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Getting from Florence Airport to the City Centre
Florence Airport, officially known as Amerigo Vespucci Airport and often referred to by its old name Peretola, sits genuinely close to the city, roughly five kilometres northwest of the historic centre. Unlike many European capitals where the airport transfer eats up half a day, getting from FLR into central Florence is a genuinely quick job, with several straightforward options depending on your budget and how much luggage you’re carrying.
Worth knowing before you travel is that many international visitors actually arrive through Pisa Airport instead, roughly eighty kilometres west, since it handles considerably more long haul and budget carrier traffic than Florence’s own airport. If you’ve flown into Pisa, the onward journey works differently and is covered in detail in our dedicated Pisa Airport guide, so this page focuses specifically on transfers from Florence’s own airport.
FLR itself is a small, single terminal airport, and the walk from your gate to the arrivals hall rarely takes more than a few minutes, with baggage reclaim usually moving quickly outside of the busiest peak season afternoons. Once outside, every transport option covered in this guide, from the tram to taxis to private transfers, is clearly signposted and easy to find without needing to navigate a sprawling airport campus first.
This guide covers every genuine way to reach central Florence from the airport, along with honest advice on cost, journey time, and which option suits your specific circumstances, whether you’re travelling solo with hand luggage, arriving late at night, or bringing a family with a full set of suitcases in tow.
Compare Your Transport Options
Before diving into the detail of each option, it genuinely helps to see how Florence’s airport transfers compare side by side on price, journey time and convenience. For most visitors, the choice comes down to a straightforward trade off between cost and comfort, and the table below should make that decision considerably easier.
The T2 tram is genuinely the standout option for most travellers, combining the lowest price with a reliable, traffic free journey directly into the historic centre. It won’t suit everyone, particularly those arriving with heavy luggage or very late at night, but for the average visitor it remains the sensible default choice.
Taxis and private transfers cost considerably more but offer genuine door to door convenience, which matters more than the price difference suggests once you’re standing at the airport exhausted after a long flight with suitcases in tow. Meanwhile, hiring a car makes sense only for visitors planning to explore Tuscany more widely rather than staying purely within Florence itself.
Prices below reflect typical current rates and can shift slightly depending on the time of day, demand, and whether you book in advance, so treat these figures as a genuinely reliable guide rather than an exact quote for your specific journey. Each option is covered in far more detail in its own dedicated section further down this guide, including practical tips for using it well.
| Option | Cost | Journey Time | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| T2 Tram | €2 (£1.70 / $2.30) | ~20 minutes | Most solo travellers and couples |
| Taxi | €28-32 (£24-27 / $32-37), fixed rate | ~15-25 minutes | Direct, no advance booking needed |
| Private Transfer | €35-55 (£30-47 / $41-64) | ~15-25 minutes | Families, groups, late arrivals |
| Uber Black | €40-60 (£34-52 / $47-70) | ~15-25 minutes | Premium vehicle preference |
| Car Hire | Varies by provider | N/A | Exploring wider Tuscany |
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Check dealsCatch the T2 Tram into Florence
The T2 tram is genuinely the best way for most visitors to reach central Florence from the airport, combining an unbeatable price with a fast, traffic free journey that taxis simply cannot match during busy periods. The tram stop, called Peretola Aeroporto, sits just outside the arrivals hall, clearly signposted and only a short walk from where you collect your luggage.
The journey into the centre takes around twenty minutes, reaching the stops beside Santa Maria Novella train station before running on to its terminus at Piazza San Marco. The old Unità stop closed when the line was extended in January 2025, so for the station, the Duomo and much of the historic centre you now get off at Alamanni or Valfonda instead. Trams run every five to ten minutes throughout the day, operating from around 5am until half past midnight, extending to 2am on Friday and Saturday nights, so there is genuinely no need to plan your flight around a specific departure time.
A single ticket costs €2 (£1.70 / $2.30) and remains valid for ninety minutes across the wider tram and bus network, meaning you can use the same ticket for onward transfers if your accommodation sits slightly outside the immediate centre. Tickets can be bought from vending machines at the tram stop, through the official AT Bus app, or simply by tapping a contactless bank card or phone directly on the reader as you board, which needs no advance purchase at all.
