About Florence

When we say that an apartment is centrally located this means that it is situated inside the area of the ancient walls surrounding the city.
The center of Florence is divided into two parts by the Arno river.

The neighborhoods of San Lorenzo, Santa Croce and San Giovanni lie to the north, while those of Santo Spirito, San Frediano and San Niccolò lie to the south.
All these neighborhoods are centrally located. The San Giovanni quarter, where you find the Duomo, the Baptistry and Palazzo Vecchio you might call the heart of the city center.

The principal museums and churches of Florence are located both to the south and to the north of the river.

In the center of the city you will find houses dating back to Medieval, Renaissance, Neoclassical and early 19th Century times, but never modern homes.

When, on the other hand, we say that an apartment if located in the city of Florence this means that it is outside the ring of roads circling the city where once there stood the last city walls, destroyed in the middle of the 1800's.
Here you may see apartment houses dating to the 1800's as well as modern ones.

Distances

In cities like Florence, city blocks are of different sizes; you can't measure distances by them.
The center of Florence is a marvellous, complex "urban organism" composed of homes, museums, churches, squares, streets, narrow alleys, palaces, shops, schools, garages etc. Almost all streets have commercial establishments, and are punctuated by bars, cafes and restaurants.
The city offers a vast selection of restaurants and trattorie.
There are also small supermarkets and food stores and two large covered markets (San Lorenzo and Sant'Ambrogio) which I suggest you visit and do some of your shopping.
Some food stores and minimarkets are open on Sundays too.
Florence is full of laundries, automatic laundries and Internet points!

Florence is often referred to as a city to the measure of man and woman. You get around easily on foot, by bicycle and with public transportation.
It takes at most 30 to 45 minutes to cross the center of Florence from one end to the other. For those feeling a bit lazy, or in a hurry, little electric buses connect the various zones of the city. They cost, like regular city buses,1.20 Euro for a ticket lasting 70 minutes.

I suggest you to live Florence by walking as much as possible. Losing yourself in the city's streets, simply following your instincts and your curiosity, is an excellent way to discover the unusual aspects it offers.
Try going outside of the usual circuits; it will make your stay unforgettable. Even now I discover - and I don't exaggerate - with horror that many people think Florence is nothing but the Duomo and the Uffizi. Florence is surrounded by beautiful, picturesque hills punctuated by elegants villas and panoramiic roads which offer marvellous scenarios.

If you're short of time it would be better to skip a visit to a museum, rather than that to skip a visit to San Miniato all Monte above Piazzale Michelangelo or Forte Belvedere!
Or, for those who have little time but strong legs and strong lungs I suggest admiring Florence from on high, climbing up Brunelleschi's Cupola - the Cathedral's Dome - or the Campanile of Giotto - its Bell Tower.

Transportation

Airport Vespucci - Firenze 
5 km from the city centre
Call center: +39 0553061300
Flights information +39 0553061700/02
Lost luggage +39 0553061302
To reach the city centre "Vola bus" shuttle between the airport and the central railway station Firenze S.M.N., every 30 minutes between 5:30am and 8:00pm, every hour from 8:00pm to 11:30pm. Cost: 4,50 Euro. Taxi: approx. 25,00 Euro.

Airport Galileo Galilei - Pisa
80 km from Florence
Call centre: +39 050849111
Flights information +39 050849300
Lost luggage +39 050849400
To reach Florence with Trenitalia: 2 trains per hour to Firenze S.M.N. (with or without changing train in Pisa centrale). Cost: 5,10 Euro. With Terravision: 1 direct coaches per day to Firenze S.M.N.. Cost: 7,50 one way / 13,50 Euro return. +39 0645441345

Santa Maria Novella Train Station
Train informationand booking service +39 892021
Left luggage office: open from 6:00am to midnight, 3,80'Euro per piece of luggage for the first 5 hours, 0,60 Euro per extra hour.

