AIRPORTS IN TUSCANY – Which One to Choose for Your Tuscany Trip

Are you trying to book for your international flight to Tuscany for your upcoming vacation?

I’m based in Tuscany with my family, and I’ve taken numerous flights in and out of Tuscany during my 2+ decades here as a student, solo traveler, cycling guide, trip planner, and resident. While I’ve lost count long ago, I’ve flown in and out of Tuscany over 100 times.

This is written from a traveler’s perspective, and I’ve included things that I feel are important to travelers deciding on which airport to use for a Tuscany trip. If you’re looking for basic facts on the airports (like how many terminals there are, how many passengers pass through per year, etc), you can find the official airport websites on Google.

So, let’s get to it.

There are a couple of main airports in Tuscany one in Florence (FLR) and the other in Pisa (PSA).

We’ll look at both of these, but it’s also worth looking at airports outside of Tuscany, because flights may be less expensive, and you can easily reach Tuscany from them by train, rental car, or private driver.

Let’s take a look at:

What to consider when choosing your airport
My quick guide to airports for a Tuscany trip
The main Tuscany airports (Florence and Pisa)
Other airports to Consider
Websites I use when booking flights to/from Tuscany

I hope this helps you book your flight to Tuscany!

Table of Contents

Things to Consider When Choosing Your Tuscany Airport

Here are things I prioritize when flying into Tuscany:

Cost – always looking for a deal!
Convenience – close to where I need to go?
Airlines – miles, loyalty programs
Transport options – someone picking you up? Do you need to rent a car? Is a train your preferred transport?

Other things to consider when choosing your airport:

Open-jaw tickets – are you visiting another area in Italy on your trip? If so, consider open-jaw flights (for example, fly in to Florence and fly out of Venice).
Do you want to fly directly from Europe to the US or other extra-Europe country? If so, Florence airport isn’t a good choice. The small runway means large planes can’t land, so you’ll always need to connect in Europe first.

Quick Guide to Airports for a Tuscany Trip

Boy snacking on pizza while sitting in the departures area of the Florence, Italy airport. There are people standing in line behind him. — *My son, in the waiting area at the Florence airport*

I’ve got a couple of tables and a map to help you out.

The first table shows popular destinations in Tuscany and recommended airports.

The second table is organized by airport and it includes convenient destinations and car rental info.

Finally, I’ve included a Google Map that gives you a visual of where these airports are.

Tuscany Airports Based on Destination

These are my preferred transport methods in the last column, not every single way you can get from the airport to your destination. If I’m traveling with a group or kids, I will often reserve a private transfer (NCC – noleggio con conducente).

Destination	Airport	Transport
Florence	Florence Peretola Airport (FLR)	Tram to city center; see more options here
Siena	Florence (FLR) or Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA)	From Florence – tram to train station, then train or bus to Siena; see more options here. From Pisa, take the PISA Mover to the train station, then train to Siena, changing in Empoli.
Chianti	Florence (FLR)	Rent a car at the Florence airport and drive into Chianti
Pisa	Pisa (PSA)	Pisa Mover (train) to city center
Lucca	Pisa (PSA)	Pisa Mover to train station then train to Lucca
Forte dei Marmi & Versilia beaches	Pisa (PSA)	Private transfer to beach, unless you’re going to Viareggio (then take the Pisa Mover and train)
Southern Tuscany (Val d’Orcia towns like Montepulciano, Pienza, and Bagno Vignoni)	Florence (FLR)	Rent a car at the airport and drive to Southern Tuscany
Saturnia Hot Springs	Rome Fiumicino Airport or Ciampino Airport (FCO or CIA)	Rent a car at the Rome airport and drive to Saturnia and other Tuscan hot springs
Elba Island	Elba has an airport (Marina di Campo Airport, EBA)	You can also fly into Pisa, train or drive to Piombino, and ferry across to Elba

Helpful Tip: Whenever possible, take a high-speed train over a regional train. Yes, you’ll pay more, but you’ll get to your destination quickly (saving precious vacation time!) and you’ll have air-conditioning.

Read more about Train Travel in Italy

Airports to Consider for a Tuscany Trip

Note that only the first two airports are in Tuscany. The others are worth looking at because you can reach Tuscany easily and they may be less expensive. Based on my 2+ decades of flying in and out of Tuscany, the best combo of convenience and price is usually found (in order) at:

Florence (FLR)
Bologna (BLQ)
Rome (FCO)

Good To Know: I’ve noted ‘Convenient Destinations’ in the second column. Know that you could visit any of these destinations from any of these airports, but some airports are best for certain destinations. For example, I’ve mentioned Maremma & Tuscan hot springs as ‘Convenient Destinations’ from Rome, because it’s easier to get a rental car in Rome and drive up than fly in to Pisa and drive down. Likewise, it’s easier to fly into Pisa or Florence to get to Lucca vs flying in to Bologna (which is still totally doable).