Whichever payment method you choose, remember to validate your ticket immediately using the yellow machine near the doors if you haven’t tapped a contactless card directly, since an unvalidated paper ticket is treated as no ticket at all and fines start at around forty euros per person issued on the spot. The tram is air conditioned, has dedicated luggage space, and offers level boarding for wheelchairs and pushchairs, making it a genuinely comfortable option even with a full set of suitcases.
Ride the Airport Shuttle Bus
If you’ve read older guides or blog posts mentioning a dedicated VolaInBus airport shuttle running between Florence Airport and Santa Maria Novella station, it’s genuinely worth knowing that this service was discontinued in 2025. The T2 tram has run directly to the airport terminal since February 2019, and now carries the route on its own. Any advice still recommending this bus as your primary transfer option is now outdated, so treat it with caution if you encounter it while planning your trip.
In practical terms, this is good news rather than bad, since the T2 tram covered in the previous section now does everything the old shuttle bus used to do, only considerably faster, more frequently, and without needing to sit in the same road traffic that regularly slowed the bus down during busy periods. For virtually every visitor arriving at FLR, the tram has genuinely replaced the bus as the sensible public transport choice into the city.
That said, Florence’s wider Autolinee Toscane bus network does still serve the general airport area as part of its regular city routes, and travellers with specific accommodation needs outside the immediate tram corridor may occasionally find a standard city bus useful for the final stretch of their journey. These are ordinary local services rather than dedicated airport shuttles, so timetables and stop locations are best checked using the AT Bus app closer to your travel date.
For the vast majority of visitors, though, there is genuinely no reason to look beyond the T2 tram for a straightforward, affordable transfer into central Florence. It covers the same route the old shuttle bus once did, at a lower price and with considerably better frequency throughout the day.
Book a Private Airport Transfer
Booking a private airport transfer is genuinely the most relaxed way to reach central Florence, particularly if you’re arriving with a group, significant luggage, or simply want the reassurance of a driver waiting for you by name as you walk through arrivals. Rather than queuing for a taxi or navigating tram tickets after a long flight, everything is arranged and paid for in advance.
Private transfers from Florence Airport typically cost somewhere between thirty five and fifty five euros for a standard car, covering the journey directly to your hotel or accommodation rather than a fixed drop off point in the city centre. Given that this door to door service can work out only modestly more expensive than a standard taxi, particularly once you factor in the flat taxi rate already applying to most airport journeys, many families and groups find the extra reliability well worth the small premium.
Most reputable transfer companies allow you to book online in advance, specifying your flight number so the driver can track any delays and adjust their pickup time accordingly. This removes the genuine anxiety of wondering whether your ride will still be waiting if your flight lands late, something that can matter considerably on a long travel day when you’re simply keen to reach your hotel and start unwinding.
Private transfers also tend to include a fixed number of pieces of luggage in the base price, with additional charges only applying for oversized items such as bikes, golf clubs or unusually large suitcases. For families travelling with young children, many providers can also supply a car seat on request, something worth confirming at the time of booking rather than assuming it will automatically be included.
Arrange Your Florence Airport Transfer
For a straightforward arrival in Florence, Welcome Pickups allows you to pre-book a private transfer from the airport to your hotel or accommodation.
Having the journey arranged in advance means you can leave the terminal without needing to find a taxi or work out local public transport after your flight.
Check prices for your Florence airport journey. You can also check another transfer provider before booking.
Take a Taxi from Florence Airport
Taking a taxi from Florence Airport is a genuinely straightforward option for visitors who simply want to reach their accommodation without changing trams or handling luggage on public transport. An official taxi rank sits directly outside the arrivals hall, and given the airport’s small scale, there is rarely much of a queue to contend with outside the very busiest peak season afternoons.
Taxis operate on a fixed rate system for journeys between the airport and destinations within the historic centre, which removes the usual worry of an inflated meter reading during heavy traffic. The official fixed fare, set by the Comune di Firenze for journeys between the airport and the historic centre, is €28 during the day, rising to €30 on Sundays and public holidays and €32 at night (22:00–06:00), with the exact fare posted clearly at the taxi rank itself. A small supplement of around €1.20 per bag also applies beyond the first case.
The journey usually takes between fifteen and twenty five minutes depending on traffic and your exact destination within the city, since much of central Florence sits inside a restricted traffic zone that taxis are permitted to enter but that considerably slows general road traffic during the day. Evenings and early mornings tend to see noticeably quicker journey times than the middle of a busy afternoon.
