Yes, I admit Italy can be as confusing to navigate, I can’t even tell you how many times my GPS has tried to take me into the seven circles of hell (aka on an unpaved road in Tuscany after 10pm) so I decided to provide some useful info this dedicated page for newcomers to Florence.

Fun Facts: Florence’s population is roughly 370,000 – 375,000 people and it is the esteemed capital of Tuscany with Saint John the Baptist being the patron saint of the city. Founded in the first century before christ, it was also once the retirement area for Roman soldiers during the Roman empire. It developed as a cultural mecca under the Medici family {I linked to one of my favorite books about this famous family} and is also known as the birthplace of the renaissance age. Some famous characters from Florence (or nearby) include my favorite hook-nosed Dante ALghieri (founder of the Italian language), Brunelleschi {thank him for fixing us up for a convenient place to meet – the Duomo}, Leonardo da Vinci, Galilileo Galilei (from Pisa). They all did their personal best to put Tuscany on the map well before the movie Under the Tuscan Sun was released. . 

The most famous areas in the city include Piazza del Duomo where the famous church and bapistery San Giovanni are located, Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza Santa Croce, Piazzale Michelangelo (best panoramic view over the city).

The most famous monuments besides the Duomo include the campanile di Giotto (82-meter bell tower next to the Duomo), Galleria dell’Accademia (where the real David is located), Galleria degli Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, Bargello museum and this is just a taste* of what exists in the marvelous UNESCO Heritage site that is the Florence historical center.

Emergency numbers:

• Carabinieri – 112
• Police – 113
• Fire department – 115
• Ambulance 118

Information offices in Florence:

• Information Office – Piazza Stazione 4, in front of the Firenze Santa Maria Novella Train station. Open Monday through Saturday 8:30am – 7pm. Sunday 8:30am – 2pm. Tel +39 055 290/832
• Information Office – Borgo S. Croce 29/r, (behind Piazza Santa Croce). March until October, Monday through Saturday 9am – 7pm. Sunday 9am-2pm. From November until February, Monday through Saturday 9am – 5pm. Sunday 9am – 2pm. Tel 055 234/0444.
• Agenzia per il turismo, via cavour 1/r. Monday through Saturday 8:30am-6:30pm. Sunday 8:30am-1:30am. Tel 055 290/0832.

24-Hour Pharmacies in the center

• Farmacia Comunale – Piazza Stazione 13. Tel 055 289/435
• Farmacia Molteni – Via Calzaiuoli 7/r. Tel 055 289/490

Post Offices in Florence (these are the two main ones, there are many smaller ones throughout the city)

• Biggest post office – Via Pellicceria 3 {Piazza della Repubblica}.
• Post Office – Via Pietrapiana 53. {The immigration help-desk is also located here}.

The bus system in Florence is fairly simple to navigate. ATAF is the main bus company, while SITA and LAZZI focus more on the outskirts of the city. You can buy a ticket  which costs 1.20 at any local tabacchi (look for the blue T), newsstands, or even with your cell phone by sending a sms with “ataf” in the subject to 4880105.

You can buy a ticket on-board from the bus driver but it costs two euros and the bus drivers can be evil. If you are going to be in town for a bit and riding the bus often, I recommend buying the handy “carta agile” for either 10 or 20 euros which you just scan on the bus each trip.

Airport shuttle – called the Volainbus which you can get from the station (near the taxi stand). The ticket costs around five euros for a single trip.

Train times are really easy to find using Trenitalia’s english website. If you book a week or two ahead, or even more.. tickets can be heavily discounted to popular destinations like Rome or Florence. You can purchase your tickets online or at the station itself at one of the self-service machines. Be careful to watch out for gypsies or people begging while you are buying your ticket. Trenitalia now has competition with the new train service Italo treno which apparently has wifi and coffee machines. I haven;t taken it yet, but I’m dying to, at the moment it only goes to Rome, Venice, Milan and Turin. Website here.

Train types include the slow train or ‘regional train’ (R) often called “topo” or mouse and stops at almost every station, intercity (IC) is faster and stops only at a few, while of course the Eurostar and FrecciaRossa are the bomb, superfast with the price to match.

Taxis: main number is +39 055 4242. They come very quick and if you are in the center, just walk to one of the taxi stands in front of the train station, piazza del duomo, piazza della repubblica and piazza santa croce.

Where to stay? 

• Apartment stays! Personally I am a huge fan of renting an apartment and feeling like a ‘local’ during my travels and if not I usually go for a more personal B&B where I can chat with the owners and eat great food! I highly recommend AirBnb Just because I have always had good experiences using them while traveling.

• Affordable & Awesome B&B. For a really nice & affordable B&B located near the Florence center – I highly recommend Villa Landucci - a boutique B&B known for being a gastronomic gem & each room is named after a famous wine {I like the bolgheri room}. They even offer in-house wine tastings and can take you on tours to the places your room is named after! One of the few hotels I know in the Florence center that is pet-friendly and actually wants you to bring your dog/cat!

• Fancy and central! Otherwise if you are looking for a fancy hotel in the center, Antica Torre di via Tornabuoni 1 is gorgeous, smaller luxury hotel and more personal – not to mention they have an amazing 360 degree view above the city.They are super nice and that really counts for a lot in the luxury hotel market.

• The Hostel Experience. Looking for a hostel? I like Archi Rossi, on via faenza in the center.  Otherwise there is the large Plus Hostel (both camping on the outskirts & a central location.

Where to park? 

Florence has several parking garages around the city, they are expensive but at least your car will be safe. They are located at the train station, Piazza Beccaria, Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, Piazza della Liberta. These parking lots are open 24 hours and cost about 1-2 euros per hour and get crazier as time goes on. Be careful to avoid driving in the center (for your sanity at any time) but legally you cannot come in before 7:30pm.

On Sundays you have free reign. Along the arno river close to Piazza Santa Croce, there are many spaces to park though they go away fast on weekend nights. Just make sure you park only in the blue spaces which are available for everyone. Rules are that you must pay for a ticket until 8pm, after 8pm it is free to park there. The white spaces are for residents only and if you park there, you can (and likely) will be fined. Also be careful to check the signs for street-cleaning which they normally do once-a-week during which no cars can be parked or they will be towed. If you park in Piazzale Michelangelo you pay nothing, yep it’s free parking and a way for Florence to make tourists get some exercise as the steps leading up to it are pretty brutal.

For bike rental, read this blog post . This month their will be a new bike-sharing system in the oltrarno area of Florence. I will write about it once I see it in action in person and know that it works , but it does sound pretty awesome.

Segways – can’t help you because I think they look stupid. Florence is small – walk or ride a bike.

Need a pet sitter? Here you go, they even have a website! {in English}.