Parking in Florence

This website lists parking lots on the outskirts of Florence where you can park outside of the ZTL zone: http://www.visitflorence.com/florence-maps/parking-lots-in-florence.html It has the train station on this list, however, I would not park there. It would be best to park in the Scandicci area outside of the city. We stayed at the Hilton Metropole which had a shopping center adjacent to it. You could park there and take the bus in. It was easily accessible from the autostrada.

There are plenty of parking lots around the city center. Coming from VE on the A1 freeway, exit the freeway at FIRENZE NORD exit. Then it will put you on another freeway (A11) toward Florence. Go straight (you'll be passing next to the airport). Stay on Viale Guidoni (a boulevard) Follow directions to the city center, or CENTRO CITTA' (or just CENTRO). Often, on the road signs and arrows, the Centro Citta' is indicated by a black round symbol resembling a target (think of the Target store logo). Don't speed on Viale Guidoni because there is a Speed Camera machine. Eventually you'll be turning right on via Forlanini (at the University), then left at the roundabout on via di Novoli. Stay left and you'll be on Viale Redi (trees on the median). At the end of Viale Redi, before you get on Viale Belfiore, you'll see a bunch of signs for several Parking Lot (a "P" on blue background). Follow directions to either the P-Stazione (an underground parking structure under the station) or to the P-Fortezza-Fiera (a Parking lot around the Fortezza da Basso (a Fort). The one under the station is closer to the sights, but it is more expensive (3 Euro/hour). The Fortezza Fiera is Euro 1.60/h or Euro 20 all day. Here is the site for all parking lots with the free spaces available in each in real time (only Italian I'm afraid): http://www.firenzeparcheggi.it/ I suggest you also have a GPS for driving in Italy. If you have a Garmin or any other brand, it will work in Italy, just load European maps in them. The above website will give you also the coordinates of the parking lots that you can enter in your GPS.

Don't park in Scandicci, as suggested by the above poster. That's way too far from the city center and you'd need a bus or taxi to go downtown. You are not staying long enough to bother with that. Also parking at Freeland (that's the shopping center next to the Hilton) may not be not necessarily allowed to non customers. If you come back to the Freeland too late at night, after they close, you might find the parking lot locked up and/or your car towed away. Follow my advice given above. The station parking is pricey at 3 euro/hour, but good for a short few hours' visit, walking distance from everything. The Fortezza is maybe an extra 10 min. walk from the station, taking via Valfonda, between the Station and the Palazzo dei Congressi (Convention Palace). There is no ZTL to worry about on that route. Parking in Scandicci is extra time and extra money for the taxi (because if you are too afraid to venture further into the city, I know you won't try to get on a bus in a not so upscale suburb of Florence).

Roberto - Thanks for the detailed message! I will certainly bring that information with me along with my Garmin!

In December we parked free at Piazzale Michelangelo. It is only about a 20 minute walk to Ponte Vecchio (although we took a taxi back late at night). Plus the view of the city from there is not to be missed!

Piazzale Michelangelo is an option, if you were planning to go there. However 20 minutes' walk are not enough to get you to the Duomo or where most places are, and on the way back it's a climb uphill. If you use a taxi, that will negate your parking savings. If you decide to take that route, then you need to exit at a different A-1 Freeway exit. The closest is probably the Firenze-Impruneta exit (2 exits after Firenze Nord), the easiest is probably Firenze-Sud exit. Either way will add at least another 30 min. to your arrival time to the parking spot.