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Getting There

There are no direct flights to Florence from the United States. That said, most major airlines make the trip with one stop only (in a major European hub). Italy’s national carrier, Alitalia, stops in Rome; other European carriers, like Air France, stop in Paris, or, as with Northwest, in Amsterdam. While it’s hard to predict which hub you’ll fly into if you fly an American carrier, your best domestic carriers for getting to Florence are: American Airlines, United, Continental, and Delta. Flights from the East Coast make the trip in about eleven hours, including layover; flights from the Midwest, South, and West typically require connecting in New York, Chicago, or DC before continuing across the Atlantic.

It used to be that all international travelers arrived at Gallileo Gallilei airport, outside Pisa, but Florence does now have its own, small, Peretola (also referred to as Amerigo Vespucci) a few miles north of town. This is the one you want to fly into, unless you’re aiming to see Pisa as part of your trip, as trains from Gallileo take 70 to 100 minutes to reach the city’s centrally located train station, Santa Maria Novella (note that the surrounding streets can be unsavory at night). From Peretola, you can catch a SITA bus into town; it departs fairly frequently from morning until almost midnight; the local ATAF bus is even cheaper and more frequent, but takes a lot longer.

Package Providers
Outstanding air-and-hotel packages to Florence aren’t hard to find and will save you plenty. We’d recommend checking out Gate1Travel; Tourcrafters; Go-Today.com; Picasso Tours; and Virgin Vacations. And, although most of these providers do offer high-end hotel options and upgrades, for the ultimate in tailored luxury vacations, we recommend Custom Vacations and Abercrombie & Kent. Finally, posh Italian getaways are also sold to the highest bidder on Luxury Link. For current Italy deals on ShermansTravel click here.

See Florence Travel Guide