Explore the Cradle of the Renaissance from the comfort of an open-top bus.
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Quick Guide
Florence Hop-On Hop-Off Tours
Florence’s historic center is compact and walkable, but some of the best views require climbing steep hills. That’s where the hop-on hop-off buses come in handy. They’ll take you up to Piazzale Michelangelo without the uphill trek and out to the hilltop village of Fiesole, which sits high above the city.
City Sightseeing Florence runs two routes.
- The blue route circles the city center and stops at the main viewpoint in about an hour.
- The red route heads into the Tuscan countryside to reach Fiesole, a two-hour journey through olive groves and past Renaissance villas.
You can check availability and book your ticket here for your travel dates. Tickets are valid for 24, 48, or 72 hours, so you can hop on and off as many times as you want within that period.
The buses work best for getting to places outside the walkable center. Most visitors use them to reach the panoramic viewpoints and Fiesole, then explore the central areas on foot.
Highlights
Tickets & Prices
City Sightseeing Florence offers three ticket options to fit your travel plans. You can choose a 24-hour, 48-hour, or 72-hour pass depending on how long you’ll be in the city.
What’s included
Pricing Table
| 24 Hours | 48 Hours | 72 Hours Best Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | €23.00 | €28.00 (€14.00 per day) | €33.00 (€11.00 per day) |
| Child (5-15) | €12.00 | €14.00 (€7.00 per day) | €16.00 (€5.33 per day) |
Children under 5 ride free.
Book your tickets here to secure your spot for your travel dates.
Tips for Choosing Your Ticket
- Pick the 24-hour pass if you’re short on time and want to see the main highlights in one day. This gives you enough time to ride both routes and hop off at a few key stops like Piazzale Michelangelo and Santa Croce.
- The 48-hour pass works well if you want a more relaxed pace. You can explore the city center on the first day and take the scenic Fiesole route on the second day without rushing.
- Go for the 72-hour pass if you want the best value per day. This option gives you three full days to explore Florence, with time to visit museums and attractions without rushing between stops.
- The longer passes also give you flexibility if the weather turns bad on one day. You can stay indoors and use your pass when conditions improve.
FAQs About Ticketing & Pricing
How much is the hop-on hop-off bus in Florence?
City Sightseeing Florence sells one ticket in three lengths, and the price climbs with how long you keep it. A 24-hour pass is the cheapest and covers a single day of riding both routes. The 48-hour and 72-hour passes cost more up front but work out cheaper per day. Children under 5 ride free. The Tickets & Prices section above lists each tier.
Is it cheaper to book online or buy on the day?
Booking online sends a mobile voucher to your phone, so you skip the ticket counter and board straight from any stop. You can still buy in person at the visitor centers on Via Cavour or at the Santa Maria Novella station desk, but you spend time queuing first. Online bookings also let you reschedule or cancel for free up to 24 hours ahead, so there’s no penalty for booking early.
Is the Florence hop-on hop-off bus worth it?
Florence’s old center is compact and easy on foot, so the bus pays off mostly for what lies beyond it. It saves you the steep uphill climb to Piazzale Michelangelo and carries you out to the hilltop town of Fiesole, which is a 30-minute ride away. The audio guide explains the Duomo and the Medici story as you pass. If you’re staying inside the historic core the whole trip, walking covers most of it.
City Sightseeing Route Map & Stops (Timetable)
Florence’s hop-on hop-off service runs two routes that cover different parts of the city.
- Line A (the blue route) loops around the historic center and takes you to the famous Piazzale Michelangelo viewpoint.
- Line B (the red route) heads north into the Tuscan hills to the charming village of Fiesole.
Both routes start from Piazzale Galileo, making it easy to switch between them. You can ride the entire loop to get oriented, then hop off at the stops that interest you most.
You can download the route map (PDF) and download the timetable (PDF) to plan your journey. You’ll also have access to the Sightseeing Experience app, which shows the position of buses in real time, waiting times at each stop, and your current location so you can easily find the nearest stop.
Line A (Blue Route)
Start Point: Largo Fratelli Alinari, 8, 50123 Firenze FI (Stop 6, near SMN Station)
| Schedule | Time/Frequency |
|---|---|
| First departure | 9:20 |
| Last departure | 16:40 |
| Frequency (Weekends) | Every 40 minutes |
| Frequency (Weekdays) | Every 75 minutes |
| Full Loop | About 60 minutes |
Season: November 3, 2025 to March 27, 2026
This route takes about 60 minutes to complete the full loop without hopping off. It circles the historic center and climbs up to Piazzale Michelangelo for panoramic views over Florence’s red rooftops.
Stops:
- Piazzale Galileo (terminus)
- Viale Machiavelli, Villa Cora
- Porta Romana, Viale Petrarca
- Piazza Tasso
- Leopolda, Parco Musica (Music Park area)
- Piazza Indipendenza
- Largo Alinari
- Via Pier Capponi, Libertà Square
- Via Bernardo Segni
- Santa Croce, Corso dei Tintori 40
- Lungarno Serristori (currently suspended)
- Piazza Ferrucci
- Piazzale Michelangelo
Route Highlights:
Piazzale Michelangelo is the star attraction on this route. The panoramic terrace offers the best views in Florence, looking down over the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Arno River winding through the city.
Santa Croce is home to the Basilica of Santa Croce, where you can visit the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli. The large piazza in front is perfect for people-watching.
