Florence: taxi or walk from station to hotel?
 

Hi,

We're going to Italy in 3 weeks. We will be arriving in Florence at 10 a.m. on a Saturday, via Eurostar from Rome.

Our hotel is Hotel Europa, on Via Cavour, about 600 meters from the train station.

Question is whether to hire a cab, or walk and hope we find the place easily enough?

Is is silly to take a cab that distance?

It will be hot, we will still likely be jet-lagged. We have 2 wheeled carry-ons, a tote bag and small backpack to keep track of.

Are we just too tempting for thieves walking along w/all our stuff and shouldn't risk it?

How hard is it to find one's way around Florence? What's the area around the station like?



It's an expensive way to go a short distance.

Will a cabbie think we're nuts for taking a such a short ride, and take us "the long way" to run up the meter?

Your opinions would be most appreciated!
Thanks!

It's certainly not a silly question, and because of limited access streets in Florence, 600 meters on foot could easily be 2 km or more by cab.

Faced with a distance about half that far, my last trip to Florence, it seemed straightforward to walk it - - and it was an interesting ordeal, but not at all dangerous nor strenuous. 600 meters seems to be about the distance which is just "on the fence", in my mind.

I think you will get answers both ways.

And either will be right... for <i>some</i> people.

Best wishes,

Rex

Regarding your &quot;other&quot; question - - yes, you did post duplicately.

Click on your own name, to find your own posts.

Sorry for the duplicate...I did search my own name, but Duh! Long day.

Not <i>search</i>... <i><b>click on</b></i>...

Thee can be quite a difference, for technical reasons...

We walked about that distance to our hotel, pulling wheeled bags, with no difficulties whatsoever---nothing at all approximating the &quot;interesting ordeal&quot; that rex mentions. That was 2001, however; perhaps things have changed.

In Italy, I would much rther walk that trust myself to a cab.

Rex, thanks for the tip!

Via Cavour has 'one way' symbols on the maps, so I'm assuming it is a street with traffic. All of the streets between the station and the hotel have directional symbols on the map. Seems like it is not far for a cab to drive.

Whoops - - misread the question. The streets will be more straightforward - - for a taxi driver, or for you on the sidewalk, in Rome. I was thinking you were asking about florence.

600 yards... from Termini to Via Cavour?

I am skeptical. Seems like easily 1000 in my mind - - though I am normally a true believer in &quot;trust the data&quot; - - not someone else's anecdotal recollection (including my own).

Oh - - and yes - - you can easily negotiate central Florence on foot yourself.

p.s. my &quot;interesting ordeal&quot; (in Florence - - not Rome) is because our hotel (Giada) involved walking right through the center of a street market for 3-4 blocks.

The race to the top, of two duplicate threads - - answers both &quot;here&quot; and there&quot;...

Rex, you were right in the first place...I'm asking about Florence.

We were there a couple of weeks ago, staying at Hotel Casci, also on Via Cavour. Walked to the hotel, but were confused by their directions. It would have simplified things if they had said &quot;go out the door of the transtation, down the escalator to the lower level,jog slightly to the left and follow the walkway which tunnels under the street.&quot; (From that point follow your hotel's directions.) We did not mind the walk, although be prepared for rough streets. It was a real test for the wheels on the bags.
Florence is very compact and easy to walk around in.
Vera

I measured it on Google Earth. It's about 840m.

Our hotel at Florence in across from the Medici Chapel, about 540m from the train station. Took us about 10 minutes to get there. So, you're looking at 15-17 minutes walk. Pretty easy.

BTW, we also stayed at Hotel Giada, same one as rex. Didn't realize this before.

Okay, thanks for clarifying... re-reading your post, there is nothing confusing about it - - it's just I got to thinking about a Via Cavour in Rome (there is one in both Florence and in Rome).


Using Google Earth is a good way of checking &quot;just the facts, ma'am&quot;...

I would have not guessed that Hotel Giada is 540 m. With 50% further, I think that you can easily justify either approach, as was my initial gut feeling.

Hi C,

Both mappy and viamichelin say its about 1 km.

&gt;Are we just too tempting for thieves walking along w/all our stuff and shouldn't risk it?&lt;

I don't think so. You are unlikely to be mugged on a street in the daylight.

Don't let anyone &quot;help&quot; you with your luggage.

((I))

It is a bit of a haul to the hotel from the station, with bags and in possible heat. I would definitely take a taxi. I have never felt ripped off by a taxi in Italy, so reports of that happening may be exaggerated although I am sure it happens. Some of the taxis in Florence have GPS devices which I thought was very cool. I would not worry about getting lost or mugged if you do walk..Florence is easy to navigate and seems safe to me.

It's 50/50 whether to cab or walk. If you decide to walk, and I haven't seen the directions given by the hotel, but the easiest route is: with your back to the tracks inside the train station, exit out the left side of the building. Cross the street (there's a McDonalds across the street) and turn right. At the corner, turn left onto Nazionale. Go up to V. Guelfa, turn right, go to V. Cavour, turn right. The hotel will be about 1/2 a block down on your left. This would be much easier than zigzagging through the San Lorenza market area to save a few steps.

That route via Via Nationale will be about 930m, measured on Google Earth again.

Here's a vote for the cab. Reasons:
It's going to be hot.
You're going to be tired.
The sidewalks in Florence are narrow and crowded.
I've taken several cabs in Florence, and all seemed reliable and honest.
Do you really want the aggravation of trying to maneuver the streets with baggage and finding the hotel?

Hot, jet-lagged, luggage???

Cab it baby!