Part of our planning a trip overseas involved figuring out our transportation ahead of time. The last time we went to Florence, Italy, we knew we would have to travel outside the city for part of our trip, so we rented a car. But, to be clear, you don’t need to rent a car if you’re just staying in Florence; it’s a walking city. We always walked from our hotel Florence has plenty of, and only the residence own cars, and not normal size cars either, they own those European mini cars. We almost expect to see hundreds of clowns plowing out of them. People on mopeds or bicycles seem not to obey the right-of-way or any other traffic laws, which is maybe why this city is a ‘Traffic Limited Zone‘, meaning cars can only go in for pick-up or drop-off. Any American during tourist season would surely muck it up if they attempt to navigate the Florentine streets in a car. When we rent a car, we drive straight out of Florence and when we return, we immediately drop it back off.
The train station located at Santa Maria Novella, is centrally located, so any day-trippers or tourists can disembark and find a taxi or a bus stop with ease. We prefer to make our way on foot. Due to the ‘Traffic Limited Zone’, taxi cabs will not respond to hails. So, one must find the few spots where a taxi will wait for customers. These spots are mostly in the Piazzas, such as the Piazza del Duomo, the Piazza della Republica, where we found the most gorgeous carousel, the Piazza San Marco, and the Piazza Santa Trinita for finding the few taxis waiting for a fare.
One time, we really needed a taxi and we weren’t near any of the Piazzas, so we actually had to use our cell phone and call for a taxi, plus we had to know where we were for the taxi to find us, it only took 10 minutes waiting time, which was worth it because as our taxi driver drove us through Florence, he would purposefully slow down as we gasped at the scenery. We gave him an extra tip for doing that. The taxis are expensive, so we only recommend taking one if your day consisted of museum hopping, sightseeing and fine dinning, which will leave you exhausted at the end of the day.