We are staying in Radda in Chianti and want to visit Florence for a day. A person in our group can't walk long distances so we are trying to figure out the best way to get to the Florence city center. We will have a car and were considering driving to a train station to make sure we get dropped off in the center of Florence. Any suggestions for getting into the Florence city center would be greatly appreciated!
Getting to Florence for mobility challenged
- Thread starter Jansport
- Start date
Ciao Jansport, welcome to our forum!
How much can they walk? Do they just need to take breaks or will they also have some type of support, whether it be a cane or a wheelchair?
Driving to a train station and then taking the train into SMN train station is one possibility. You could do that by driving to Poggibonsi and taking train from there.
The other possibility (and likely better one) is to drive to Florence to the Villa Costanza tram stop, there is a large parking lot at the start/end of the T1 tram line located off the A1 motorway. From Radda, you will need to drive toward Florence either on the Via Chiantigiana or the Firenze-Siena road and then get on the A1 and drive in direction north to Bologna.
Villa Costanza seems to be an exit off the A1 but it is just to get to this parking lot. You can park there all day for just 7 euros (or 0,50 cents per hour), then take the tram all the way to the SMN train station (the stop is either Alamanni or Valfonda, depending on which side of the station you stop at). The tram costs €1.70 per person each way.
Walking around Florence can be difficult because some streets are uneven and some cobblestone, but there are places to sit down and take breaks in the main squares. If at any time they need assistance, you can always catch a cab, they are allowed to transit through the center of the city.
How much can they walk? Do they just need to take breaks or will they also have some type of support, whether it be a cane or a wheelchair?
Driving to a train station and then taking the train into SMN train station is one possibility. You could do that by driving to Poggibonsi and taking train from there.
The other possibility (and likely better one) is to drive to Florence to the Villa Costanza tram stop, there is a large parking lot at the start/end of the T1 tram line located off the A1 motorway. From Radda, you will need to drive toward Florence either on the Via Chiantigiana or the Firenze-Siena road and then get on the A1 and drive in direction north to Bologna.
Villa Costanza seems to be an exit off the A1 but it is just to get to this parking lot. You can park there all day for just 7 euros (or 0,50 cents per hour), then take the tram all the way to the SMN train station (the stop is either Alamanni or Valfonda, depending on which side of the station you stop at). The tram costs €1.70 per person each way.
Walking around Florence can be difficult because some streets are uneven and some cobblestone, but there are places to sit down and take breaks in the main squares. If at any time they need assistance, you can always catch a cab, they are allowed to transit through the center of the city.
Thank you so much for your response, it is very helpful. Our friends walking ability is inconsistent - sometimes a cane & sometimes a wheelchair. I saw that there are also Bike Taxi's that we can reserve ahead of time. We are considering that as well.
There are also places in Florence that you can rent walkers and/or rollators for the day. The rollator with the built in seat would probably work well.
I think dbahan means wheelchairs, yes, those can also be rented as well, the "free" ones are generally not motorized, while the paid ones offer various models. We have some contacts at the bottom of this page:
www.visitflorence.com
Moving Around Florence With a Physical Disability
Useful information if you have a physical disability and interested in visiting Florence, Italy.
www.visitflorence.com