The route passes through elegant residential areas around Porta Romana and winds along the southern hills before climbing to the viewpoints. You’ll see Villa Cora, a luxurious 19th-century villa surrounded by gardens.
Line B (Red Route)
Start Point: Piazzale Galileo, 50125 Firenze FI
| Schedule | Time/Frequency |
|---|---|
| First departure | 11:15 |
| Last departure | 15:15 |
| Frequency | Every 120 minutes |
| Full Loop | About 120 minutes |
Season: November 3, 2025 to March 27, 2026
Important: Line B is suspended Monday to Friday during the winter season. It runs daily during the Christmas period from December 20 to January 6, but with limited service.
This scenic route takes about 120 minutes for the full loop. It leaves the city center behind and climbs into the Tuscan countryside to reach Fiesole, a hilltop town with Etruscan ruins and sweeping views.
Stops:
- Piazzale Galileo (terminus)
- Piazzale Michelangelo, Piazzale San Miniato
- Lungarno Serristori
- Via Ghibellina
- Viale Lungo l’Affrico
- Museo del Calcio, Piazza del Giorno (Football Museum)
- San Domenico, Via di San Domenico
- Fiesole, Piazza Mino da Fiesole
- San Domenico, Via di San Domenico 15
- Viale Fratelli Rosselli, Porta a Prato
- Viale Vasco Pratolini
- Piazzale di Porta Romana
Route Highlights:
Fiesole is the main attraction on this route. This ancient Etruscan settlement sits high above Florence and offers incredible views across the valley. The town has Roman ruins, including a well-preserved amphitheater, and charming streets to explore.
The journey to Fiesole takes you through olive groves and past Tuscan villas. This is the most scenic part of the entire bus tour, giving you a taste of the countryside without leaving the city limits.
The Museo del Calcio celebrates Italian football history and is located near Florence’s main stadium. Football fans can hop off here to visit the museum.
San Miniato al Monte, near stop 2, is one of Florence’s most beautiful Romanesque churches. It sits on a hill with another great viewpoint over the city.
What to See & Do
Listen to Audio Commentary in 8 Languages
Plug in your headphones and choose from 8 languages on the onboard audio guide: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. The commentary explains what you’re seeing as you pass each landmark, with background on Florence’s history, artists, and buildings.
The audio guide covers details like the Medici family’s role in Florence, the engineering behind the Duomo’s dome, and other context about the city’s development.
You can listen to the full commentary on both routes or just tune in when you pass something you want to know more about. The audio syncs with your location as the bus moves.
See Florence’s Landmarks from Above
The open-top buses give you a higher view of Florence than you get from street level. You can spot the Duomo’s dome, the tower of Palazzo Vecchio, and the Arno River as it curves through the city.
The elevated position helps you see Florence’s layout. You can trace where the medieval walls once stood and how the city expanded over time.
The buses move slowly enough that you can take photos without too much motion blur. Bring your camera if you want to capture the city from this angle.
Explore the Hilltop Village of Fiesole
Take Line B to escape the crowds and visit Fiesole, a small town that predates Florence by centuries. The ride up the winding roads gives you beautiful views of olive groves and villas tucked into the hillsides.
Once you arrive in Fiesole’s main square, you can visit the Roman amphitheater and archaeological site, explore the quiet streets, or simply enjoy an espresso while looking down at Florence spread out below you.
The town feels worlds away from the busy city center, even though it’s only a 30-minute bus ride. This is where Florentines come to cool off in summer and enjoy Sunday lunch with a view.
Enjoy Panoramic Views from Open-Top Buses
The open-top design means you get 360-degree views as the bus moves through the city.
The buses are equipped with free WiFi and air conditioning for the covered lower deck. If the sun gets too strong or rain starts falling, you can move downstairs without missing any of the journey.
Each bus is designed for comfort, with plenty of space between seats and a smooth ride even on Florence’s cobblestone streets. The buses are also wheelchair accessible, with ramps and designated spaces for passengers with mobility needs.
FAQs
Does Florence have a hop-on hop-off bus, and who runs it?
Yes. The service is run by City Sightseeing Florence, the open-top operator with the red buses you’ll see around town. It covers 44 stops across two routes, with an audio guide in 8 languages, free onboard WiFi, and a real-time tracking app. One ticket gives you unlimited rides on both routes for the period you book.
Where does the bus go, and does it stop at Piazzale Michelangelo?
Piazzale Michelangelo is the headline stop. Line A, the blue route, loops the historic center and climbs to that panoramic terrace looking over the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Arno, with other stops at Santa Croce and Porta Romana. Line B, the red route, leaves the city behind and winds up through olive groves to Fiesole, passing San Miniato al Monte and the Football Museum on the way. Both routes meet at Piazzale Galileo so you can switch between them.
How long does the full tour take?
Line A takes about 60 minutes to ride the full loop without getting off. Line B is the longer scenic run at around 120 minutes, since it heads out into the Tuscan hills to Fiesole. Those times cover riding the whole route start to finish. If you hop off to explore a stop, add your time there plus the wait for the next bus.
Where can I find the route map and timetable?
The Route Map & Stops section on this page breaks down both Line A and Line B stop by stop, and you can download the route map and the timetable as PDFs there. The Sightseeing Experience app also shows live bus positions and waiting times at each stop once you’ve booked, so you can time your next pickup.