Empoli–Florence by train
Florence in twenty-five minutes, for the price of a regional ticket
About 98 direct services a day to Florence Santa Maria Novella. The fastest takes 24 minutes; the average is around 35.
The Florence–Pisa–Livorno line runs through Empoli, and regional trains to Santa Maria Novella are frequent all day. The first leaves at 4:53, the last just before midnight: at peak times there are several trains an hour.
Santa Maria Novella is in the centre of Florence: from the station you can walk to the Duomo in ten minutes and to Palazzo Vecchio in fifteen. You need neither a car nor a parking space, and you avoid the limited traffic zone (ZTL) altogether.
The numbers
- — About 98 direct services a dayAt peak times, more than one an hour in each direction.
- — 24 to 44 minutesThe average is around 35 minutes; the fastest are the Regionale Veloce (fast regional) trains.
- — First train 4:53, last 23:51If you're coming back after an evening event in Florence, you'll still make it.
- — Regional ticketTuscany regional fare, available in the app or at the station. It must be validated before you board.
Why it's worth it
Sleeping in Empoli and visiting Florence for the day costs a fraction of sleeping in central Florence, and the time you lose is half an hour each way — often less than you'd lose crossing Florence from an outlying district.
The same applies if you're here for work: a meeting in central Florence is a walk from the station, with no parking problem and no entering the limited traffic zone.
Check your dates
Rooms five minutes' walk from the station, self check-in at any hour from 15:00.