ATAF city busses
+39 800424500 +39 199104245
Tickets must be purchased from authorized dealers (bars, tobacco shops, newsstands) and must be validated on board.
Tickets can also be bought from the driver at an increased rete.
1,20 Euro 70 minutes
2,00 Euro 70 minutes (bought on board)
4,50 Euro 4 tickets x 70 minutes
5,00 Euro 24 hours
12,00 Euro 3 days

Taxi
+39 0554390
+39 0554499
+39 0554798
+39 0554242
Starting rate: 2,64 Euro with a supplement at night on Sunday and holidays. Luggage charge: 0,60 Euro. Charge for calling a taxi: 1,84 Euro. Fare per km: 0,85 Euro.

Florence by car
For visitors arriving by car it is important to know that the center of Florence, which is divided into four sectors, allows only limited traffic; only those drivers who have permits may enter, circulate freely and park on the streets.

The historical centre is a limited traffic zone (ZTL): access is prohibited to non residents' vehicles from Monday to Friday 7:30am - 7:30pm and on Saturdays 7:30am - 6:00 pm. Outside these hours everyone may drive and park in the center (but I wish: GOOD LUCK!). The access to ZTL is controlled by electronic detection devices that register the plate number and fine non authorized vehicles.

If you are thinking of bringing a car the simplest thing to do is to put it in a garage, of which there are many, especially in the San Lorenzo area. The average garage price per day for a medium-sized auto is 25 Euros. However, I strongly suggest that you not arrive in Florence with a car, unless you are returning a hired car.

The train station, Santa Maria Novella, is centrally located, as are the main bus companies. Lucca, Pisa, Siena, Rome and Venice have good train connections to Florence, which is located in the center of Italy and is an excellent base for all excursions.

But if you really want to have a car in Florence, the only thing to do is to pay a garage's daily charges, and take the car when you want to leave the center. The viability of the city is rather complicated: the streets are narrow and it's not hard to lose your patience!
Outside the city the situation is better; the chances of surviving and of parking your car are better!

General Emergency

Carabinieri* 112

Polizia* 113

*Italy has different police forces: polizia, carabinieri, polizia municipale and Guardia di finanza. The polizia are a governamental department and are found in big cities. The carabinieri are found in all over the city, in a larger cities as well as tiny village. If you lose your passport, have something stolen, the carabinieri are probably your best bet. The polizia municipale mainly operates as traffic police force, and its members (called vigili urbani) rarely carry arms.

Fire Brigade (Vigili del Fuoco) 115

Medical emergency 118

ACI Car breakdown service 116

Towing away (Rimozione auto) 055308249

24-Hours Chemist
Farmacia Comunale inside the Firenze S.M.N. Railway Stattion
Farmacia Molteni Via Calzaiuoli 7r
Farmacia all'Insegna del Moro Piazza San GIovanni 20r

Police assistance for tourist
Polizia, Via Pietrapiana 50r 055203911 Mon-Fri 8:30am - 1:30pm
Carabinieri, Borgo Ognissanti 48 05524811
Questura, Via Duca d'Aosta 3 05549771 Mon-Sun 8:00am - 8pm

Main Post Offices
Via Pellicceria 3 Mon-Fri 8:15am - 7:00pm, Sat 8:15am - 12:30pm
Via Alamanni 18r Mon-Fri 8:15am - 7:00pm, Sat 8:15am - 12:30pm

Tourist information Offices
Piazza Stazione 4, 055212245, Mon-Sat 8:30am - 7:00pm, Sun and holiday 8:30am - 2:00pm Borgo Santa Croce 29r, 0552340444, Mon-Sat 9:00am - 7:00pm, Sun and holiday 9:00am - 2:00pm
Via Cavour 1r, 055290832 Mon-Sat 8:30am - 6:30pm, Sun and holiday 8:30am - 1:30pm
Aeroporto Vespucci (arrival side) 055315874 8:30am - 8:30pm

Museums

Cappella Brancacci

Cappelle Medicee

Cenacolo Andrea del Sarto

Galleria dell'Accademia

Galleria d'Arte Moderna

Galleria Palatina

Galleria degli Uffizi

Giardino di Boboli

Museo di San Marco

Museo Nazionale del Bargello

Museo Archeologico

Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure

Museo di Palazzo Vecchio

Museo e Chiostro di S. Maria Novella

Museo Bardini

Museo Topografico "Firenze com'era"

Museo Stibbert

Museo Marino Marini

Museo Davanzati

Museo degli Argenti