How To Use the Bus System in Florence, Italy

Ciao from Firenze! Now that I have been living in Florence as a study abroad student for a while, I have really settled into a balance of classes and life. One aspect of living in Florence that intimidated me at first was navigating the public transportation system. Transportation and travel within Florence can include buses, bikes, walking, taking a taxi, and using the tram! I walk 99% of the time, but I enjoy the ease of using the buses. Since many study abroad students are learning how to navigate public transportation for the first time, here is a rundown of how to use the bus system in Florence.

1. Where do I buy tickets?

The city bus services are managed by Autolinee Toscane. Tickets are sold at authorized stores including tobacco ("tabacchi") shops, bars that show the Autolinee Toscane logo, some newsagents that show the logo, and the bus itself.

It is recommended that we buy tickets before boarding the bus. Tickets may not always be available to buy on site, and there is likely a higher cost of purchasing on board.

2. What do I do with my ticket?

When you board the bus, make sure to validate your ticket using the yellow machines on the bus. Being caught without a ticket (specifically a validated ticket) results in a fine and being removed from the bus. The ticket is good for 90 minutes after validation, and you can also use other buses within that time period.

3. Where can I go?

There are so many options to choose from in Florence! In my personal experience, most students use their bus passes for visiting museums or getting to the airport. Florence, being the birthplace of the Renaissance, has plenty of fascinating and culturally rich museums to choose from.

As part of my Renaissance Art History course, the class boarded a bus together to travel to a church named San Miniato al Monte. This church rests on top of a hill, the Piazza Michelangelo. A leisurely walk up the hill could have taken an hour or more. Since we were a big group with our backpacks, we used our bus passes to get as close as possible to the church, and then walked part of the path up there.

I have not attempted to use the bus pass to get to the airport yet, but it is one of the easiest and cheapest methods of accessing the airport. The bus stop to get to the airport is about a 20-minute walk from my apartment, right next to a train station called Santa Maria Novella. After arriving at the bus stop, a bus usually comes within 20 minutes, if not less. I am going to use the bus to get to the airport soon, and I plan to simply put the airport address in Apple Maps to view the public transport times.

The buses stop throughout Florence, so you can plan to use them to reach a certain destination or simply board one and see where it leads! There is bound to be at least one famous or interesting landmark along a bus route-it is Florence, after all!