Florence public transport: maps, fares and airport

Details of using the Florence City bus network including fares & maps

Tickets: at Piazza Stazione for Florence ATAF city bus

On this page

• Florence public transport overview

• Florence local bus ticketing

• Florence airport buses

Florence public transport overview

Public transport in Florence is dominated by the bus network. There is a tram and some commuter train services to stations in Florence suburbs but these are not relevant to most leisure visitors.

 

For the visitor to Florence the city is very compact, the historic city centre has nearly all the attractions most first-time visitors want to see - walking is the way to get around once you are in the centre.

You can walk from one end to the other of the historic city centre in about 15 minutes or less. Even if you have a hotel in the outer city it is unlikely these will be of value.

The bus network can be divided into two segments. There is a city centre bus network called 'Le City Line de Firenze" that has a small network of 4 routes covering a quite small area in and immediately around the historic centre.

However Florence is full of narrow alleys and lanes far too narrow for buses, so these have limited access to the sights. Walking is by far the best way to explore Florence once you are in the centre.

Then there is a comprehensive network of frequent bus routes run by ATAF and LI-nea that radiate out from the periphery of the historic centre to all of the suburbs.

There is no central bus station for all of these routes. Bus stops and the terminus for each route are dispersed over quite a wide area.

If you are staying in accommodation outside the historic centre it will be one of these buses you use.

The good news is that despite the various operators there is an integrated common ticketing system.

Le City Line de Firenze - The City Line city centre bus network

Florence ATAF City bus map

The City Line bus map shows the ones that cross the historical centre of Florence, the C1, C2, C3 and D bus routes. Since the Duomo area is now pedestrian-only area, most buses either can be picked up outside the Santa Maria Novella train station or in Piazza San Marco.

ATAF and LI-nea Bus network

These are the suburban bus services that radiate out from the centre. Like the City Line there is no single hub in the centre of Florence, but Santa Maria Novella train station or Piazza San Marco both have a very high density of routes that stop at these strategic points.

For the visitor just arrived off the train or airport bus the ATAF booth, located in Piazza Stazione (on the left as you exit SMN station to the left) sells tickets, gives out information and provides maps of the bus routes.

How to use the buses

You really should buy your tickets in advance, you can buy from the driver but there is a big price penalty for doing so and they are not obligated to give you change.

 

After you get on, make your way to the nearby ticket validating machine and put your ticket in. The date and time is then printed on the ticket, starting the time validity of your ticket.

 

You basically have 90 minutes on your ticket, so you could get on and off onto different buses using the same ticket.

 

Florence local bus tickets

ATAF: Florence city centre local bus

Where to purchase from

For the visitor just arrived off the train or airport bus the ATAF booth, located in Piazza Station (on the left as you exit SMN station) sells tickets, gives out information and provides maps of the bus routes.

Elsewhere, tickets can be purchased from authorised sales points (coffee shops, tobacconists, newsagents etc) that have "ATAF" stickers on their shop windows.

You can buy a ticket from the bus driver, but you pay a substantial premium, nearly double the price of buying your ticket in advance.

 

In July 2019, the Florence ATAF buses had a contactless system installed on 355 buses plus the airport bus. You can use your contactless card to pay and if asked, you tell the inspector the last four digits of the card used to make the payment.

Bus Ticket Fares & Types (Last checked January 2020)

One bus ticket gives you 90 minutes from the time you validate your ticket on the validating machines inside the bus to completion of your journey. This allows you to get on and off onto different buses and you use the same ticket if there is no direct bus.

1 x 90 minute ticket (bought in advance) €1.50

1 x 90 minute ticket (bought from bus driver) €2.50

10 x 90 minute tickets (bought in advance) €14.00

Florence airport buses

Pisa Airport bus at Florence Station

Although Florence has its own airport quite close to the city of Florence, it is not used that widely by airlines, although national carriers like Lufthansa do have schedules.

Although Pisa Airport is 85km (50miles) from Florence, it is more widely used by airlines, including the low cost budget airlines like Ryanair and easyJet as well as traditional national carriers like British Airways.

 

So if Florence is your first city in Italy and you're flying into Italy, there is a good probability you'll be flying into Pisa Airport, not Florence Airport.

Florence Airport, is called Amerigo Vespucci and situated on the north-west outskirts of Florence, just 4km from the city centre.

 

A bus shuttle called Volainbus runs about every 30 minutes between Florence Airport and a bus station close to Santa Maria Novella train station on the edge of the historic centre of Florence.

Airport transfers between Florence & Pisa Airports and Florence City Centre - full details