How the Pisa to Florence transfer works
Pisa's Galileo Galilei airport is the main international gateway to Tuscany, but Florence is 83 km away by road. A private Pisa to Florence transfer covers that in about 1 hour 15 minutes: your driver meets you at the arrivals exit of Pisa Airport, and the next time you handle your luggage is at your hotel door.
By public transport the same trip means the Pisa Mover shuttle to Pisa Centrale, a train to Santa Maria Novella and then a taxi or a walk across the centre, with two changes and a ticket for each. That works for a backpack. With children, suitcases or a late landing, a car is simpler, and the price is per vehicle, so it gets better value the more of you there are.
Many travellers fly into Pisa rather than Florence Airport because it is the busier airport, with more flights. Heading somewhere else in Tuscany? The same driver can take you on to Siena and Chianti.
| Pickup | Pisa International Airport (Galileo Galilei) (PSA) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in Florence |
| Distance | About 83 km by road |
| Journey time | 1h 10min – 1h 35min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | City & culture |
| Busiest season | April–October |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from PSA to Florence
Your driver leaves the airport and joins the FI-PI-LI, the toll-free dual carriageway that runs east along the Arno valley past Pontedera, Empoli and Lastra a Signa to the south-western edge of Florence. It is the most direct road between the two cities, and the one most drivers use. If it is blocked, the A11 motorway through Lucca and Prato is the alternative.
The last ten kilometres, through Scandicci and into the city, are the slowest part. Florence's historic centre is a limited-traffic zone (ZTL) with camera-controlled gates from Monday to Friday 07:30 to 20:00 and Saturday 07:30 to 16:00, plus Thursday to Saturday nights from April to early October. Hotels inside it register the plate of the car bringing their guests, so give us your hotel name when you book and your driver will arrange access with them in advance. Where a street is pedestrian-only, the car stops at the nearest point it can legally reach.
Expect about 1 hour 10 minutes in light traffic and up to 1 hour 35 minutes on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, when the FI-PI-LI is busiest.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Pisa International Airport (Galileo Galilei) (PSA)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 30 min · 25 km
Pontedera
About a third of the way, on the FI-PI-LI along the Arno valley.
About 45 min · 53 km
Empoli
Halfway. The road runs between low Tuscan hills with vineyards on the southern slopes.
About 60 min · 77 km
Scandicci
The south-western edge of Florence. From here traffic usually slows into the city.
Arrival · 1h 10min – 1h 35min · 83 km
Florence
Drop-off at your hotel door, or the nearest point the car can legally reach inside the ZTL.
PSA to Florence: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Pisa Airport
Pisa Airport has a single terminal. After baggage reclaim, walk out through the arrivals exit, where your driver waits holding a sign with your name. The car is parked a short walk from the terminal.
Pisa Airport has one terminal. After baggage reclaim, walk out through the arrivals exit: your driver waits there with a sign showing your name. We track your flight, so the pickup moves with any delay at no extra cost, and your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you actually land.
For the return, your driver collects you from your Florence hotel at the agreed time and waits up to 15 minutes. If your hotel is in a pedestrian lane, we will agree the nearest pickup point with you in advance.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Pisa Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in Florence
We take you to the door of any hotel, apartment or villa in and around Florence. Inside the ZTL that depends on your hotel registering the car, which almost every hotel does as a matter of routine. Apartments and holiday rentals usually cannot, so tell us the address and we will pick the nearest street the car can reach.
Duomo, Signoria and Santa Croce
The historic centre, all inside the ZTL. Hotels register the car; a few lanes around the Duomo are pedestrian-only.
Santa Maria Novella
Hotels around the main station and Piazza Santa Maria Novella, on the western edge of the centre.
Oltrarno
Pitti, Santo Spirito and San Frediano, across the river. A separate ZTL sector with its own gates, handled the same way.
Hills and villas
Fiesole, Bellosguardo, Settignano and the villas around Piazzale Michelangelo. Usually door to door; share a map pin for private gates.
When to book your Florence transfer
Florence is busy from April to October, with peaks around Easter, in May and in high summer, especially around the 15 August holiday. November and January to February are the quietest months, and the easiest time for a quick transfer into the centre.
The Pitti Uomo menswear fair fills hotels near the Fortezza da Basso every January and June; book early if your dates overlap.
Florence Airport, about 4 km from the centre, has a short runway, and flights there are sometimes diverted to Pisa or Bologna when tailwinds are strong. If your Florence flight is diverted to Pisa, message us on WhatsApp straight away and we will try to arrange a car from Pisa; under our policy a diversion can need a new booking.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach Florence
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 1h 10min – 1h 35min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| Pisa Mover + train | 1½–2 hours | The 5-minute Pisa Mover shuttle to Pisa Centrale, then a regional train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, 50 minutes to 1 hour 20. Two changes and a walk or taxi at the end. |
| Airport coach + tram | 1½–2 hours | A direct coach takes about an hour. By day it stops at the Guidoni car park on the city edge, where you change to the T2 tram for the centre. |
| Rental car | 1¼–1½ hours plus parking | Easy as far as the city limits. Inside, the ZTL cameras fine unregistered cars and hotel parking is limited and costly. |
Skip the changes: door to door to Florence
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the Florence transfer suits
Families with luggage
No platforms or Pisa Mover with pushchairs. Child seats are fitted before pickup, and a minivan seats up to seven.
Evening arrivals
The Pisa Mover stops at midnight, or 1am in summer. A booked car waits for you however late the flight lands.
Hotels inside the ZTL
Your driver arranges the access with the hotel in advance, so you are dropped at the door rather than at the edge of the zone.
Small groups and business travellers
One price for the whole vehicle. Four people sharing a car often pay less than four rail-and-taxi trips added together.
Plan the rest of your Florence trip
- The Leaning Tower is only a few kilometres from Pisa Airport. A stop on arrival adds about 15 minutes of driving plus your visit, and your luggage stays in the car. Climbing the tower needs a timed ticket, best booked ahead.
- Ask for the A11 route with a stop in Lucca if you want to walk the town walls on the way. Tell us when you request your quote.
- Florence hotels usually check in from 2pm or 3pm. If you land early, ask yours to hold your bags while you have lunch.
- The Uffizi and the Accademia use timed tickets that can sell out well ahead in spring and summer. Book before you fly.
- For your flight home from Pisa, leave Florence about three hours before a European departure, and allow more on Friday and Sunday afternoons.
- Travelling on through Italy? We also quote Rome Fiumicino to the city and Venice Airport to Venice transfers.
