Thanks to its location in central Italy and on the Mediterranean coast, Tuscany is perfectly accessible by high-speed trains, long-distance buses, ferries and, thanks to its two international airports, by plane.
By air
The main belt of sights and natural attractions between Florence, Pisa and Siena is located in the north of the region and is served by Tuscany's only two international airports:
Cheaper tickets are generally available from Pisa, where Ryanair has a large base, while more traditional network airlines fly to Florence.
Pisa/Florence combinations are also popular with departures to/from Bologna airport, which is superbly and quickly accessible from Tuscany by high-speed rail.
The southern parts of Tuscany may then be more accessible via Rome, where you can use Fiumicino and Ciampino airports.
By train
By rail, Tuscany is perfectly accessible from the rest of Italy.
In general, trains are by far the best connection between at least somewhat important cities in Italy. In addition, a major high-speed rail linking the north and south of Italy passes through Tuscany, with most high-speed trains stopping in Florence, which serves as one of Italy's largest transport hubs.
The busiest line is the Milan/Venice - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples high-speed line, which runs several times an hour.
Book tickets for these services ideally at least 3 weeks in advance for the lowest price via the official websites of the two main carriers, the latter of which, Italo, has cheaper tickets on sale than state-owned Trenitalia when it comes to high-speed trains:
You can also compare prices and buy tickets via the well-known website thetrainline.com.
The other very frequent route is the Milan - Genoa - La Spezia - Pisa - Livorno - Grosseto - Rome connection, where there are no direct high-speed trains, but even so, the long-distance connection is provided by high-quality InterCity or Frecciargento trains (mostly Pendolino units, which we know from the Czech Republic). Only the state carrier Trenitalia operates on these routes.
The most used domestic train services from Tuscany, the main stations are Firenze S.M.N. (Florence) and Pisa Centrale:
- Florence - Rome (1.5 hours by fast train, prices from 24,90 eur)
- Florence - Milan (less than 2 hours, prices from 29,90 eur)
- Florence - Bologna (37 minutes by high-speed train through long tunnels, prices from 13,90 eur, alternatively by scenic route over the mountains in 1 hour and 45 minutes from 9,45 eur )
- Florence - Venice (2 and a quarter hours, prices from 26,90 eur)
- Pisa - Rome (3-4 hours, prices from 10 eur)
- Pisa - Genoa / Genoa (2.5 to 3.5 hours, prices from 10 eur)
- Pisa - Milan (4 hours, prices from 11 eur)
- Pisa - Vernazza / Cinque Terre (approx. 2 hours, prices from 9,20 eur)
By bus
Long-distance buses in Italy are just a supplement to trains.
Tickets may be slightly cheaper, but on almost all routes the connections are significantly longer. Significantly cheaper connections are offered in promotions by Itabus.it, which sells one-way tickets from 5 eur on these routes, for example; exceptionally, tickets can also be found for 2 eur:
- Florence - Bologna - Padua - Venice
- Florence - Bologna - Parma - Piacenza - Milan - Turin
- Florence - Bologna - Verona - Bergamo Airport
- Florence - Rome - Naples
- Pisa - La Spezia - Genoa - Turin
- Pisa - Rome
Ticket prices to more distant destinations start at 8 eur, or 10 eur, which is always cheaper than the train, however.
Another popular bus carrier is the traditional Flixbus, which operates an extensive network of routes around Italy with prices starting from 5 eur even on long distance routes, again will often be cheaper than the train, but with a significantly longer journey. Book tickets at flixbus.com. Relevant connections will be offered by Flixbus on the following routes, for example:
- Pisa - Rome
- Pisa - Genoa
- Florence - Bologna - Modena - Parma - Milan
- Florence - Bologna - Ferrara - Padua - Venice
- Florence - Rome - Naples
By ferry
On the Tuscan coast you will find Livorno, Italy's 3rd largest port. Ferries also sail from Piombino.
Ferries to the other Tuscan islands such as Capri, Giglio or Capraia are described in the Transport chapter.
Ferries from Tuscany to other regions or countries sail on the following routes.
From the port of Livorno
- Golfo Aranci (Sardinia) - 2 to 3 times a day, sailing time 7.5 hours
- Olbia (Sardinia) - 4 to 8 times a day, sailing time 9 hours
- Palermo (Sicily) - 2 times a week, cruise time 19.5 hours
- Bastia (Corsica) - 2 to 4 times a day, sailing time 4.5 hours
- Ile Rouse (Corsica) - 2-3 times a week, cruise duration 5.5 hours
From the port of Piombino
- Olbia (Sardinia) - 1x a day, cruise duration 5.5 hours
- Golfo Aranci (Sardinia) - 2 times a day, sailing time 6.5 hours
- Bastia (Corsica) - 3 to 4 times a week, sailing time 2.5 hours
To find connections or buy tickets, ideally use the directferries.com search engine, which compares all available shipping companies.
