mikmilone

Hello Fodorites,

End of May next year my my husband and I will be going to Florence and then on to Tuscany (Castelfiorintino) and I'm debating on whether to fly with connection to Florence from New York or fly into Rome or Milan and take the train. I'm thinking about the train on the way but flying with the connection on the way back since we will be then returning from Castelfiorintino. I'm not thrilled about any of the options as I am a worrier (missing my connection and the hassle of the train, especially since there are no direct trains from Fiumicino to Florence. I know the Leonardo Express to Termini is pretty easy but it's another step. Someone I know comes into Milan for Castelfiorintino via train. Any thoughts on this very welcome.

Thank you.

mjs

Is there a difference in price for the flights?
also what is the connection time (s)

mikmilone

the flights are cheaper, of course, without the connections and about the same whether it's Milan or Rome. I could make the connections work for both the flights and the train....was just wondering if anyone had any preference or experience.

thanks.

raincitygirl

I prefer to fly. From Vancouver where I live, I fly to Frankfurt then change to a flight into Florence. Done this multiple times with no issues.

mjs

We have to connect somewhere to go to either MXP or to FLR. A few years ago for a meeting in Florence it was $500 more expensive to fly to Florence so we flew to Milan, took a train to Milan Centrale than TGV to Florence. Took about an hour to get from MXP (our terminal was right over the train station) to Milano Centrale and about 2 hours to get to Florence. So it probably took an extra 5 hours to get to Florence but it saved us about $900 for both of us. So it would depend on costs vs connection times and departure and arrival times to make a decision as to what works best for you

mjs

I should also add that if you are a conservative traveler it would probably make sense to be in the city of your departure back to the US a night before your flights. If MXP there is a decent Sheraton right in the airport which makes things easy.

bilboburgler

I'm pretty sure the silver arrow train to Venice via Florence goes from the airport. But if not just a change in Termini. Really easy to do

bvlenci

There's one daily train (used to be two) from Fiumicino airport to Florence. It leaves the airport at 13:53.

I would prefer taking the train rather than a flight, even with a change at Termini station. (I hate airport connections, which could colour my choice.) If you fly into Florence, you'll still have to get transportation into the city, so it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

The Frecciarossa trains leave from tracks conveniently close to the one where the Leonardo da Vinci trains from the airport arrive. They run very frequently, so there's usually one waiting. You can (and should ) buy the tickets at the airport. There's an English language ticket machine. Enter your destination as Florence (or Firenze). You'll be given a choice of departures. Choose one that has Leonardo Express for the first train. (The other is cheaper, but requires keeping track of the stations, as it makes more stops, and changes at Tiburtina station instead of Termini.)

You can also buy your tickets online, using The Trainline, but when arriving by air I prefer to buy them after landing, even though it costs more than buying them well in advance. You never know if your flight will be early or late, and it's a pain to change the tickets if it's early. If it's more than a little late, you can't change the Frecciarossa ticket, while the Leonardo Express ticket can be used on a later train for a few hours.

With the Leonardo Express, you get off at the last stop, go to the track head, and turn right. You should see the sign for the Frecciarossa trains very soon. They have their own staff, who can help you.

bilboburgler

Ah, my memory, rossa not argento

Jean

I agree about airport connections. However, it's easy to get from the Florence airport into the city. The tram to the main train station is frequent, nearly free, and takes less than 20 minutes. If your hotel is some distance from the train station, a taxi from the airport could take you directly to your hotel for probably less than 25 euros.

Are you stopping in Florence or heading immediately to Castelfiorentino? If you're not stopping, renting the car at the Florence airport is very easy, and Castelfiorentino is an hour's drive (or less) from there.

bvlenci

​​I don't remember what colour the arrow is for the direct train from the airport. My mention of Frecciarossa referred to the trains leaving Termini station directed to Florence. They're all Frecciarossa trains, as far as I know, apart from a few (very slow) regional trains.
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bilboburgler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frecciargento seems to be a branding thing I'd missunderstood, silver, white and red

Traveler_Nick

If you're connecting at Termini or Tiburtina you aren't limited to TrenItalia. Italo is an option. Same thing with MXP.

The FL1 from the airport goes to Tiburtina. It's cheaper. If you take the express to Termini and hop on a train for Florence they all stop five minutes later at Tiburtina.

The express doesn't make any stops between the airport and Termini. That might be easier for some people. OTOH the express train has tracks in their own area at Termini. I wouldn't call it a hike but it's not right there.

Tiburtina isn't a small station but it does tend to be less hectic than Termini. It is a bit of a walk from the regional trains .

May weather should be nice but Florence is a small airport known for weather issues.