I am booked at the Relais Grand Tour next month and am starting to woory about location. On the maps it seems at least a 20 min walk from train station. With luggage an I better off with taxi. Will the rate be high. Also what about walking distance to the Douomo or the Ponte Alle Grazie. Any advice

ttt

hi, merlot,

well, it certainly isn't in the thick of things - it is north of most of the main sights. I would definitely get a cab there - we got a cab to our apartment which was roughly the same distance from the station and it cost E10.

it will be a brisk 10 -15 minute walk to the duomo, and the same to the Arno.

You are in the right position for the accademia, and the museo di san marco, and from that square you can get a bus up to Fiesole.

Buses and taxis are cheap.

regards, ann

I would look to see if I could find anything more central before I cancelled though, at this short notice.

Thanks annhig,
I have to meet two diferent tours groups that I am taking on different days . One meeting place is at the base of Ponte Alle Grazie and another day we meet another tour at Piazza Demidoff. Would you know which busses I would take or is walking too long.

hi, merlot,

i would anticipate that the ponte alle grazie would take you 20-25 minutes to walk from your hotel. But if you are then going to be walking, you might like to take a bus/cab there so as not to be too tired before you start.

I can't find the piazza demidoff on my rather inadequate map. try www.mappy.com.

it's not so much the cost of cabs as the time they take because they have to get through the traffic. but if you allow plenty of time, you shoudl have no trouble.

regards, ann

Thanks again Ann.
I had hoped to takes buses in Florence but the web site is very hard to understand or put in routes like other countries.
I am sure we will manage fine.
Thanks again for taking the trouble to answer.

We stayed at the Relais Grand Tour and loved it! I think you'll be very happy there. The city is very compact amd we walked everywhere but we did take a taxi with our luggage. It's a very short taxi ride, about 10E. and well worth it. The sidewalks in Florence are very narrow so dragging luggage won't be fun.

Do yourself a favor and buy a very good, detailed street map of Florence before you get there. Even though the city is small and compact, the streets are very confusing and that can be quite frustrating if you need to be somewhere at a specific time. I love Streetwise maps.

Thanks Plafield,
You are making me feel better about my reservation.

Consider yourself very lucky to have a room at RGT! We stayed there a year ago, and absolutely fell in love with it. The location could not be more perfect, imo, and I have stayed in several different areas of Florence previously. I don't think it is more than a 10-minute walk to the center of Florence.

We also walked to and from the train station, but we carry very lightweight bags when we travel. I think it was about a 20-minute walk.

Nothing in Florence is far from anything -- it's a very compact city.

Whew, I'm so glad to see this post since I too just book with them and am staying in the Golden room with my hubby. I read great reviews on tripadvisor.