We are staying in Chianti near Siena and debating about whether it would be better to drive and park outside of Florence (I know its difficult and you have to park outside the city, I have been there before, but with a tour, so we went in on a bus) or to take the train. Also any ideas of where there is a good place to park? I think Piazzale Michelangelo could be a good place to start out the day, we are actually going to be coming to florence two of the seven days we are spending in Tuscany. Any advice or previous experiences with parking or getting to Florence? I did read the section in the RS book, but wondering what to do now.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
There has been so much posted on this site about the parking in Florence. It is wishful thinking to think you can find a parking place in Florence. Also, this site is full of threads and posts about the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitatos. These are restricted zones that take pictures of our license plate as you enter and then send you a very expensive ticket up to a year after your visit. Florence is full of them. Please use the search feature for the many, many threads on this subject. Also, you are so far ahead to take the train.
Posted by
Alpharetta
11 posts
I drove in Sicily and throughout Italy on our recent trip but i will admit that i found Florence challenging. And yes i accedently turned into one of the zones while trying to get to our hotel along the river! Thankfully the hotel had me give my tag number, time i did it and they were able to get the ticket reversed! But i'd recommed the trains. If you decide to drive check out garage europa - http://www.garageeuropafirenze.it/ - as a possibility although it is right down in the mix of it so get very good directions.
Posted by
boulder, colorado
192 posts
Take the train into Florence. The station is near the city center and any time saved driving in (and then some) will be lost trying to park.
Posted by
In the Mountains, USA
689 posts
Take the train!!!
Posted by
Henson, Florida, USA
466 posts
If you are driving into Florence you are only asking for trouble. Take the train or you will almost certainly get a VERY expensive parking ticket. Take the train, it's easier and you will not have to spend the day wondering if you got a ticket. Have fun!!!!
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
I would check out the train schedule before making a final decision to see how much flexibility and time in Florence the train would give you.
We also had our accommodation in Chianti and decided to park the car at the main bus stop in town and took the bus in. However, the bus only runs once every hour and the last one left Florence at 7.50 pm. To be on the safe side my fellow travelers decided to take the second last bus home ending our day in Florence already at 6.30 pm. Not to forget that we missed our first bus in the morning and had to wait another hour for the next one ...
Our host had strongly suggested that we'd take the bus but would have given us the address for a parking lot where we could have left the car for 15 Euro/day. It wasn't the price that deterred us (we pay the same here in Calgary) but the question whether we'd arrive and the lot is full.
Even in hindsight I can't say if we made the right decision about not taking the car. It did really shorten our day in Florence and caused some degree of stress but maybe it would have been worse if we had circled forever to find parking????
Posted by
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
1127 posts
Take the train!!!
Posted by
The Hague, NL (AMS)
2207 posts
Take the train!! The station in Florence is very close to the downtown area and easily accessible. In Siena, jump on almost ANY bus and you can get to the train station located outside the wall and down the hill.
We've been to Florence often with visiting friends and now exclusively, we take the train!!! The parking is limited and thus you'll walk further and waste time & patience seeking parking. Good Luck!
Ciao,
Ron
Posted by
Kansas City, MO
113 posts
We took the bus from Siena to Florence earlier this month, and I would recommend it. It's cheaper than the train, they run VERY frequently, and they get there reasonably quickly (in about 75 minutes).