Need help for accommodation in Florence (6 days stay)

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zefashionista

New member
Hi everyone,

My husband and I planning a trip to Italy and will be in Florence for 6 nights in December 2013.
I'm planning to make a couple of day trips from Florence to visit various places in Tuscany, such as Pisa, Sienna, Luca, and maybe even Cinque Terre - weather permitting.

Because of that I'm trying to look for an apartment (not a hotel or a B&B) to stay that's pretty near the Firenze SMN station for those day trips, and preferably in between the station and downtown area. I've shortlisted this place I found on airbnb but it's along Via Cosseria, which is still pretty near enough to the train station, but further from Florence downtown. I'm hoping to do some cooking so a fully equipped kitchen is important for my husband and I.

Could anyone advise about the neighbourhood Rifredi / Via Cosseria (where the accommodation is going to be) and its proximity to the main Florence sights? Is it walkable? I've asked the owners but I thought that I'd like to also hear from this forum for any unbiased opinion :)

Best,
Tiffany
 
That isn't that far from the center, it is a residential area and you do have buses nearby that will get you closer to SMN, and the sights, quicker overall. The part I don't like about that area, personally, is the traffic around the Fortezza da Basso, just so many cars! You are within walking distance but you have to go past that every time.... so I'd personally look for something closer.

Had you seen these apartments with kitchens right by the San Lorenzo church?
http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/palazzo-la-medicea.html
Could possibly be a good alternative, you should contact them for rates and availability.
 
Thank you very much Lourdes! For some reason, I didn't go with that booking in the end as I just didn't have a good feeling about it overall.

I opted for another apartment located along Via Romana, which I've read is quiet and also not too far from the city area and the main train station for day trips too. Thank you Lourdes for the helpful link though!

Can I just ask one more question? Should I buy a ticket from Florence to Rome in advance or wait till I get to Florence to purchase one? (I'm going to Rome for 4 nights after my stay in Florence and flying back home from there.)
 
Via Romana is pretty central and a short walk to all the sights, it can get quite a bit of traffic so if possible make sure your apartment faces away from the street.

As far as train tickets go, there hardly ever is a need to buy tickets ahead of time and never for regional trains.... but the only reason I would recommend you check out rates for the day you want to travel, both here: http://www.trenitalia.com/ and here: http://www.italotreno.it/en/ is
because the new Italo trains are offering quite a bit of competition to Trenitalia on the routes between the large cities and are offering good rates and sales. So you might actually save quite a bit by buying ahead. Take a look on both the sites to see whether you might save on Italo... if not, then you can just wait to get the Trenitalia ticket until you get here.

Ah, something to note: the Italo trains in Rome and Milan don't go to the main stations (Termini or Centrale) but the stations they do go to are close by... map them on Google maps and you'll see they are all still very central and might even be more convenient for you if you already know where you'll be in Rome.
 
I took Italio from Florence to Rome Tiburtina, and booked mine ahead of time. I liked that I had a reserved seat, and knew exactly where to sit, and I got a round-trip ticket. It was a straight shot, with no stops! It was a nice, uneventful ride.

Once you get to Tiburtina, you can catch the metro to the main station, or probably a taxi to the airport.

The metro isn't that hard to figure out, but it is crowded (especially around the main hub at the main train station) so watch for pickpockets. There are youtube videos on how to buy a metro pass from the machines, it's really easy! I found a metro map with all the stops and kept it with me. It doesn't go to the best sites, but it'll get you within a decent walking distance. Metro is much easier to figure out than the busses.
 
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