Looking for info on Day buses marked orange on transportation maps

J

jamiller

Member
I'm looking for information on "day" bus lines in Florence. I've found info on the city center electric buses at ATAF but have not been able to find info on the "Day Buses" marked in orange on the transportation map I've been using. There are a LOT of number orange-coded numbers on the map but I can't figure out what they mean.

I'm looking for this info because we'll need to get to the Pitti Palace from Via Taddea by 915 on a Sunday morning!

I'll appreciate any help that the Genius of Florence can provide!!
 
Ciao jamiller,

You're looking at an actual printed map of the bus lines in Florence? Do you know what year it is from?
The bus lines in Florence have changed dramatically ever since the center was closed off to traffic just a few years ago - so if you're map has any bus lines passing right by the Duomo, you can pretty much throw it away, it is in no way up to date!

The entire area from the corner of Palazzo Medici Riccardi and south all the way to the Arno and to Palazzo Pitti is a pedestrian area - cars can enter only before 6am only to drop off merchandise to stored and shops. Only taxis and small electric buses can circulate on those streets during the day (and residents with very special permits) and the 3 bus lines that pass through the center - C1, C2 and C3 - are not much use to you to get to Palazzo Pitti from Via Taddea. The best and only solution is to WALK, it will take you less than 20 minutes to do so... otherwise you catch a taxi (call or walk to Piazza Duomo to get one there) OR if you want to take a bus, wait longer and take longer to get to Pitti (you can see the suggestions offered by Google Maps here that have you taking either C2 for 3 stops or bus D, all take more than 20 minutes).
 
more on buses

Dear Lourdes,

Thanks so much for your help. I would LOVE to walk but have serious foot issues that make doing so very difficult, and I'll be trying to save my feet when possible so that they'll get me through galleries!
The map I was using was online but I now see it's from 2010. I have been able to locate only C1 and C2 maps at the ATAF site. Based on them, I think we can take the C2 from Stop 8 down to the Piazza Della Signoria, and then walk across the bridge. But that's different from the google routes to which you linked me. Can you tell me where I can download accurate maps of all the different kinds of bus lines, including, for example, the D bus to which you refer?
I apologize for asking such nit-picking questions. I wouldn't bother you with them but you're the only Florence genius I know.

Jerry
 
Awww Jerry, you make me blush :o no genius at all, just glad to share the stuff I know from living here!

Knowing now about your feet, I'd recommend getting a taxi whenever the small buses won't work for you: you can have your hotel or B&B call it for you, then you'll find it right outside and it will take you the whole way.

But if you can do a little bit of walking and there's a bus you can catch in the direction you're headed, then by all means use them as they will be cheaper than taxis. A 90 minute ticket costs €1,20 which means you get on, put your ticket in the machine and have the time and date stamped on it - please do it because even if you get lucky and no one checks your ticket that one time, there are a lot of controls and the fine is high if you didn't stamp the ticket! In any case, if you need to catch another bus within those 90 minutes, you don't need a new ticket since the first one is still valid. So when you can, use the bus :)

In this case, I'd recommend taking line D from the SMN train station. It is the one with the shortest walking distance for you: from Via Taddea, you should head to Via Nazionale and then on to the train station, the front short end is where bus D stops. It is about 650 meters total from Via Taddea according to Google maps. You should see the route on this map (I hope) and the timetables here. Bus D will drop you off right in front of Palazzo Pitti :)

Since you're in the center, this map of the 4 lines that cross the center will be of the most use to you. Line D is the green one - just follow the arrows along the routes to determine where you'll find bus stops. Since many streets are one-way, the bus has different routes in each direction and you want to be at the right stop to head in the right direction. If they match, then the stops will be on one side or the other of the small streets. You can buy bus tickets from many bars (coffee shops) and newsagents. There will be stickers on their doors or somewhere that says they sell ATAF tickets - you can buy 1 ticket that actually has 4 rides on it for €4,70 so you actually save a little bit for the 4 rides.

Hope all this extra info is useful to you and to others!! Let me know if you have any other questions - and hope you enjoy your time in Florence :)
 
Thanks! And Siena?

Dear Lourdes,

Thanks as always for tremendously helpful information! You may not technically be a genius but you are exceptionally kind and generous. I'm extremely impressed by the fact that, in spite of the volume of correspondence, you treat each person as an individual.

Thanks to you, I've got our Florence arrangements settled, and have moved on to the other places we'll be visiting in Tuscany. I think my feet will be able to get around pretty easily in all of them except Siena. There, our lodging is on Via Pannilunghi 14, and apparently there are no minibuses or even taxis into the center.

Also this: Which should we choose, Abbazia di M. Oliveto Maggiore or Abbazia di San Galgano? Or should we find a way to get to both?

Jerry
 
You're very welcome, it is my pleasure to help! I'm glad you got Florence settled, and you're right about the difficulties you'll find in Siena. Siena is a very small town but it is on several hills, which means you'll find some uphills to do.

The street of your lodging in Siena is outside of the center, over by the stadium so not very close to all of the sights - and you are definitely on a hill and have a downhill to do and an uphill to get back to the Duomo and Piazza del Campo.

So first you should know that there ARE buses that cross the city center in Siena - bus lines 590 and 50N are the main ones but there are a few others.
If you search for Siena on Google maps and then zoom in and in until you see the Piazza del Campo and the Tower del Mangia at an angle, you'll also start seeing the bus icons on the map. Does this link to the maps work for you? Click on those icons, you will see the bus lines and where they pass.

We've stayed and enjoyed Locanda San Martino in Siena - it is on Via Porrione and was really close to the main sights, to Piazza del Campo and the Duomo. I would definitely recommend staying in the center just because you'd walk less overall and could catch those buses in the center when you got tired. In any case, click on those icons to then go to the city bus website and see maps. It is just that the buses near where you are at the moment don't seem to go directly into the center, otherwise it would be fine.

As for the two abbeys, they are completely different so if possible, do both!! :)
 
Thanks for helping with Siena

I apologize for the delay in thanking you for your generous help!

Our reservations cannot be cancelled without charge. However, the people at our B&B have provided us some information on bus lines. With that, and the information you've provided, we should do fine.

Thanks so much for your assistance, Lourdes.
 
You're welcome! If they can help with the bus lines, then you should be super fine from that location as well. I hope you have a wonderful time in Tuscany and would love to hear how everything goes after your return home.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top