Florence (FLR): take the T2 tram, and forget the VolaInBus
The T2 tram runs from the terminal to the main station in under twenty minutes on an ordinary city ticket. The airport coach that older guides send you to has been withdrawn.
- The T2 tram runs from a stop at the terminal, Peretola Aeroporto, into the city. It is the cheapest and usually the fastest way in.
- Santa Maria Novella station, the Alamanni stop, is 17 to 20 minutes. Piazza San Marco is about 32.
- The fare is an ordinary city ticket with no airport surcharge: 2.00 euro since 1 August 2026, up from 1.70. Older pages still quote the old price.
- A ticket is valid 90 minutes across trams, city buses and the C electric minibuses, transfers included.
- Trams run every 4 to 6 minutes in the day, every 8 to 10 off-peak, from 05:00 to 00:30, and until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday nights.
- Buy at the machines on the tram stop, at the tobacconist in the arrivals hall, or in the Autolinee Toscane app.
- Validate before boarding. Tap the ticket on the small yellow validators. An unvalidated ticket is a fine.
- Taxis run a fixed airport fare: about 25 euro daytime on weekdays, 27 in the evening and at weekends, 30 on holidays, plus 1 euro a bag.
- VolaInBus, the old airport coach, no longer runs. Sources differ on whether it ended in 2022 or with the tram extension, but it is gone either way.
The tram
- The T2 line has a stop at the terminal, called Peretola Aeroporto, and it is the answer for almost everybody.
- Journey times: about 17 to 20 minutes to Alamanni by Santa Maria Novella station, about 22 to the Unità stop near the Duomo, about 32 to Piazza San Marco on the edge of the historic centre.
- The two guides differ by a couple of minutes on each of those, which is normal for a tram and not worth worrying about.
- The fare is the ordinary city ticket. There is no airport surcharge, which is rare in Europe. It went to 2.00 euro on 1 August 2026, from 1.70.
- 90 minutes of validity, covering trams, city buses and the C electric minibuses, including transfers. So the tram plus a bus to your hotel is one ticket.
- Every 4 to 6 minutes in the day, 8 to 10 off-peak. Running from 05:00 to 00:30, extended to 02:00 on Friday and Saturday nights.
Buying and validating
- Ticket machines at the tram stop take cards and cash.
- The tobacconist in the arrivals hall sells them, as does the Autolinee Toscane app.
- Validate before you board, on the small yellow validators. Italian inspectors do check, and an unvalidated ticket is treated as no ticket.
The taxi, if you would rather
- Florence taxis run a fixed fare from the airport, which removes the meter argument entirely.
- About 25 euro from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday on non-holidays, 27 euro evenings, Sundays and 22:00 to 06:00, 30 euro on holidays.
- Add about 1 euro per piece of luggage.
- For two people with bags that is close to the tram once you count the walk at the other end, and for four it is clearly better.
The bus that is not there any more
- VolaInBus, also sold as Firenze Airlink, was the airport coach for years and is still recommended in a lot of guidebooks and blog posts.
- It no longer runs. One source dates the end to 31 December 2022, another to 2025 with the T2 extension. The disagreement does not matter: there is no airport coach, and the tram replaced it.
- If a guide tells you to look for the VolaInBus at the terminal, it is out of date, and so is anything else in it about this airport.
The airport itself
- Peretola is small and close to the city, which is why the tram works so well. It is also why the runway is short and the airport is weather-sensitive.
- Diversions to Pisa or Bologna happen in bad weather or high wind. If your flight is diverted, the airline normally coaches passengers on, but it adds hours.
- Pisa is the alternative Tuscan airport and is well connected to Florence by train, so a cheaper flight into PSA is often a reasonable trade.
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