Only use officially licensed white taxis displaying a visible meter and identification, and avoid anyone approaching you inside the terminal offering an unmetered ride, since this remains a minor but persistent scam at airports across Italy. Sticking to the official rank outside arrivals is genuinely the safest and most straightforward way to guarantee a fair, fixed fare for your journey into the city, without any unwelcome surprises once you arrive at your hotel.
Can You Use Uber in Florence?
Visitors used to relying on Uber in other cities are often surprised to discover that it works quite differently in Florence, and in Italy more broadly. Standard UberX, the everyday economy option familiar from most major cities, simply doesn’t operate here at all, since Italian taxi regulations have effectively blocked ordinary ride hailing services from competing directly with licensed taxis.
What remains is Uber Black, a considerably more expensive luxury tier using licensed chauffeur cars rather than everyday private vehicles. Fares from Florence Airport typically run to somewhere between forty and sixty euros, broadly similar to booking a private transfer directly, which makes Uber a genuinely poor value option compared with the standard taxi rank covered earlier in this guide unless you specifically want the added comfort of a premium vehicle.
For a more budget friendly app based alternative, local Italian taxi booking apps such as itTaxi and AppTaxi connect you with genuine licensed taxis at standard metered or fixed airport rates, rather than the luxury pricing that comes with Uber Black. These apps work similarly to Uber in terms of booking and tracking your driver, but without the considerable price premium attached.
Given the choice between hailing a standard taxi at the official rank, booking through a local taxi app, or paying considerably more for Uber Black, most visitors genuinely find the first two options offer far better value for an airport transfer. Save Uber Black, if you use it at all, for situations where a specific luxury vehicle or an English speaking driver is a genuine priority for you personally, rather than simply as the default way of getting from the airport to your hotel.
Hiring a Car at Florence Airport
Hiring a car at Florence Airport makes sense for a specific type of traveller, generally those planning to explore the wider Tuscan countryside rather than staying purely within Florence itself. Given how compact and walkable the historic centre is, and how restrictive the city’s traffic zones can be for private cars, a rental car genuinely offers little advantage if your trip is focused entirely on the city.
Major international car rental companies operate desks within the terminal, making it straightforward to collect your vehicle shortly after landing without needing a separate transfer first. Given that FLR is a relatively small, single terminal airport, the whole process from arrivals to driving away typically takes considerably less time than at Italy’s larger international hubs.
If your itinerary does include day trips into the Tuscan hills, vineyards around Chianti, or towns like Siena and San Gimignano that are considerably easier to reach with your own transport, picking up a car directly at the airport avoids the extra step of arranging one later once you’ve already settled into the city. Just be aware that driving within Florence’s historic centre itself is heavily restricted by a ZTL zone, with automatic cameras issuing fines to any unauthorised vehicle that enters, so plan to park on the outskirts rather than attempting to drive directly to a central hotel.
For visitors staying entirely within Florence and taking organised day trips or trains to destinations further afield, a hire car genuinely adds cost and complexity without much practical benefit. Save the rental for trips specifically built around exploring the wider region under your own steam, and rely on the transport options covered elsewhere in this guide for the city itself.
Find Car Hire Deals for Florence
A hire car can be useful for exploring Florence and the surrounding area, particularly when the places you want to visit are awkward to reach by public transport.
Using more than one comparison site can help you check prices and rental terms across a wider range of suppliers before deciding which option suits your trip.
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Book a transferTravelling Late at Night
Arriving at Florence Airport late at night genuinely changes which transport option makes the most sense, since not every service covered earlier in this guide runs around the clock. Thinking through your options in advance, particularly if your flight is scheduled to land after normal daytime hours, can save a considerable amount of stress once you actually step off the plane.
The T2 tram operates until around half past midnight on most nights, extending to two in the morning on Fridays and Saturdays specifically, so late evening arrivals earlier in the week should still find it running, albeit less frequently than during the day. If your flight is delayed and you’re cutting it close to the tram’s final departure, it’s genuinely worth checking the current timetable through the AT Bus app while you’re still airborne or waiting at baggage reclaim.
For arrivals after the tram has stopped running, a taxi remains available at the airport rank throughout the night, with the fixed night rate of €32 applying automatically rather than requiring any special negotiation. Given how quiet the airport typically is late at night, taxis are usually waiting rather than needing to be called, making this a genuinely reliable fallback whatever time your flight actually lands.
