travel in Italy

The main train station in Florence, Santa Maria Novella, is a terminal station similar to Rome Terminiin that trains come into a dead end and then back out to leave. Your Eurostar train is apparently a through train headed for some point north of Florence so, rather than waste time pulling into and then backing out of Firenze SMN, it discharges its passengers at minor stations on the mainline. There are two such stations in Florence, Rifredi and Campo di Marte, neither of which is very far from SMN. Take a look at http://www.tripwolf.com/en/guide/list/3336/Italy/Florence?group=10 You may have to check the icon under each station in the list and, if the map doesn't appear, click the Show Map icon ust below the words FLORENCE Transportation. The map doesn't show any scale, but the distances don't look far. Train schedules show a 5 minute trip from SMN to Rifredi and there is probably frequent train service from Rifredi back to SMN. From the looks of the map, Campo di Marte may be closer to your Florence destination so if your train stops there, get off. In any event, a taxi or bus ride won't bankrupt you.

The main train station in Florence, Santa Maria Novella, is a terminal station similar to Rome Terminiin that trains come into a dead end and then back out to leave. Your Eurostar train is apparently a through train headed for some point north of Florence so, rather than waste time pulling into and then backing out of Firenze SMN, it discharges its passengers at minor stations on the mainline. There are two such stations in Florence, Rifredi and Campo di Marte, neither of which is very far from SMN. Take a look at http://www.tripwolf.com/en/guide/list/3336/Italy/Florence?group=10 You may have to check the icon under each station in the list and, if the map doesn't appear, click the Show Map icon ust below the words FLORENCE Transportation. The map doesn't show any scale, but the distances don't look far. Train schedules show a 5 minute trip from SMN to Rifredi and there is probably frequent train service from Rifredi back to SMN. From the looks of the map, Campo di Marte may be closer to your Florence destination so if your train stops there, get off. In any event, a taxi or bus ride won't bankrupt you.

We were at a travel expo in Rosemont, IL today. We spoke to some people at the Visit Italy booth. They said that some trains go into the SMN train station, to be sure to book that train. As far as you know, is this correct information?

Yes. The regional and IC trains go to SMN. They are cheaper and maybe 30 minutes or so slower than the high speed. As explained earlier the high speed does want to waste time going into and out of SMN. There is public transportation from the other station to the center of Florence.

Unless something has changed, arriving train passengers can - for no more money or need for another ticket - connect to another station in Florence. This was the case as of last autumn...and confirmed by many living in Florence/Italy... If those stations don't get you where you want to be, then either the great bus system or a taxi is the answer.

Thank you, all, for your help.

Dianne, Please check http://www.trenitalia.com/ If you are taking a eurostar you are probably going to SMN.
The IC trains go to Rifredi.

Dianne, Who is telling you that you'll be stopping at Firenze Rifredi? Using an arbitrary date, I checked the trains on that route and there are numerous direct trains from Napoli Centrale to Firenze S.M.N. every day. Travel time is 3-hours and second class fare currently €71 (discounts may be possible, but I didn't check). I checked one departure, and that particular train makes a 15-minute stop at Roma Termini, but there was no mention of a stop at Rifredi. Just prior to your trip, check the Trenitalia website to determine the departure time and other details on the trains on your date of travel. The trains are numbered, so that should make it easier to buy a ticket for the correct one. Via de' Tornabuoni is actually not far from Firenze S.M.N. (if that's the street you'll be staying on - it leads towards the river). However it's far enough that I wouldn't want to walk while hauling luggage. In the same situation, I'd use a Taxi. It might be a good idea to take a small note with the name and address of your Hotel in Italian, to show the driver. That way there won't be any misunderstandings. Happy travels!

Diane, looking at the Trenitalia train site, it appears that you could be on an intercity (IC) train and not on a Eurostar. The IC trains stop at Florence Refredit. The Eurostars from Naples/Rome do not. The IC train is slower than the high-speeds and makes more stops (8 for this run). The journey takes 5hrs 20min. The ticket price is 44E. The high-speeds (ES Alto Velocito takes 3.0hrs and costs 71E. The ES AV high-speeds from Naples to Florence makes one stop at Rome Termini. And yes, they do pull fully into the dead end stops in both Rome Termini and Florence SMN and then back out. If you do end up on an IC train to Florence Rifredi, Rifredi is one stop away from Florence SMN. Every train to and from Pisa/Lucca/Cinque Terre stops there on the way in and out of Florence. You won't have any difficulty jumping on a Regionale train for one stop. It may cost you 1.5E but it's very easy.

Thank you to all for your excellent advice. I missed some information that we had already received and have also checked the trenitalia website. Indeed, we are taking the EuroStar and arriving at SMN. I appreciate all of the helpful info that was sent through this helpline. Now, a few months down the road, Canada.......