Florence with Kids: A Day Trip on the Train from Pistoia
We loaded four boys under six onto an Italian train, hit the Florence carousel, and made it home by nap time. Here’s what worked, what didn’t, and what we’d do differently.
Day Trip to Florence by Train with Young Kids
It started as a simple experiment: leave the house around 9, catch the 9:42 train from Pistoia, do Florence, and be home by one. We’d never navigated the Italian train system with the kids before, so expectations were realistic. This was a test run, nothing more.
We walked the 15 minutes to the station, got there around 9:30, and found our train already sitting at the platform waiting. First win. We spotted the door with the stroller icon, boarded, and found an empty car. The boys picked their seats. We were off.
The train ride was genuinely delightful. Five stops, easy. The boys were obsessed. We pulled into Florence’s main station and immediately felt the contrast. Pistoia is wonderfully local and quiet, and the Florence terminal was a full sensory event. Crowds everywhere. And three boys on scooters, weaving through it all.
Hilarious? Yes. Chaotic? Also yes.
Heads Up
Scooters through a packed train station are a choice. They loved it, but it added a layer of crowd-navigation we weren’t quite ready for. File that one away for next time.
We walked straight toward the Duomo. The streets were lined with little cafes full of sandwiches, pastries, and espresso. We noted them, kept walking, and (spoiler) deeply regretted that decision later. The boys spotted horse-drawn carriages near the Duomo and lost their minds in the best way. We took pictures. Everyone was happy. Then: the carousel.
The Carousel, The Plan, and The Pivot
The goal was always the carousel in the piazza. Let the boys ride, find a table nearby, have a coffee, watch them run around. Simple, lovely, very Italian-family-afternoon energy.
What we didn’t fully account for: no grab and go option near the carousel, only sit down cafe. We sat down, the boys immediately started fidgeting, whining, and before anyone took our order, we made the call. Abort mission. We let them ride the carousel one more time, I pulled out the last of my snacks, and we started heading back toward the station.
Real Talk
Hungry boys in a crowd is its own kind of emergency. We passed four grab-and-go cafes on the way to the Duomo and kept walking. Do not do this. Grab the snacks when you see them.
Santa Maria Novella Piazza: Worth the Detour with Kids
We ended up in the Santa Maria Novella piazza, which, as it turned out, is where we stayed seven years ago visiting Florence with friends. A little full-circle moment in the middle of the chaos.
Still no food. So we walked back to the train station, found a sandwich shop, ordered approximately eight sandwiches, and sat on the station floor like champions. The boys ate. The meltdowns subsided. We caught the 12:09 train (actually, we made the early one) and were home by 1:15.
Naps happened. Order was restored.
Tips for Taking the Train to Florence with Kids
1. Grab food when you see it. Cafes are not guaranteed where you think they’ll be. Grab-and-go when you pass it.
2. Overpack the snacks. Then double it. Hungry toddlers in a crowd is a five-alarm situation.
3. Look for the stroller door on the train. On Italian trains, look for the icon. It means extra space and usually fewer people.
4. Skip the sit-down cafe. Know your kids. Grab-and-go is your friend on short trips with little ones.
5. Set a loose plan and hold it loosely. We pivoted three times. That flexibility is what made it work.
6. The meltdowns were worth it. They rode a carousel in Florence. They took a real Italian train. That’s the stuff.
7. Download Trenitalia app – It allows you to book tickets, and have the QR code on your phone. No need to stop at the train station, or validate tickets. Also allows to track your train, delays etc.
Would We Do a Day Trip from Pistoia to Florence Again?
Without question. The trains were genuinely easy. The boys loved every second of the ride. We left with real confidence that we can do this, and do it better. We gained something you can’t plan for: proof that it’s possible.
Next weekend? We’re taking the train to Rome. Longer ride, bigger city, wiser parents. We’ll be bringing a lot more sandwiches.
