take_time_2_travel

I was wondering how one would go about hiring a driver or taxi from Florence to a villa near Greve. Three of the four people in our party will have a rented car that we will drive to the villa a day early. Rather than rent another car, I was wondering what the best way to hire a driver would be. What kind of price would we be looking at? How do we make sure to get a reputable driver that won't "take us to the cleaners?" Many thanks for your help!

Zerlina

This is for one person?

Take the bus; it's an awful lot cheaper
and easy enough. One of the three people at the villa can surely pick the one person up in "downtown" Greve.

http://www.acvbus.it/orari/365.pdf

take_time_2_travel

Zerlina,

Thanks for the link and pardon my ignorance, but can you advise on helping me "read" the schedule? We need an arrival time prior to 9:00 a.m. in Greve. This will allow us to pick the other person up and get back to our villa for a private tour departure at 9:30.

In looking at the ACV schedule, am I correct in saying that there is a bus leaving Florence at 6:45 a.m.(to 7:03 a.m.-depending on location in Florence) and arriving in Greve at 8:05 a.m. for instance? We have used trains in Italy, but have never traveled by bus and are unsure of how to go about this means of transport.

Also, what is the approximate cost of the bus? I will see what the difference in price is compared to a driver and ask the other person in our party what their preference is.

Thank you!

Zerlina

That's how I read it too. You would probably want to depart from the Autostazione SITA, near the Santa Maria Novella train station.

I'm guessing here, but the bus would probably cost 3 or 4 Euro. I don't think you could find a taxi (and I'm not sure an ordinary Florence taxi is allowed to take you to Greve) or driver under 50 Euro. Be aware, though, that the buses are local buses without luggage facilities.

take_time_2_travel

"Be aware, though, that the buses are local buses without luggage facilities." Does this mean that there are no racks, or that you can't bring the luggage onto the bus at all?

Thanks.

Zerlina

No under-bus luggage storage. Racks will take small pieces, but definitely not something along the lines of a 28" suitcase. But I've been allowed to take on a 25" and take up a seat space for it - it didn't make me very popular, but I didn't get thrown off either.