As you know, the railway station is the visiting card of any city - it is the first to be seen by city guests. Florence was lucky with a business card - the main city station of Santa Maria Novella looks very impressive. The architectural style of the building resembles a Romanesque basilica, of course, rationalized and modified in accordance with the ideas of Italian modernists of the 30s of the last century. In the ranking of the most beautiful train stations in the world, compiled by the popular British newspaper Guardian, Florence Central Station takes an honorable third place, losing only to London's St. Pancras and New York's Grand Central Terminal.
Santa Maria Novella is far from the first station in Florence. Before its appearance, the functions of the main train station of Florence were performed by the Leopoldovsky station, located on the northern outskirts of the city.
However, during the reign of Mussolini, it was decided to build a new, more impressive and representative. The main train station in Florence was built in 1934 and named after the medieval basilica located opposite.
Florence Station serves around 60 million passengers per year
Today, Florence Central Station serves about 60 million passengers a year. The railway station infrastructure is well developed - there is everything for the comfort of passengers: regular and automatic ticket offices, information kiosks, a large waiting room, a medical service center, left-luggage offices, shops, several cafes, a bar and a restaurant.
How to get to Florence Central Station
Main train station Florence located in the city center, in Piazza della Stazione. Previously, this area was considered very respectable, but the construction of the station, which entailed the appearance in the vicinity of many shops, cafes and public transport stops, made it too noisy and crowded. On the streets adjacent to the station square, there are many different hotels - both luxury and more budget.
Florence Main Station is in the city center
The main city attractions are within walking distance from the station. Magnificent basilica Santa Maria Novella - a repository of many unique works of art of the XIV-XVI centuries, located opposite the station.
The most visited Florence Museum - Uffizi Gallery from Santa Maria Novella Station is easy to walk, it takes about 20 minutes, the main Duomo Cathedral is a ten-minute walk away. The famous Piazza Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, as well as the Pitti Palace and the Gallery of Fine Arts are also nearby - about 20 minutes on foot or 10 minutes by bus.
Opposite the train station is the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
Amerigo Vespucci Airport, located about 5 kilometers from the city, is connected to Florence Central Station by bus. Buses, tickets for which can be purchased at the airport ticket office or from the driver, are sent to the center of Florence with an interval of half an hour. The bus stop is right on the station square, intercity buses arrive here.
It should be noted that the airport in Florence is quite small, most passengers prefer trains to airplanes, therefore train station Florence much more important than stations in other cities of the country.
Trains from Santa Maria Novella Station to Italian cities
From Florence station, trains leave daily for all the important cities of Italy: Rome, Milan, Venice, Naples. Most passengers prefer high-speed trains - high speed combined with a minimum number of stops can reduce travel time by about half, which fully compensates for the slightly higher cost of tickets.
From the station, trains leave for all the important cities of Italy
The journey from Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence to Rome Termini Station will take from an hour and a half by express train to 4 hours by regular train.
It takes a little less than 3 hours to get to Venice, and about the same to Milan Central Station. You can get to Genoa by train from the central station of Florence in 3 hours, to Naples - in 4. More details about these and other ways to get from Florence to the main cities of Italy BlogoItaliano painted in separate articles:
- How to get from Rome to Florence and from Florence to Rome
- How to get from Milan to Florence and from Florence to Milan
- How to get from Venice to Florence and from Florence to Venice
It makes sense to buy tickets for a train to Florence even in the off-season in advance, and the route connecting the city with the capital of Italy is considered one of the busiest in the country. The reason is the status of the cradle of the Renaissance and the capital of one of the most colorful regions of the country, as well as numerous world-famous museums located in the city. Not for nothing, after all, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is considered the most visited museum in Italy, and - according to some reports - and throughout Europe.
The station building has everything for the comfort of passengers
One of the most convenient ways to buy train tickets in advance is through the popular Omio travel service. This will require only Internet access and a bank card.
Everything about everything rarely takes more than 15 minutes. Moreover, the service works in Russian, and ticket search works immediately for all major railway companies in Italy. Since the price difference between them can be very striking, this often helps to save a lot.
Check the current train schedules through the Santa Maria Novella station in Florence and purchase tickets online on this page.
Useful feature for independent travelers
It is from the Santa Maria Novella Station that the audio city tour begins in the budget audio Florence audio guide for the iPhone. After all, most travelers begin exploring the city from here.
If you are going to Florence, we recommend that you definitely install an audio guide. It will help save tens or even hundreds of euros on live excursions.
The audio guide consists of short informative stories about the main attractions of the city along a single route to the most interesting places. In total, 56 objects are marked on the map, and the application itself works even without the Internet.
Immediately after installing the free version, the first 5 objects of the tour will be available in it. Access to the remaining 50 properties will cost only a few euros. You can install a trial version of the audio guide on this page.
Featured Articles About Florence
- Florence: the most romantic hotels in the center. TOP 5 BlogoItaliano
- Uffizi Gallery: Italy's most visited museum
- Palazzo Vecchio: where did the oligarchs of the Renaissance live
- 10 Florence attractions to buy tickets online
- Shopping in Florence: what and where to buy
Photos by: clare_and_ben, Sergio Russo, kmuller00, Leslie, jay8085, Mircea Turcan.
