Wedding festivities will begin with the Welcome Party on Sunday, September 1st at 6pm, so we recommend arriving prior to then. Flights into Italy are often overnight flights that land in the morning local time. Keep in mind that you may need a day to adjust to the time change - usually the time difference is manageable if you can stay awake for the full day after you land in Italy. If you want to take the time change into account, we recommend landing in Italy on the morning of Saturday, August 31st and doing your best to keep yourself awake all day. You can use this day to commute to Florence if you landed in another city like Rome or Milan, or you can spend your time exploring the city you’re in!

If you are flying into Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (FCO), you’ll find that the airport is located slightly outside of the city of Rome. There is an ItaliaRail train station connected to the airport that will take you directly to Roma Termini station, located in the center of Rome, where you can transfer to Florence. Tickets for these trains can easily be purchased in the station and trains leave from the airport station to Roma Termini every 15 minutes. Here is the link to the ItaliaRail website that has more details about the route and gives you the option to purchase tickets online. Alternatively, you can take a taxi from the airport to Roma Termini station.

Once you arrive at Roma Termini station, you will take a different ItaliaRail train from Roma Termini to Florence Santa Maria Novella station. There are signs all over the station in Rome that are also in English so it should be easy to find where you need to go. You can also easily purchase tickets for this train in the station or online and there are 63 trains on this route each day so you should not have a problem obtaining tickets. Here is the link to the ItaliaRail website that details the train line from Rome to Florence. The train ride takes anywhere from 1.5 - 2 hours and will take you directly into the city center of Florence! Once you arrive in Florence, there are usually plenty of taxis available outside the station, but the city is also very walkable so it’s possible that you can walk to where you’re staying from the station. We’ve taken this route into Florence ourselves and found it very convenient and the train ride insanely beautiful. Also, if you’re ever confused, the train station employees are extremely nice and usually some speak english, so don’t be afraid to ask someone for help or for directions.

If you are flying into Milan Malpensa International Airport (MXP), we recommend taking a train to get to Florence. First, you’ll need to get from the airport into the city of Milan. There is an express train through ItaliaRail that runs from MXP to the major train station in Milan, Milano Centrale. The route runs 63 times per day and usually takes about 55 minutes. Here is the link to the ItaliaRail website that details this route and answers other FAQs. You can also take a taxi to Milano Centrale from the airport.

Once you arrive at Milano Centrale station, you’ll need to transfer to the ItaliaRail train line that will take you from Milan to Florence Santa Maria Novella station. There are 64 daily trains that take this route and the high-speed trains only take about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Tickets for these trains can be purchased at the station or online. Here is the link to the ItaliaRail website that outlines this route in more detail and allows you to purchase tickets. Once you arrive in Florence, there are usually plenty of taxis available outside the station, but the city is also very walkable so it’s possible that you can walk to where you’re staying from the station. When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask train station workers for help!

The international airport closest to Florence is called Florence Airport, Peretola (FLR), formerly known as Amerigo Vespucci Airport. The easiest way to get from this airport into the city center of Florence is by taxi which usually costs around 20€. If you are staying outside of the city center, you can also book a transfer from the airport in advance. One option for booking a transfer in advance is through Welcome Pickups, where you can view the price of your transfer ahead of time and the driver will meet you at the airport with a name sign.

If you are staying more in the countryside of Florence, renting a car could be an option to consider. However, parking in the Florence city center is difficult so keep this in mind and allow yourself time for extra planning if you want to drive into the city from the countryside.

Taxis cannot be flagged down in Florence like they can in the US. Instead, you can find a taxi in one of the taxi stations located in squares and major landmarks throughout Florence. You can also call a taxi company directly to send a taxi to pick you up. The Visit Florence Website has a page dedicated to where you can find taxi stations and how you can call a taxi in Florence.

Yes, Uber is available but it’s mostly Uber Blacks and can be expensive. With traffic in Florence, Ubering somewhere can sometimes take just as long as walking there. If you do plan on calling an Uber, give yourself some extra time in case they are not available immediately.

NO! You don’t need a visa to travel to Italy. You just need a valid passport that does not expire within 6 months of your departure date from Italy. This means that your passport should not expire prior to March of 2025.

If your passport expires prior to March of 2025, you will likely need to renew your passport prior to flying to Italy. According to the Department of State guidelines for traveling to Italy, your passport should not expire within 6 months of your departure date from Italy. We recommend that you start the passport renewal process as soon as possible as it often takes over 8 weeks to receive your renewed passport.