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City Guide - Florence - Rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rail Situated in the north of the city, the central train station in Florence, Santa Maria Novella (or Firenze SMN), takes its name from the nearby church and provides a good orientation point. Facilities include an all-night pharmacy, a bureau de change, left-luggage and an accommodation booking service. The squat building at the far end of the station complex is a tourist information office. The Italian state railway, Ferrovie dello Stato (tel: 166 105 050 for local information; web site: www.fs-on-line.com), is reliable and fairly priced, although hefty supplements can be added depending on the type of train (Diretto, Inter-Regionale or InterCity). By law, all train tickets must be validated by stamping them in the yellow machines on the platform before boarding; failure to do so can result in a large fine. Rail services: Florence is on the main Rome-Milan line, which ensures a fast service to Italy's most important business and tourist centres. Services include the InterCity (3 hours 25 minutes to Milan; 2 hours 15 minutes to Rome), and the luxurious Pendolino, which links the city to Naples (3 hours and 30 minutes) - both services necessitate supplements. For ports, there are regular trains to Venice (3 hours 15 minutes), changing at Bologna, and to Genoa (3 hours 30 minutes), changing at Pisa. The EuroCity train service links Florence to more than 40 other European destinations, including Paris, Basel and Brussels. Transport to the city: It is a ten-minute walk from the station to the city's key attractions. Visitors should follow Via de' Panzani, then Via de' Cerretani to reach Brunelleschi's Duomo in the heart of Renaissance Florence, or catch bus 14. |
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