Trains to and from Florence Peretola Airport (FLR)

Florence Airport is one of the two most important international airports in the region of Tuscany, Italy, and is situated in the territory of Sesto Fiorentino. It is only 4 km away from Florence, and although there is no actual train station on site, a bus service travels frequently to the central train station in Florence. Therefore, passengers who need to reach the airport from the train station, or who wish to continue their journey by train, should make use of this bus service. the airport is also commonly referred to as Amerigo Vespucci, named after a local merchant and cartographer, or Peretola.

The central train station in Florence is called the Santa Maria Novella Railway Station, and the bus companies of Sita/ATAF connect the airport with this station. Buses depart from the airport every half an hour from 06:00 to 20:30. From this time onwards the bus services are available every hour up until 23:30. Traveling by bus to the station is very comfortable and convenient, especially if you don’t have much luggage to carry, and only takes around 20 minutes. The bus services are also very inexpensive.

When traveling to Florence Airport from the Santa Maria Novella Railway Station, buses are available from 05:30 to 20:00, every half an hour, and from then onwards every hour, up until 23:00. Bus tickets can be purchased from the ticket machines at the airport, or from any shop, tobacconist or newsstand which displays the orange ATAF sticker on its door or window. Tobacconists can be recognized by a large ‘T’ on a black sign. The central station also has a ticket booth from where bus tickets are available. All bus tickets must be validated, or stamped, by one of the machines on the buses. Fines can be issued if you are caught using a ticket which has not been stamped.

The Firenze Santa Maria Novella is a well established railway station situated in the northwest corner of central Florence, and most of the tourist attractions are within walking distance of the station. It is considered to be a terminus station, which means that the trains will stop at the station rather than pulling through the station. There are also many amenities available at the station, including internet points and a left luggage facility on the ground floor. At this facility you can safely store your luggage at a fixed cost for the first five hours, and a small additional fee for each hour thereafter. The left luggage facility is near Track 16, and is open between the hours of 06:00 and midnight. The reason for the name of this station is that it is built outside the beautiful Santa Maria Novella church. Its modern architecture is one of Italy’s most important landmarks, and it features a large atrium covered by a glass cascade.

High speed trains travel from Santa Maria Novella to many destinations within Italy and Europe. Passengers can reach Rome in approximately an hour and forty minutes, while Milan is a three hour journey. The high speed trains of Artesia, Cisalpino and Eurostar Italia are regularly available from this station.

Train tickets can be purchased at the station or from automatic ticket machines. The ticket office is labeled as the Salone Bigleitti, with the ticket windows known as sportelli in Italian. Be aware that queues for tickets may be long, especially in the peak summer and tourist seasons. Tickets must be validated at the yellow machines before boarding the train. Unlike the buses, trains do not have stamping machines on board, and if you do perhaps forget to validate your train ticket, try to find a conductor and explain your situation before he finds you with an unstamped ticket.

A tourist information office is available at Santa Maria Novella Railway Station, as well as a general train information office. The tourist information office is on your left as you exit the station from your train, and they offer hotel booking services as well, and the general information office is on the other side, to the right, directly across from Track 5 (or binario 5).

Florence has another two smaller railway stations as well, known as the Campa di Marte Station and the Firenze Rifredi Station. However, if you want to get to the center of Florence, it is recommended that you do not get off at either of these two stations, but rather continue to Firenze Santa Maria Novella station. It is usually signposted as ‘Firenze SMN’.

Passengers arriving at the airport can acquire further details from the Information Desks within the Arrivals terminal of the airport. There is a tourist information point as well as a general enquiries desk. The Florence train services are operated by Trenitalia, and they have a website at www.trenitalia.com.