How to get to Florence traveling with children
Florence is a charming city, full of art, culture and history in every corner. To travel to Florence with children, the plane is one of the best ways to get there, but not the only one. Once in Florence, you will hardly need to move on public transport. A comfortable footwear and forget the rush wil
Florence is a charming city, full of art, culture and history in every corner. To travel to Florence with children, the plane is one of the best ways to get there, but not the only one.
Once in Florence, you will hardly need to move on public transport. A comfortable footwear and forget the rush will be your best allies to get to know this Italian city with the smallest of the house.
Travel to Florence with children
Florence, halfway between Milan, Rome and Venice, is a city well connected by air, land, sea and road. The options are many, so it is about comparing advantages and disadvantages to make the best decision.
Airplane
Florence has a small airport located only five kilometers from the city center, the Amerigo Vespucci or Peretola, and another major airport about 100 kilometers: the Pisa International Airport.
Although the Pisa airport has a higher volume of flights, there are also many options to fly directly to Florence, including low cost airlines.
Once at the Amerigo Vespucci airport we have several options to get to Florence. The bus known as Volainbus departs every half hour and travels directly to the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence. The ticket costs about 6 euros per trip (or 10 euros if we buy round trip) and the trip takes about 25 minutes.
Another option is to take one of the taxis waiting at the airport station. The fee is fixed and costs 20 euros during the week, 22 euros on Sundays and holidays and 23.30 at night.
If, on the other hand, we fly to the Galileo Galilei airport in Pisa, we can take one of the trains that arrives at the Santa María Novella station after an approximate hour of travel. The ticket costs about 7.10 euros.
Something cheaper - about 6 euros per trip - costs the bus that also takes an hour and offers numerous frequencies throughout the day.
The taxi, however, is not a highly recommended option in this case, since the distance to cover - some 100km - would greatly increase the cost of the trip.
Since the Tuscany region is an ideal place to travel calmly, it is also a great idea to travel to Florence by plane and rent a car there to get to know the region at your leisure.
Train
The Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence is connected to more than 40 European destinations such as Paris, Munich or Brussels. The trains are comfortable and the prices are not very high, however, the duration of the trips can be longer than recommended for a trip with children.
To get an idea, travel from Florence to Milan or Venice takes about three hours and make it to Barcelona, about 16 hours. Therefore, the train can be a good option to make short trips between Italian cities but not to move the whole family from another country.
Car
The same happens if we consider going to Florence by car with children. More accurate is the idea of going by plane and renting a vehicle there to move around the region, but making the whole trip by car can be very heavy for the little ones.
Move around Florence with children
One of the charms of Florence is its historic center, made up of narrow cobblestone streets. The best way to go through it, without any doubt, is walking. The greatest distance, from end to end, can take us half an hour to walk.
It is clear that when it comes to a trip with children, we must be informed of the different means of transport in case they get too tired. In Florence there is no metro or tram but the buses work very well. Many Italians move on a motorcycle, but it is not the most suitable for a trip with children.
Bus
The urban bus network in Florence is very complete with more than 100 lines, including four lines of electric minibuses that run through the old town, where cars are prohibited from driving.
The single bus ticket that allows all transfers that we need within one hour costs 1.20 euros. If we are going to travel a lot, the bus will compensate us to buy some of the different available bonuses, for example, the 24-hour ticket for 4.50 euros.
If in addition to urban buses, we want to know the city from the tourist bus, we can buy the Firenze PassePartour that includes both options for 24 hours for 22 euros for adults and 15 euros for children under 15 years.
In Florence, bus tickets can be purchased in vending machines but also in the tobacconists (tabacchi) and coffee shops.
Bicycle
The bicycle is a practical means of transport to explore Florence. Italy does not have as much tradition in this sense as in the countries of northern Europe, but if you are looking to move quickly and cheaply, keep this option in mind.
In Florence by bike, for example, you can rent a bike for around three euros an hour.
