Printmaking In Tuscany – Getting There

Please read the following details carefully before booking your Art Holidays In Italy – Printmaking In Tuscany trip. It is your responsibility to get to and from your accommodation although I will try to help with the final part of your journey once you get to Barga.

Quattro Archi is located in the town of Barga in Northern Tuscany. You can get to Barga using the following transport links

Flights

Pisa is a Ryanair hub and has flights from many European locations including London, Manchester and Edinburgh. British Airways and Easyjet also fly to Pisa from London and Manchester. KLM fly to Pisa via Amsterdam. Pisa is about an hour drive from Barga. Florence also has KLM flights from Amsterdam as well as British Airways from Edinburgh and London. Florence is about an hour and twenty minutes from Barga.

Rail

The station is Barga Gallicano which is down hill from Barga itself. There is another station nearby called Fornaci di Barga. Don’t confuse them. The train service is the same but Barga Gallicano has a cafe/bar next to it. There are buses and taxis connecting to Barga but you need to check details. Taxi’s should be pre-booked because there is no taxi rank at the station. Collection from the station can be arranged if booked in advance with me.

Barga Taxis: +39 331 3378051

Biagiotti: taxi@biagiottibus.it or +39 3351930799 (WhatsApp)

Trains from both Pisa and Florence connect to Barga via Lucca. Although some trains run direct from Pisa to Barga in the morning and afternoon for most services you may need to change once at Lucca. Italian rail fares are relatively cheap (under £7 booked online around £10 at the station). The easy way to book is using the Trainline.com or you can use ‘English speaking’ ticket machines in the stations.

Trains to Lucca are much more frequent than direct trains to Barga and only take 27 minutes from Pisa. A break to explore Lucca and maybe get a coffee or lunch etc is well recommended if it makes the connections easier. Thats what I did!

Bus

A regular bus service runs from Pisa to Lucca and Florence to Lucca where you may need to change to travel on to Barga. The bus service takes you right to the walls of the old Barga town. Then you are just 4 minutes walk away. The bus is the E5 from the bus station near Porta Santa Anna. There is a ticket office there. Make sure you validate your ticket when you get on the bus (fold and insert to receive a date stamp). Google Maps is great for finding bus stops and timing your connections if you select to travel by public transport. Bus fares are reasonably priced too.

Car

If you think you might want to explore independently, a car is a good option … though the roads may be a little more curvaceous than you are used to! Car hire is available from several operators at both Pisa and Florence. You can park in Barga free of charge. Usually you can park just outside the walls of the town in the ‘Fosso’ car park next to Porta Reale (its almost a pedestrian town and the streets are medieval and too narrow for many cars). If its very busy you may need to use the overflow car park a couple of minutes walk away. When you park make sure you display your parking disc -these are usually in the glove box of rental cars).

Taxi

A taxi direct from Pisa airport to Barga is in the region of 160 Euros. We will arrange a WhatsApp group for people in the group so if people are travelling around the same time you might wish to share transport from the airport.

If you have any further questions about the Printmaking In Tuscany holiday please do not hesitate to contact me or read my frequently asked questions.