Bus and tram in Florence: how to use public transport
Using public transport in Florence can be complicated for someone who is not local. To be honest, sometimes it’s complicated even for us Florentines. I use public transport daily because I don’t own a car, and by now I know all the tricks and secrets of Florence’s buses and trams.
I have put together all my best tips for using public transport in Florence, namely buses and trams, so that you can easily move around the city without making any mistakes.
My name is Claudia, I am a licensed tour guide in Florence, with over 10 years of experience. Learn more about me and my private tours in Florence.
What public transport is there in Florence?
In Florence there are two types of public transport: bus and tram (tramvia as the locals call it). The tramway is the newest one, and is still being expanded. To travel on trams and buses the ticket is the same. The local transportation company is called Autolinee Toscane.
Trams in Florence, Italy
There are currently two active tram lines:
- T1 Leonardo – connects the suburban neighborhood of Scandicci (south) and Careggi (north, where the hospital and the university area are located), passing through the Santa Maria Novella station.
- T2 Vespucci -this line connects Florence Peretola airport with the Fortezza da Basso (very close to the Santa Maria Novella station and the historic centre).
- VACS – This is an extension of the T2 line that connects the Fortezza da Basso with the historic center, passing through Piazza della Libertà and finally reaching Piazza San Marco. This section has only 6 stops.
The entire T2 line, including the VACS, allows you to go from the airport to the historic center in 35 minutes. A third line, the T3, is under construction. It will connect the city center with the suburban neighborhoods south-east of Florence, Gavinana and Bagno a Ripoli.
If you are in Florence as a traveler and are staying in the historic center, you probably won’t need to use the tram unless you need to get to the airport. But many budget accommodations are far from the center, and you will probably use public transport to get there.
The tram is a very efficient transportation system, trams run every day from 5 am to 12.30 am, approximately every 5 minutes. At rush hour it can be very crowded, always be careful of pickpockets, especially at the Strozzi-Fallaci stop.
Buses in Florence
There are over 30 bus lines, which connect the historic center to the outlying neighborhoods. Unfortunately they are often late, crowded and definitely not enough to meet the needs of locals and tourists. Especially in summer, when the bus frequency is reduced.
“Regular” buses cannot ride through the historic center because they are too big for the narrow alleys of Florence. But many lines pass very close to it, making stops in Piazza San Marco (near the Accademia Gallery Museum), via de’ Pucci (near the Duomo) or in via de’ Benci (near the Uffizi Gallery and the church of Santa Croce). By the way, if you are planning to visit these places, also read my tips for visiting the Uffizi gallery and the ones about how to visit the Accademia Gallery of Florence.
There are also three lines of electric mini-buses that ride through the historic center and the Oltrarno district: they are lines C1, C2 and C3. The “regular” buses, on the other hand, have lines named with numbers only, no letters.
How bus and tram tickets work in Florence
To travel on buses and trams you need a ticket, which is the same for both. The ticket costs 1.70 euros and lasts an hour and a half. For 90 minutes you can ride on all the buses and trams you want, changing lines and vehicles. Unfortunately there are no daily tickets nor weekly passes, only monthly passes Monthly passes are only available on the website of Autolinee Toscane, on subscription. There is a weekly pass sold on the website, but it’s for the long-haul buses connecting the city to the small villages.
Where to buy tickets for bus and tram
You can buy traditional paper tickets in tobacconists (you can recognize them by the white T-shaped sign on a blue background). You can buy both single tickets and a booklet of 10 tickets at a slightly lower price (called carnet).
Remember to validate your paper ticket as soon as you get on board: inspectors are very strict, even with tourists, and never make exceptions. To validate it, stamp it with the yellow machine which is usually behind the driver.
Buying bus tickets with credit cards
You can also buy the ticket online, using the TabNet app or the “at bus” app. Unfortunately both apps work very poorly, and are only in Italian, I really don’t recommend them.
A very simple and effective way to pay for your ticket is with a contactless credit card. Since a few months there are credit card readers on all buses and trams. Just tap your card or cell phone and wait for the okay signal. To promote this new payment method, the ticket purchased with a credit card is discounted to 1.50 euros. You can also pay with:
- Debit cards
- Apple pay (Apple Wallet)
- Google Pay (GPay)
Remember that with a credit card you can only buy one ticket at a time. It’s not possible to make multiple purchases. If you are traveling with your family or friends, you will need to have one credit card for each person.