Good To Know: Large Tuscan cities can all be reached by train, so if you can fly to somewhere and get to one of the main Tuscan cities, you can connect to others by rail easily.

Airport	Convenient Destinations	Car Rental
Florence Peretola Airport / Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport / FLR	Florence, Siena, Lucca, Val d’Orcia, Chianti, Siena, Pisa (may be cheaper than Florence and it’s just a train ride away)	Yes, 5-minute shuttle bus from airport to off-site location; other locations in city center
Pisa Airport / Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport / PSA	Pisa, Lucca, Tuscan Beaches, Cinque Terre*, Elba Island, Siena, Florence (check prices)	Yes, 6-minute walk or 2-minute shuttle bus to car rental lot adjacent to airport; other locations in city center
Bologna Airport / Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport / BLQ	Florence	Yes, counters inside terminal, then quick walk to the car rental lot next to airport; other locations in city center
Rome Airport / Rome Fiumicino Airport / FCO**	Florence, Maremma, Tuscan Hot Springs (like Saturnia), Val d’Orcia	Yes, counters inside airport, cars are in attached garage; other locations in city center
Milan Airport / Milan Malpensa Airport / MXP***	Florence	Yes, at the airport (most are in Terminal 1 or 2); other locations in city center (like the Milano Centrale Train Station)
Venice Airport / Venice Marco Polo Airport / VCE	Florence	Yes, less than 5-minute walk to rental parking garage or take the quick shuttle bus; other locations in Venice (Mestre or Piazzale Roma)

*not in Tuscany, but often visited on a Tuscany trip, so I’ve included it here
**you can also look at Rome’s Ciampino Airport (CIA) for intra-Europe flights or flights within Italy
***Milan’s Linate Airport (LIN) also has good flight options worth checking

The Two Main Airports in Tuscany

Florence Peretola Airport and Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport are our main airports in Tuscany. Based on my experience at both, here are the pros and cons of each, along with how to reach common destinations from them.

Florence Peretola (Amerigo Vespucci Airport, FLR)

View of the check-in desks at the Florence, Italy airport. There are people waiting in a line on the left. It's a small area. — *Check-in area*

Family with three sons poses for a photo in the Florence airport. Security screening area to the right on the other side of glass walls. — *Check-in area*

CONVENIENT FOR EXPLORING:

Florence – quick tram ride to the city center
Lucca, Pisa, Siena – can all be reached by train
Chianti, Val d’Orcia – best to rent a car

Chianti Travelers: The nearest airport (and most convenient) for you is the Florence Airport. Read my guides to Chianti with Kids and Chianti During the Grape Harvest.

THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT THE FLORENCE AIRPORT:

It’s a small airport. You can’t get lost here, and you don’t need to worry about walking or taking transport to different terminals.
There’s a family line to enter security (but you still have to wait in the normal line once you’re in).
It’s easy to get here from the center of Florence by tram, taxi, or private driver. If you need to park or drop people off, you can enter and drop off/park right at the terminal entrance.

NOT-SO-GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE FLORENCE AIRPORT:

Lines to check in can be really long, with few staff members at the counters.
Short runway means no large planes land here. This is a pain if you’re flying long-haul. For example, when we fly from Florence to the US, we always have to stop somewhere in Europe first to get on a larger plane before heading across the Atlantic Ocean.
Baggage delivery on arrival can be really slow.
Sometimes there aren’t enough luggage carts at baggage reclaim. The good thing is they’re free.
Dining options are mostly snacks, panini, etc. It’s not a great place if you need a meal.
If you’re arriving by car, the traffic can be bad around the airport, especially this section of road. Leave plenty of time to allow for traffic so you won’t arrive sweaty and stressed.
You take a bus to your plane and then walk up steps. Not a huge deal but it can be a pain, especially if it’s raining or your traveling with kids and carry on luggage.
No water fountains (you have to purchase water).

You may want to check out
Guide to Florence Peretola Airport
How to Get From Florence Airport to the City Center
Renting a Car in Tuscany
Car Rental at the Florence Airport
Tuscany Without a Car

Pisa International Airport (Galileo Galilei Airport, PSA)

Front entrance of Pisa airport on a cloudy day.

