Luxury holidays in San Marco

When to go

Florence is bursting at the seams in summer, when it's also hot and humid; go in early spring or autumn if you can.

Getting there

• Planes

  Florence airport is a 20-minute drive from the city centre; an official taxi into town should cost no more than €30. You can also fly into Pisa’s Galileo Galilei Airport, then hop on a train to Florence (the journey should take around an hour).

• Trains

  The main rail station (Firenze SMN) is behind Piazza Santa Maria Novella, with high-speed connections to other cities in Italy and Europe.

• Automobiles

  There’s little reason to have a car in Florence, not least because of the restricted central zone (ZTL), which can’t be entered during working hours. If booking a hire car, it's essential to send the vehicle details to the hotel (and give reception an estimated arrival time) so they can arrange a temporary permit for you.