Private transfers booked in advance also work well for late night arrivals, since your driver will already have your flight details and will simply wait for you regardless of delays, removing any uncertainty about whether transport will still be available once you clear customs. For late night arrivals specifically, the small extra cost of a pre booked transfer over a standard taxi is often genuinely worth the added peace of mind.
Which Option Should You Choose?
With several genuinely workable ways to reach Florence from the airport, the right choice ultimately comes down to your budget, luggage, and how much you value convenience over cost on arrival day. There is no single correct answer for every traveller, but a few clear, genuinely useful patterns emerge once you weigh up the options covered earlier in this guide.
For most solo travellers and couples arriving with reasonable luggage, the T2 tram is genuinely the best all round choice, combining an unbeatable price with a fast, reliable journey directly into the heart of the city. Unless you’re arriving very late at night, in significant discomfort after a long flight, or simply prefer not to handle tickets and tram stops after travelling, the tram should be your default option.
Families, groups, or anyone arriving with substantial luggage will typically find more value in a private transfer or a straightforward taxi from the official rank, since the modest extra cost buys genuine door to door convenience precisely when you’re least inclined to navigate public transport. Between the two, private transfers offer slightly more certainty around flight delays, while taxis remain readily available without needing to book in advance.
Only consider hiring a car if your wider itinerary genuinely depends on exploring Tuscany independently, since driving and parking within Florence itself brings more complications than benefits. Whichever option you choose, the good news is that every route from FLR into central Florence is genuinely short, straightforward, and unlikely to eat significantly into your first day exploring the city, unlike arrivals at some of Italy’s larger, considerably more sprawling international airports. Once you are in the city, Visit Tuscany’s official Florence destination guide is a useful starting point for deciding what to see first.
Rupert’s Handy Travel Tips
Florence’s airport transfer is one of the easiest in Italy, but a few tips will help it go even more smoothly.
- Ignore any mention of the VolaInBus shuttle: it was discontinued in 2025, and the T2 tram, which has served the airport terminal since February 2019, has fully replaced it.
- Validate your tram ticket immediately: unless you tap a contactless card directly, an unvalidated paper ticket can lead to an on the spot fine.
- Skip Uber unless you want the Black tier: standard UberX doesn’t operate in Florence, so a local taxi app or the official rank is usually better value.
- Only hire a car if you’re exploring Tuscany: Florence’s ZTL zone makes driving into the historic centre impractical and expensive if you get it wrong.
- Book a private transfer for late arrivals: the tram stops running in the early hours, so a pre booked transfer avoids any uncertainty after a delayed flight.
Want to meet the reindeer behind our travel tips? Find out more in our page Who is Rupert?.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way from Florence Airport to the city centre?
The T2 tram is the cheapest option, costing €2 (£1.70 / $2.30) for a ticket that takes you directly into the historic centre in around twenty minutes.
Is there still a shuttle bus from Florence Airport?
No, the VolaInBus shuttle was discontinued in 2025. The T2 tram has run directly to the airport terminal since February 2019 and now covers the same route considerably faster.
How much does a taxi cost from Florence Airport?
Taxis operate on a fixed rate set by the Comune di Firenze: €28 during the day, rising to €30 on Sundays and public holidays and €32 at night (22:00–06:00).
Does Uber work in Florence?
Only Uber Black, a premium chauffeur tier costing around forty to sixty euros, operates in Florence. Standard UberX is not available due to Italian taxi regulations.
How far is Florence Airport from the city centre?
Florence Airport sits around five kilometres northwest of the historic centre, with most transfer options taking between fifteen and twenty five minutes.
Should I hire a car at Florence Airport?
Only if your trip includes exploring wider Tuscany. Florence’s historic centre has a restricted ZTL traffic zone, making a rental car impractical for visitors staying within the city itself.
What if I arrive at Florence Airport late at night?
The T2 tram runs until around half past midnight, extending to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Outside these hours, taxis and pre booked private transfers remain available.
Further Reading
Once you’ve arrived, our Things to Do in Florence guide covers the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio and every other essential city sight, while our Best Museums in Florence guide takes a closer look at the Uffizi, Accademia, Palazzo Pitti and Florence’s other world class collections.
If you have extra time to explore Tuscany, our Best Day Trips from Florence guide rounds up Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano and other unforgettable destinations, and our Pisa Day Trip from Florence guide covers that specific route in detail.
If you’re travelling around Italy more widely, our Best eSIM Apps Guide and Train Booking Apps Guide will help you stay connected and book rail journeys with confidence.