CONVENIENT FOR EXPLORING:

Pisa – quick train to the city center
Lucca, Florence, Cinque Terre* – can be reached by train
Tuscan Beaches – rent a car unless visiting a beach that can be reached by train (like Viareggio or Castiglioncello)
Siena – best to rent a car, but could also take train to Florence and then Siena (then walk, take the escalator, or bus up to the city center)
Elba Island – need to get to Piombino for ferry; can rent a car (if bringing to Elba) or take public transport or hire a private driver

*In Liguria, not Tuscany

THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT THE PISA AIRPORT:

Pisa often has great fare deals from inside Europe or Italy. Low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet have many flights to/from Pisa.
It’s a small airport so it’s easy to get around and get to your flight.

NOT-SO-GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE PISA AIRPORT:

Shops and dining options are just ok.
Not many places to sit and wait
No water fountains (you have to purchase water).
The rental car shuttle bus line can be long, but if it’s hot out, you probably won’t want to make the 6-minute (unshaded) walk to the rental car lot.

Other Airports to Fly In To for a Tuscany Trip

Woman standing with boys and luggage at airport. — *In the check-in area at the Rome airport*

Bologna (BLQ):

Bologna can have great deals and it’s not that far from Tuscany, by train or car.

Rome (FCO):

Often the best rates are in and out of Rome, but you also need to consider travel time, traffic (can be horrendous, especially on the Autostrada – I’ve had friends miss flights because of it), and cost of train tickets or tolls.
Rome is often your best option for direct flights to many places in the US (and other international destinations).

Milan (MXP or LIN):

Milan can have excellent rates on flights, but like Rome, it’s important to add in extra costs and time. Prices being equal, I always choose Rome for getting to/from Florence over Milan.
Like Rome, Milan’s airports are usually good options for direct flights to the US and other countries.
I have ended up flying in/out of Milan Malpensa Airport more often than Milan Linate Airport, but I always check Linate too.

Venice (VCE):

Venice has to have a really cheap flight for me to choose it, as you first have to get from Venice airport to Mestre train station and then you can hop on the fast train to Florence. Still, I keep it on my list because it can have specials that make the extra travel worth the cost.

I’d always check the above first (Florence, Pisa, Bologna, Rome, Milan, Venice), but you may also want to look at smaller airports and airports that budget airlines (like Ryanair, Easyjet, Airone, Meridiana, and Air Dolomiti) use.

You can check for cheap flights to/from:

Perugia
Genoa
Verona

Good To Know: You may come across other airports (like the Grosseto Airport or the Lucca Tassignano Airport), but I haven’t included them. I’ve only listed non-military airports that serve commercial flights that are possibilities for your flight to Tuscany.

Websites I Use for Booking Flights To/From Tuscany

Before you read, know that I use the below consolidators to check prices, then book directly with the airline. I have occasionally fallen for the ‘deals’ on these sites but have then regretted it (like when my 1.5 hour London layover with 3 kids is changed to 9 hours and the company I booked with refuses to change it to something more acceptable).

Kayak
Google Flights
Priceline
Booking

There are many more consolidators, so if you have a favorite, use it! I’m just often asked what I use, so there you have it.

Deciding on Which Airline to Fly

*Budget airlines can be great for intra-Europe or Italy flights, but keep an eye on luggage allowances*

ITA Airways – The main Italian airline is ITA Airways, which you may remember as Alitalia. It’s owned by the Italian Government at the Lufthansa Group. We fly it often to/from Tuscany and I think the service has improved dramatically over the last few years. It used to have a poor reputation for losing luggage, and having poor customer service, but we’ve been satisfied with ITA Airways.

KLM, British Airways, and Air France – We also end up on KLM, British Airways, and Air France often (with layovers in Amsterdam, London, or Paris before heading over to the US).

Looking for Deals – We’ve also flown on many other airlines (to the airports inside and outside Tuscany that I mentioned above), including Aer Lingus, Air Dolomiti, Ryanair, Easyjet, Lurthansa, Emirates, Vueling, and Qatar Airways. I’m not loyal to a particular airline… I’m just looking for safety, convenience, and good prices from/to Tuscany.

I hope this helps you figure out which airports in Tuscany are best for your flights!

You may also want to check out
200+ Italy Travel Tips
Flying to Italy with a 3-Year-Old

Candice Criscione

Candice, a mamma of three, is an Italy trip planner and travel guide who has been living, traveling, and working in Italy for over two decades. She uses her extensive experience in Italy to help travelers plan their first (or tenth!) trip to bella Italia. She lives in Tuscany with her husband and three boys and when she’s not writing for Mom in Italy or The Tuscan Mom, you can find her cycling the Tuscan hills and exploring Italy with her boys!