When you pay your ticket with the credit card, you won’t get any paper. If the inspectors get on board, show them the credit card that you used to pay. Inspectors have a scanner to check your card, and they can see that you have paid the ticket.
Public transport to Florence Airport
To go from the airport to the city center and vice versa, the fastest and cheapest method is to use the T2 – Vespucci tram line. With 1.70 euros and a journey of about 20 minutes the problem is solved. The T2 – Vespucci line starts at piazza San Marco (a few steps away from the Duomo), the hits the Fortezza da Basso (close to Santa Maria Novella station) and ends right at Florence Peretola Amerigo Vespucci airport.
You can carry one piece of luggage weighing up to 10 kg and measuring 50 x 44 x 20 cm free of charge on the tram. For items exceeding these dimensions, you will need to purchase an additional ticket.
Hop-on hop-off bus
There are touristic hop-on hop-off buses in Florence, but they are private buses, different from those of public transport, and therefore have a different ticket. I honestly don’t recommend using those double-decked hop-on hop-off buses, because being very large they cannot pass through the narrow streets of the historic centre. They pass around the historic center and then reach Piazzale Michelangelo… But most of the interesting places to see are not along their route.
Tips for riding safely on public transport in Florence
Always be careful of pickpockets on public transport. They are very clever and target tourists (but not only them, I was also robbed on the bus).
The Strozzi-Fallaci tram stop along the T1 line is always very busy, and has the bad reputation of being the one with the highest risk of theft. Be extra careful especially at night.
Check at the stops if there are notices of strikes (sciopero in Italian). Unfortunately they are very frequent, but rides are guaranteed for some time slots (from 7 to 9 in the morning, and from 5 to 7 in the afternoon).
Remember to stamp your ticket as soon as you board (or purchase it with your contactless credit card). Inspectors can board at any time and check the time of purchase or stamping. And they are always very strict, even with tourists. If you get caught without a valid ticket the fine is 50 euros, but only if you pay it within a week. If you wait for it to arrive at your home by mail, it will be increased to 115 euros.
Thank you for your advise how to take a bus. We are from the US, North Carolina. We barely use the train and buses in the US. Therefore, going to Florence (Europe) will be challenging.
You’re more than welcome!
Ive heard a lot about vailidating tickets and how important that is. How do you validate?
ciao Wanda, you can validate your paper tickets with the yellow stamping machine which is on board!
Not clear-If I use a credit card on a bus in Florence does a ticket print out and then I validate the ticket? It’s a little confusing
they don’t print a ticket, inspectors have a scanning machine to check your card
Thank you for this info! If you pay with tap/credit card, how do we show the validation to the inspectors to avoid a fee? Does it spit out a ticket?
Inspectors have a scanner, they scan your credit card and get a confirmation!
How can you identify an inspector? I don’t want to hand over my credit card to just anyone!
They have a jacket with “servizio controllo” written on it in large letters, and a badge
Grazie Claudia. Really useful information.
Prego Mark!
We travelled in a large group, including 3 small kids.the first time we rode a bus, we asked the driver how to pay for 10 tickets. He didn’t answer and kept waving for all of us to move in. We scanned the card and we thought we had paid for all 10 tickets. A few stops later 2 bus inspectors come aboard and started checking. It turned out we only paid for 1 ticket. We got fined 40 euros per person. It seems like the bus driver tricked us to get more revenue for the city. For first timers in Florence, be careful!! Is there a way to appeal this unjust fines?
I’m sorry John that this happened! Unfortunately drivers sometimes are rude, or they don’t want to be bothered, and inspectors are so strict that they don’t make any exceptions. That’s why I specified that you can only pay one ticket with each card.
Your article is so helpful.
Question: We are staying in Florence for 2 days. From Florence, we will go to Pisa. From Pisa, we are taking the train to Civitavecchia Port for our cruise. When I went to the trenitalia website to purchase my train ticket, in the selection – I found an interCity departure times and ETRUSCHI LINE departure times. Can I arrive Civitavecchia using either one? If not, which of the two is the correct line I should book?
