Florence and Pisa airports to the city centre: the T2 tram, a fixed-fare taxi, PisaMover and train, and the shuttle buses

💡 The Short Version: From Florence Airport (Peretola) take the T2 tram: about 20 minutes to the city centre, every 5 minutes, €2.00 valid for 90 minutes. Piazza Stazione is the stop for Santa Maria Novella station, and the line ends at Piazza San Marco. A taxi to the centre is a fixed €28.00, or €30.00 on holidays and €32.00 at night. From Pisa Airport, the PisaMover takes 8 minutes to Pisa Centrale, then a regional train to Florence: 1 hour 8 minutes to 1 hour 46 minutes, one Trenitalia ticket from €16.30. Or book a transfer: the Pisa Airport direct transfer to Florencead is from €14 for 70 minutes, and a private transfer from Florence Airportad from €16 (GetYourGuide).

The options, compared

Fares and times are the operators’ own: Autolinee Toscane for the tram, the taxi companies for the taxi and Trenitalia for the trains.

Florence Airport

Amerigo Vespucci airport, Peretola · the T2 tram stop is on the left as you leave the terminal

The airport has a tourist infopoint in the arrivals hall, and the main car hire companies are near it, with two car parks opposite the terminal (feelflorence.it).

The T2 tram

€2.00 · 90 minutes · about 20 minutes to the centre · every 5 minutes

T2 is a tram, not a metro. It runs from Peretola Airport to Piazza Stazione, the stop for Santa Maria Novella station, then past Via Valfonda, the Fortezza, Viale Lavagnini, Piazza Libertà and Via Cavour to Piazza San Marco. A single ticket is €2.00 and is valid for 90 minutes on the tram and the city buses. Buy it at the machine at the stop, which takes coins and cards, or at a tobacconist, and validate a paper ticket on board. You can also touch a Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, or a phone or watch, on the validator: the price is the same, one card pays for one passenger, and a ticket bought this way does not cover the regional trains inside Florence (at-bus.it). Florence public transport has the tickets for the rest of the stay.

A T2 tram at the airport stop. Photo: Moliva, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Taxis

€28.00 fixed to the centre · €30.00 on holidays · €32.00 at night

The fare from the airport to hotels in the centre, inside the UNESCO area, is fixed at €28.00, with €1.10 a piece for luggage on top. Taxis are white, and the three companies are CO.TA.FI (+39 055 4390), SOCOTA (+39 055 4798) and ItTaxi (+39 055 3131, which has an app) (feelflorence.it).

Private transfers

From €16 and from €54 · 30 to 35 minutes to the hotel

GetYourGuide’s private transfer from Florence Airport to the city centread lists a private group, hotel pick-up and a booking 10 hours ahead, from €16. Florence: Airport to Hotel Private Transferad is from €54, books at least 4 days ahead and takes 30 to 35 minutes, and the private transfer back to the airportad is also from €54.

Pisa Airport

Galileo Galilei airport · PisaMover to Pisa Centrale, then a train

The PisaMover and the train

One ticket from €16.30 · 1 hour 8 minutes to 1 hour 46 minutes · PisaMover 8 minutes, every 10 minutes

The PisaMover is a shuttle between Pisa Aeroporto and Pisa Centrale that leaves every 10 minutes and takes 8. Trenitalia lists it as a train and sells one ticket from Pisa Airport to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, from €16.30, with a change at Pisa Centrale. From Pisa Centrale the fast regional takes about 52 minutes and the other regionals up to 1 hour 25 minutes.

The PisaMover shuttle, which links Pisa Airport and Pisa Centrale. Photo: AndrPr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Regional trains need no seat reservation. A paper ticket must be stamped in the green machines before you reach the platform; a digital ticket validates itself (feelflorence.it). GetYourGuide also sells the PisaMover ticketad on its own.

Shared bus and direct transfer

From €14 · 1 to 1½ hours

Pisa Airport: Direct Transfer to/from Florence Centerad takes 70 minutes from €14 and books at least 10 hours ahead. Florence: Shared Bus Transfer to/from Pisa Airportad is Flibco and Caronna Tour, 1 to 1½ hours from €15, booked at least 6 hours ahead.

The Leaning Tower first

From Pisa Centrale the Piazza dei Miracoli is a 24-minute walk, so a Tower slot fits between the PisaMover and the train to Florence. The Pisa guide has the tickets and the bag rules.

From Bologna Airport

Shared shuttle bus · 1½ hours

Bologna: Marconi Airport Bus Transfer to/from Florence Cityad is a shared shuttle between Bologna Airport and central Florence, from €22, and is wheelchair accessible. The Frecciarossa from Bologna Centrale takes 37 to 38 minutes: the day trips guide has the trains.

After you arrive

The T2 and the city buses use the same €2.00 ticket. Florence public transport explains it, and driving in Florence covers the hire cars at the airport and the limited traffic zone. What to book before you go to Florence lists the sights that need tickets, and where to stay in Florence compares the areas, with hotels near the Duomo for the centre. 3 days in Florence plans a first visit round the bookings, and the day trips from Florence leave from Santa Maria Novella.