€1.70 ticket, but only worth it if Line 2 is on your doorstep
Bus Line 2 is a regular Florence city bus that runs between FLR (T1) and neighborhoods in the northwest part of the city, using the standard urbano ticket that currently costs about €1.70 if bought in advance. It’s technically the cheapest public option from the airport, but Reddit regulars call it “hard mode” compared with the T2 tram to Piazza dell’Unità.
The line uses normal roadside bus stops, not a dedicated airport platform, and can get stuck in Via Pratese and Viale Guidoni traffic, which is why frequent riders report real travel times that beat the timetable by 0 minutes exactly: you often arrive later than scheduled. A couple of Florence transit threads point out that even when the printed schedule matches the tram’s 20–25 minute runtime, Line 2 usually loses that race once you factor in traffic lights and multiple stops.
Service patterns change by day and hour, with fewer buses on Sundays and later evenings, and that’s when complaints spike about buses not showing anywhere near the posted time. On r/Florence and r/ItalyTravel, travelers mention waiting 20–30 minutes past the listed departure for Line 2 and then giving up, which is painful if your check‑in closes 40 minutes before departure at FLR’s T1.
When there are roadworks around Viale Redi or Viale Guidoni, locals say Line 2 stops can be temporarily shifted or skipped with only a small printed notice, if anything, taped to the pole. Redditors describe walking 200–300 meters in the wrong direction with luggage because the stop had moved, which is not how you want to start a 06:30 flight day from Florence Airport.
Regulars who still use buses in Florence almost all pair them with apps such as ATAF’s official tools or Google Maps transit, refreshing every 1–2 minutes instead of trusting the paper timetables at the stop. Several locals recommend using Bus Line 2 only as a short feeder run to reach the T2 tram at stops like "Peretola" or "Guidoni," then finishing the airport leg by tram rather than staying on the bus the whole way.
If your hotel is directly on Line 2 and you already understand ATAF’s routes, this can shave a tram transfer and save a couple of euros; otherwise, treat it as backup, not plan A. One practical tip: check the live position of Line 2 before you buy a paper ticket, and if the app shows a long gap or “no real-time data,” walk to the nearest T2 tram stop instead.