Another question: When I typed Civitavecchia as my destination, there were 2 selections available: Civitavecchia and Civitavecchia with a location. Which should I choose to go to the port?
ciao Linda,
you should book your train from the Station Civitavecchia (with nothing else), it’s 500 meters away from the cruise dock.
I don’t like the intercity because it’s often late, even if it’s faster than the Etruschi Line. If there is a combination with a Freccia and a regional one (like the Etruschi Line) it would be better.
Do I have to use a credit card or can I use debit card?
you can use both!
Can you pay with Apple wallet on your phone instead of a physical credit card? Can the inspectors scan your phone to verify that you paid?
Yes, you can pay with Apple pay, and the inspectors can verify that!
Is it true you need additional ticket for luggage bigger than 55x40x20 cm to ride the T2 to and from airport?
Yes Eunice, that’s true. I have updated the blogpost with that information.
Thank you so much for this info! Is a weekly pass better for a 5-day stay? Or do you recommend we pay for individual tickets still. Also weekly ticket zones are a bit confusing, Which one would you recommend for a tourist?
I don’t think you’ll take a lot of buses, the historic centre is totally walkable and there are just a few things that are far enough to require a bus. Also, the weekly pass is not available anymore 🙁 so I have updated the post.
Hi Claudia! To purchase the additional tickets for luggage, will we need multiple credit cards? One for the person, one for the extra luggage?
Thank you!
yes Madeline, since the extra luggage counts as a passanger, you’ll need a second credit card to buy a second ticket.
Hi Claudia. I’m planning on using a ‘wise’ debit card. But just one. For me and my gal. Is there an option for a 72 hour pass? Or do I just need to buy a carnet of 10 tickets?
unfortunately there is no 72 hour pass, the only option for you is the 10 tickets carnet.
Thank you very much. I hope it will be useful for us in Florence next week:) I read the ticket on the bus costs 3 €. But you say with a debet card it costs only 1,5. Does every bus and tram has a card reader?
The price is 1.70 for the paper ticket, or 1.50 if you pay with the credit card. Every bus has the credit card reader.
When using the bank card, do you have to scan twice when boarding and getting off? I’m asking because, in Venice I had to scan when getting onboard and also when getting off the bus. Thank you for your post, I will be in Florence for a week next month. I find this article very useful.
No, in Florence you just hap to tap once, when boarding. Have a great time in Italy!
Hi Claudia.
Does the carnet have expiration? I travel here periodically and can now use the tram from airport to near my daughter’s residence. As you said, buying 2 tickets with 1card at the tram is not possible (1 for large luggage sometimes required). I’d like to keep tram tickets with me as I do use the tram to travel for other purposes also. Just not sure if they expire.
Thanks.
ciao Rosanna, they don’t expire!
Hi Claudia.
If I pay the ticket on one bus, do I have to pay again to transfer to another bus? That is, is one ticket valid for transfer?
ciao Wing, no, you don’t have to pay again to transfer. You just have to stamp the ticket on the first bus, it will be valid on every bus or tram for 90 minutes since you stamped it
Hello, Can one ticket “Florence – Urbano capoluogo” (1,70 EUR) be used on two buses (example: bus number C4 and 13)? If so, does the ticket need to be validated on the second bus? Thanks for your answer.
ciao Dragan, the same ticket can be used on two different buses or trams (even on one bus and one tram), and you don’t have to validate it again on the second bus. You just have to validate it when you get on the first bus, and will be valid for 90 minutes since then, on every bus or tram.
If I buy a ten pack of paper tickets and need to pay for a piece of luggage on the T1 toward the University, do I simply stamp a ticket for me and another ticket for the piece of luggage?
Yes!
Arrived in Florence a week ago and took tram from airport. A young pregnant girl was being helpful by showing us how to get tickets. She followed us onto tram, reached into my tote bag, then purse, opened two zippers including section that contained my money – all with a coat over her arm. Luckily, I put a stop to it. Beware!!
thank you for sharing your experience Char, I’m really sorry it happened. Unfortunately there are too many thieves and pickpockets, we all must be super careful!
Your information is very helpful – thank you! Can you also tell me what the bus options are during the holidays? We will be there for Christmas this year. Thank you!
Grazie Lula! On Christmas day and january 1st the buses and trams will still run, but with a much lower frequency. Have a great trip!