Navigating Parking Lots & Trains
Located in a prime position between Florence and Lucca, Pistoia is easily reached by both car or train and makes an ideal addition to an itinerary in this area, offering an authentic atmosphere with many historic monuments documenting its active role in medieval politics and art.
Arriving by Car
The most direct way to arrive is by car, which means if you are already exploring in this area, adding Pistoia to your day trip is easy and practical. Take the A11 highway and exit at “Pistoia”, and then follow signs for “Pistoia centro”. This will put you on the ring road (“Via Raccordo Autostradale”), where you can take the V.le (Viale) Europa exit towards the two free parking lots outside of the historic center.
PARK&BUS
Parcheggio Stadio is about 1.3 km from the city center, but there is a shuttle bus (navetta) which runs regularly that will take you right into the city. You can catch line "1" or "M-il Micco" from anywhere back to the car. Another free parking lot, even closer is Parcheggio Cellini, and this is close enough to walk if you want (850 meters) and it has the added plus of taking you by the Santa Barbara Fortress and the Piazza d’Armi with its large green park. Or you can catch line "M-il Micco" from anywhere back to the car. However, there is also a shuttle service from this parking lot. The shuttle service runs 7 am to 8:30 pm and costs 1.20 cents for the day and the tickets can be purchased at the parking lot. This bus ticket is NOT valid for the other public transport bus lines in Pistoia.
CHECK OUT
Parcheggio Petrini is located practically in front of the train station, which means that it will be fairly busy and actually it is not any closer than the two mentioned above. However, if you were based in or near Pistoia and had intentions of using the train to get around, this is one of the closest parking lots to the train station, open 24 hours. The cost for parking is 1 Euro all day, paid hours are from 8:30 am to 8 pm.
Biking in Pistoia
The city layout and the fact that Pistoia is “hill free” lends itself to biking around. There are public bikes for use, however you need to register first with a 25 Euro fee so unless you are planning on staying for a while, it might not be cost effective. Click here for the official site.
Catching the Train
The train is another extremely easy alternative. There are various trains running all day running from both Firenze SMN and Rifredi train station and the Lucca train station. Travel time from Florence/Lucca is between 40-50 minutes. Check the timetables by visiting the Trenitalia website).
To get to the city center from the train station, you can either walk or take the city buses.
