big difference in price then I go with the lower.

I'm also voting for the non stop flight. I've done Atlanta to Paris to Florence, and it falls under the once is enough category for me. And you'll see more countryside on the train!

I'd vote for the nonstop to Rome. I did something similar once. I flew United from IAD to FCO, and then took the train to Cortona. I arrived in time to eat lunch.

My second choice would be a change in Frankfurt (Munich would be better if that is an option). I hate changing at CDG.

What is the price of both? Take into account the train cost (about $70 each way).
Are you visiting Rome also, or you are just going to Florence?
If you decide to fly to FLR, change in FRA is easier than CDG.
BRU is not a good choice because there is only a daily flight each direction to FLR, so if you miss the connection you are out of luck. FRA and CDG have 6 daily pairs each so plenty of choices in case of a missed connection.

If I am flying with luggage I prefer connecting flights as this way airlines take care of my suitcase and I usually need only taxi rides to/from airports. When traveling by train, possibly with connections, you have to take care of your luggage (I mean, lugging it around) and usually it is smarter to travel light.

Of course when you have to deal with flight connections there is always the possibility of missing a connection or the suitcase getting lost en route so you have to carefully evaluate all possibilities. I second the idea of not planning connections as CDG if possible.

I would take the non-stop to Rome. Getting on a train is easier than having to switch planes, and is a more relaxing trip as you can at least walk around a bit. Also, CDG can be awful to navigate.

Lachera beat me to it - if you're packing heavy or have any difficulty wrangling luggage, take the connecting flight to Florence, as this way the airline has to deal with the luggage, and you just get in a taxi at the FLR airport. Otherwise, I'd probably take the nonstop to Rome, unless of course there was a big cost difference. Remember to add the price of a last minute train ticket from FCO to Florence into the calculation (you don't want to buy a ticket in advance for this, as you can't predict when you'll be through the airport formalities and ready to take the train, and tickets on this route are only good for one specific train).

Luggage should always be a deciding factor on a decision like this, especially if your health is compromised in some way. It takes a lot more energy and stamina to deal with luggage on a train or in a train station than it does when flying. In the train station, the escalators may not work. The escalators always seem to be intentionally blocked by thick, metal polls, forcing you to re-organize your bags to place one at a time on the moving stairs, a real pain in the backside. Then you have to lift your bags onto the train, and the first step is often quite steep. I've seen so many people fall backwards, it isn't funny. If by some chance you need to change trains somewhere unexpectedly, you may find yourself schlepping luggage up and down lengthy stairwells. I've seen this happen, also, too many times.

I never enjoy flying into FLR because non-stops are not available from the U.S. I always prefer to fly non-stop to my final destination. Since I almost always include Tuscany with a visit to Florence, I will often drive from Rome. I really love that drive. I have a favorite place to park my car outside of Florence's ZTL.

I can't speak for D.C. departures, but this year, I've received some unbelievable Coach air fares in my inbox. Lots of non-stops to Rome's FCO for under $500, all on major airlines, travel into June 1018. I haven't seen prices like that for high-season spring since post 9/11. I've never seen a similar price reduction to FLR, which requires a connection to get there. Oftentimes, the sale price to FLR will be $1100. A savings of $600 per person can easily override all decisions concerning luggage.

I've stopped connecting at CDG many years ago to avoid that pain. Zurich, Munich, and Frankfurt are much better choices.

There are only two Frecciargento trains to Florence from FCO. If your flight schedule doesn't match up, you will be changing trains in Rome or wasting a lot of time on the ground in a train station.

Unfortunately, a visit to Florence requires more work. It's just the nature of this beast.

Another consideration: I don't sleep well on the overnight flight, but I sleep like a baby on the more comfortable short hop. I am much more able to competently navigate from one airport gate to another than I am to do multiple ground-level transport transactions, and I worry more about napping on a train when I cannot watch my stuff.

cost certainly factors in. We have always flown to Rome and then bought train tickets on arrival at the FCO train station for a fast train from Termini to Florence. If there was a fast train from the airport I would buy that. When you buy the ticket on arrival, you don't have to worry about a late plane and most of our flights to Europe in the last 10 years have been late. It is only 90 minutes to Florence and you arrive in the heart of the city where you can walk or take a short cab to your hotel.