Quick answer. You barely need cash to leave Florence Airport. The T2 tram runs from beside the terminal to Santa Maria Novella station in about twenty minutes and takes a contactless card, and taxis to the historic centre charge a fixed flat fare. If you do want euros, use a bank machine in the small arrivals area rather than the exchange counter, and choose euros when the screen offers dollars. Italy's Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner is BNL, which has branches in central Florence. A BNL machine avoids the flat non-network withdrawal fee. BoA's 3 percent international conversion charge still applies and is never waived. The expensive mistake at FLR is the hire car: the historic centre is a ZTL, a camera-enforced limited-traffic zone, and one wrong turn produces a fine that reaches your card through the rental company months later, with an administration fee on top.
Where to get euro at FLR
At FLR the cash question is small, because you need so little of it to reach the city. Here is what each route costs to get €100 in your hand, at roughly €1 = $1.10.
| Option | Where | Markup | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank ATM at FLR with a no-FX-fee card | Arrivals | Network rate, modest or no machine fee | ~$110-111 |
| Bank ATM in central Florence | Around the Duomo and the station | Network rate, modest or no machine fee | ~$110-111 |
| BNL ATM with a BoA debit card | Central Florence branches | Network rate + BoA 3% (no flat non-network fee) | ~$113 |
| Independent machine accepting conversion | Arrivals, Via dei Calzaiuoli | Own surcharge + DCC margin | ~$118-122 |
| Exchange counter in arrivals | Arrivals | 8-15% off the mid-market rate | ~$119-126 |
Bank machines at Florence (FLR), and why most visitors can skip them
Florence Airport, still called Peretola by most Florentines and formally Amerigo Vespucci, is a single small terminal about five kilometres from the city, on a short runway that keeps it to mostly European flights. Many long-haul visitors to Tuscany land at Pisa or Bologna instead and come in by train. The machines here sit in and around arrivals, next to an exchange counter. The choice is the usual Italian one: a bank ATM from Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit or BNL gives the network rate, while an independent Euronet unit adds its own charge and pushes conversion into your home currency. Unlike Naples or Catania, though, there is little reason to take out much here. Florence is card-friendly, the tram takes contactless, and the Florence money guide lists bank machines on every approach to the Duomo. Take out a small amount for a gelato counter, a church donation and a market stall, or nothing at all.
Arrivals, ground floor
Vueling, ITA Airways, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, British Airways and seasonal European services
The machines are in the small arrivals area after baggage reclaim, with an exchange counter close by. Pick a bank-branded ATM rather than an independent unit, and when the screen offers to charge you in dollars or pounds, choose euros. Withdraw a small amount or skip it: the tram and the fixed-fare taxis both take cards.
Departures and airside
Same building; check-in, security and a compact gate area
There is little to buy airside and nothing worth converting leftover euros at. A flight within Schengen gets no duty-free advantage. Spend small change at the cafe rather than selling notes back at the counter, which costs you the spread a second time.
The T2 tram stop beside the terminal
Tramvia line T2 to Santa Maria Novella and Piazza dell'Unità
The tram stop is a short walk from the terminal doors. Tap a contactless card or buy a ticket from the machine on the platform, then ride about twenty minutes to the stop beside Santa Maria Novella station. It is the cheapest and usually the quickest way into town, and it removes any reason to arrive with coins.
The car rental centre
Reached by a short shuttle ride from the terminal
The hire-car firms are not in the terminal but at a separate rental centre served by a shuttle bus. Before you sign, ask how the company handles ZTL fines and what administration fee it charges per notice. If your hotel is inside the historic centre, ask it whether it can register your plate for access, or leave the car outside the zone and walk.
Do you actually need cash at Florence (FLR)?
Hardly any. Here is what a contactless card covers between the terminal and central Florence:
T2 tram to Santa Maria Novella (under two euros): Contactless card or a ticket from the platform machine, about twenty minutes to the station, and the obvious choice unless you have a lot of luggage.
Taxi on the fixed airport fare (a flat fare in the low twenties of euros, more on Sundays, holidays and at night): Florence taxis are required to accept cards, and the flat fare covers the historic centre, so confirm your address is inside it before you set off.
Train from Santa Maria Novella (varies by destination): The tram drops you beside the main station, where machines and apps sell regional and high-speed tickets by card for Pisa, Siena, Lucca or Rome.
Hire car from the rental centre (varies, plus a deposit hold): Useful for the Tuscan countryside and a liability in the city, where ZTL cameras turn a wrong turn into a fine billed through the rental company.
⚠ DCC trap. When the ATM or terminal asks if you want to be charged in your home currency instead of the local currency, always decline and choose the local currency. Accepting locks in a 3-13 percent markup that your no-FX-fee card cannot undo. Full DCC explainer →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need cash to get from Florence (FLR) to Florence?
No. The T2 tram takes a contactless card, Florence taxis must accept cards on the flat airport fare, and the city is card-friendly. Cash comes in handy later for a gelato counter, a stall at the Sant'Ambrogio or San Lorenzo markets, or a church that asks for a donation, and a bank machine in the centre is never far away.
Can I order euro before flying?
Less necessary here than at most Italian airports, because you can reach the city on a card. CEI Currency Exchange ships euros to a US address in 2-5 days if you would rather land with notes, which makes most sense if you are driving straight out to a rural agriturismo where machines are scarce. Order small denominations.
How do Florence ZTL fines work with a hire car?
The historic centre of Florence is a ZTL, a limited-traffic zone, and cameras record the plate of every car that enters during restricted hours. A hire car has no permit, so each entry can produce a fine. The notice goes to the rental company, which passes on your details and charges your card an administration fee, and the fine itself can arrive months after the trip. Park outside the zone, or ask your hotel whether it can register your plate for access, before you drive in. Our guide to rental car charges that arrive after you get home covers the admin-fee side.
Is it better to fly into Florence or Pisa?
For money, it barely matters; for convenience, Florence wins if a direct flight exists, because the tram puts you in the centre in twenty minutes on a contactless card. Pisa has more routes and a longer transfer: the PisaMover shuttle to Pisa Centrale and a regional train to Florence, both payable by card, taking over an hour. Neither airport requires cash to reach Florence.