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Getting around Florence
BY CAR
You can reach Florence city center by car but please watch out that there is a Limited Traffic zone in the historical city center.
There are CCTV cameras around the historical city center of Florence. They are visible and register the number plates of vehicles entering the center.
There are 3 ways to enter the city by car within the ZTL zone without getting a hefty fine:
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Book a private parking space at a garage
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Park the car outside the ZTL zone
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By rental car
Private parking booking
On-street parking is almost nonexistent in the historic center of Florence. For this reason it is advisable to book a private garage near your apartment. This will allow you not only to find a place for your car, but also to get a temporary permit. Private garages can issue special permits to enter the ZTL zone without been fined.
How to book a private garage in the ZTL zone:
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Contact one of the private garages (you can find the list here) and book your spot
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Drive to the private garage address, under the traffic light in the ZTL zone even if it is red (closed zone). Be careful not to exit and re-enter the zone again because garages can only issue one permit at a time. Once you are in the ZTL make sure you stay inside the zone without exiting.
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If you want to unload your luggage in front of the apartment, you can do so. Just drive to the building, drop off your luggage, quickly (max. 15/20 minutes) and then drive directly to the garage.
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When you arrive at the private garage, the staff will notify to the City of Florence that your license plate has passed under one of the ZTL traffic lights and you will be issued a permit to leave your car at the garage without getting any fines.
Please note: Any non-residents cannot enter the city center of Florence unless they have special permits. There are two types of vehicles that are exempt from this rule: taxis and private chauffeur companies.
List of private garages:
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GARAGE PALAZZO VECCHIO: Via Vinegia, 13(Maps)
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GARAGE DELLE TERME: Via delle Terme, 47(Maps)
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FIR PARKING/GARAGE DEL BARGELLO: Via Ghibellina, 170(Maps)
Parking Outside ZTL Zone
How do I understand where to park and what are the different colors of the parkings on streets?
The Municipality of Florence has color coded the parking lots outside the ZTL zone:
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No color: free parking
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White lines: parking lots reserved for residents
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Blue lines: parking for everyone. They are free for residents while the others have to pay at park meters
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Orange lines: parking lots reserved for disabled
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Parking spaces with special signs: reserved for loading and unloading goods, for public and emergency vehicles, ambulances, police, for scooters etc.
There are also various underground and ground car parks, managed by the company "Firenze Parcheggi S.p.A", where it is possible to take advantage of discounted day and night rates.
Click here to find all the parking solutions, both public and private, that Florence offers:
One of the closest parkings is Parcheggio Villa Costanza
It is close to the T1 Leonardo tramway line: only 22 minutes ride away from Santa Maria Novella train station, at the very heart of Florence city center. A 40 minute ride to Careggi Hospital. Trams depart every 6/8 minutes.
Car rental with or without chauffeur
Car rental
Almost all major car rental companies have a garage and related shop in Borgo Ognissanti. It is a strategic route as it is easily connected to the ring road boulevards.
Car rental with chauffeur
Hire in Italy is a family-run Florence-based limousine company with a fleet of officially licensed Mercedes-Benz vehicles and highly professional drivers. They are specialized in arranging seamless airport/station transfers, and customizing day trips.
Website
BY TAXI
In Florence there are two taxi companies that can be called directly from your mobile phone:
They usually arrive in 5 minutes, on average, but in case of some specific events when the city is busy it may be necessary to wait longer to find an available taxi.
In case you can't call from your phone you can download the app from this website.
Please note: If you wish to book a taxi in advance be aware that you can only do that a day in advance.
Taxi fares from the city center to:
Florence Peretola Airport: 28€
Stazione Santa Maria Novella: 10€
*Indicative daytime call-in fares
Supplements:
Holidays 2€
At night 4€
Each bag or piece of luggage 1,10€
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
You can actually move pretty well on foot in the city center, but if you want to take a bus it's better to understand which bus number you need to take. Click here to find the right bus.