Which ticket to use
Florence has one fare for city buses and the tram, even though two companies run them. Autolinee Toscane (AT) operates the buses, as the city's tourism site Feel Florence explains, and GEST runs the T1 and T2 tram lines and sells the same urban ticket. AT's 2026 service charter says the Florence urban ticket covers the tram and the urban buses and is valid for 90 minutes from validation or activation.
The AT fares page lists these prices for the "Urbano capoluogo" ticket, which applies in Florence (checked 30 October 2026):
| Ticket | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Single, 90 minutes | €2.00 | Most visitors |
| Single bought from the driver | €3.00 | Emergencies only |
| 10 journeys | €18.20 | Ten or more rides, from €1.82 each |
| Monthly pass | €42.20 | Stays of several weeks; needs registration |
The GEST ticket page shows the same €2.00 for the 90-minute ticket. The price rose from €1.70 on 1 August 2026; Feel Florence still shows the old fare next to the announcement of the change, and so does the AT service charter, so ignore €1.70 if you see it.
Contactless, paper or app
Contactless card or phone. AT's tip tap page accepts Mastercard, Visa and American Express cards, plus phones, watches and other wearables, and says the ticket price is not increased. On urban lines you tap once each time you board. Each card or device pays for one passenger, and you must use the same card for every tap in a trip. Feel Florence adds that if you change to another bus, or from bus to tram, you tap again on the next validator. Receipts can be downloaded from AT's contactless portal without registering.
Paper tickets. Feel Florence lists tobacconists, newsstands, the machines at every tram stop and the AT ticket office on Via Santa Caterina da Siena, near Santa Maria Novella station. The GEST airport page says tram-stop machines sell single tickets only and take Visa, V Pay, Maestro and Mastercard, including contactless.
App. The AT app sells single tickets and passes after you register. AT's home page says app tickets that have not been activated remain valid for 12 months.
SMS. Feel Florence says you can text "FIRENZE" to 4880105, but only from an Italian TIM, Vodafone or WindTre SIM.
Validate before you sit down
AT's travel rules say paper and digital tickets must be validated or activated at the time of boarding. An SMS ticket must be bought before you get on and becomes active when the confirmation text arrives. Keep the ticket intact and readable until you get off, and show digital tickets on the device you bought them with.
If the validator is broken, the rules tell you to write the date and time of your trip on the paper ticket yourself and tell the driver straight away.
Children ride free up to their 11th birthday when travelling with an adult, according to AT's rules for children. From that birthday they pay the full fare.
What happens if you are caught without a valid ticket
AT's fines page says you are fined if you have no valid ticket, if your ticket was not validated or activated on boarding, or if it is not valid for that route. The penalty is set under Tuscan Regional Law 42/1998. The fine amounts appear only in an image on that page, which we could not read, so we do not quote them.
The payment rules are clear:
- Pay the inspector on the spot, or pay at any LIS point using the barcodes on the report.
- Days 1–15 after the report use the first barcode; days 16–60 use the second. After day 60 the case may pass to a debt-collection agency.
- If you believe you followed the rules, you can submit a written defence within 30 days of the report, but this does not stop the payment deadlines. Paying the fine closes the case.
A €2 ticket is cheaper than any of this; validate every time.
Tram hours and luggage
The GEST timetable has both tram lines starting at about 05:00 every day. T2, the airport line, leaves the airport for the last time at 23:58 from Sunday to Thursday and at 01:15 on Friday and Saturday nights. From Monday to Thursday between 06:30 and 20:30, trams on both lines run every 4–5 minutes. Our Florence and Pisa airport guide covers the airport ride in detail.
Luggage rules differ between tram and bus:
- Tram: one bag up to 55x40x20 cm and 10 kg travels free. Bags up to 80x45x25 cm and 20 kg need one extra ticket each, up to two per person; anything larger is not allowed (GEST airport page). Trams have no luggage racks.
- Bus: one piece up to 105 cm in total (length plus width plus depth) and 10 kg is free, according to AT's luggage rules. Bigger items go in the hold only where a bus has one, and are charged.
A large checked suitcase is usually over both limits. If you arrive with large cases, a taxi to the hotel is the realistic option.
Buses visitors actually use
Most of the historic centre is walkable, and Feel Florence lists the routes visitors use most: line 13 to Piazzale Michelangelo, line 7 to Fiesole, line 10 to Settignano and the electric minibuses C1–C4 through the centre. All take the same €2.00 urban ticket.
Day trips by bus beyond the city, such as the rapid service to Siena, use AT's intercity fares instead; our Siena, Pisa or Lucca comparison explains those. The museum pass does not help with transport: as our Firenze Card guide explains, it no longer includes buses or trams.
