Getting Around Perugia: An Overview
Perugia is a large hill town, and most of its major attractions sit at the top of the hill in the Centro Storico, the historic centre. That single fact shapes nearly every transport decision a visitor makes. The city's rail and bus hubs lie down in the valley, a few kilometres from the historic centre, so most journeys involve getting up the hill by some combination of the MiniMetrò, a local bus, a taxi, or your own two feet.
Walking in the Historic Centre
Within the central area, getting around on foot is the best option. The Centro Storico is compact and its sights are clustered together, but the terrain is hilly and some of the slopes can be steep, so you will need to be reasonably fit. Comfortable shoes matter more here than in a flat city.
Driving into the centre is best avoided entirely. It is almost impossible to access the Centro Storico by car unless you have a confirmed hotel booking, and even outside the very centre you will find yourself crawling over cobblestoned one-way streets with confusing signage, quite possibly driving in circles. The practical advice is simple: do as little driving as possible and get around on foot.
Rail and the MiniMetrò
Perugia's main railway station sits in the valley, some distance from the hilly centre. From there you can reach the centre by the MiniMetrò, a local bus, or a taxi.
The MiniMetrò is a small, driverless train that runs frequently — roughly every two minutes or so — and connects a car park at Pian di Massiano near the football stadium, and the main train and bus stations, with the centre of town. A single ticket costs €1.50. Note that these trains stop running at around 21:00, so plan evening returns accordingly.
On the national rail network, Perugia is well connected to other Italian cities. Trains from Rome take two to three hours and often require a change; regional trains are considerably cheaper than the alternatives. There are plenty of direct trains from Florence. Reaching Perugia from Siena by train is more troublesome, requiring two changes.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Buses also run up to the top of the city. A ticket costs €1.50 when bought at a ticket office, or €2 if purchased from the driver. Since the railway station is inevitably some distance from the hilly centre, buses are an easily available link between the two.
For longer-distance travel, Perugia has two main bus points: the Flixbus station at Piazzale Umbria Jazz, and the Autostazione at Piazza Partigiani, which is served by Busitalia. Flixbus offers connections with Rome, Florence, and Siena.
Taxis
Taxis are one of the options for getting from the valley railway station up to the historic centre, alongside the MiniMetrò and local buses. They are a sensible choice if you are arriving with luggage or late in the day, when the MiniMetrò has stopped running.
Arriving by Car
Perugia sits just off the A1 autostrada that runs from Rome to Milan, and is also accessible from other parts of Italy by motorway. If you do drive, the main car park for tourists is at Piazza Partigiani. From there you can take a series of escalators up into the old town — the route was dug through the Rocca Paolina, a medieval citadel, so there are plenty of interesting things to see on the way up. It is worth hoping most of the escalators are working.
Getting In from the Airport
Perugia Airport (PEG) is an international airport with some destinations, mainly served by low-cost airlines. Perugia AirLink buses provide transfers from the airport to both Perugia city centre and Assisi city centre, at €5 one way. Timetables are available online.
If you are flying into a larger airport instead, a little further away, Pisa and Bologna are served by low-cost European airlines. Rome's airport is about three hours away and Milan's Malpensa about seven hours away. Buses from Rome Fiumicino Airport depart from the lower level parking area at regular intervals, take around three hours, and cost about €20. Be aware that many buses in the tourist bus parking area are privately hired and not available to the general public; some services, such as Sulga, may appear on the upper levels of Terminal C, but they will arrive at the scheduled time in the lower level parking area. Check timetables online before you travel.