Getting there

Fly to Florence if you can, Pisa if you'd rather not pay for it.

Four airports will get you to the weekend. They are not equally good, so here they are in the order we'd actually book them.

Timing

When to arrive, when to leave

The weekend runs Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. Bookending it properly is the difference between a trip and a scramble.

Arrive Thursday if you can
Welcome drinks are Friday evening. Landing Thursday gives you a day to get over the flight and see some of Florence before the weekend starts properly. Landing Friday morning works, but you'll be running on fumes by dinner.
Don't fly out Sunday
Brunch runs until early afternoon and nobody wants to spend it watching the clock. Monday departures are kinder, and Sunday-evening flights out of Florence are thin anyway.
Book flights before hotels
Airfare moves more than lodging does, and October is shoulder season rather than a crush. Lock the flight when you see a fare you like — we'll have lodging guidance up well before you need it.

Paperwork

This is the one part of the trip that can't be fixed at the last minute. Ten minutes today saves a genuine disaster in 2027.

Check your passport now, not in 2027
For Italy your passport needs to have been issued within the last ten years and stay valid for at least three months after you leave. Renewals have a habit of taking longer than anyone plans for — check the expiry date today and put a reminder in your calendar.
ETIAS will probably apply
Europe is rolling out ETIAS, an online travel authorisation for visitors who don't need a visa — including US, UK, Canadian and Australian passport holders. It's expected to be in force well before October 2027. It's a short online form and a small fee, not a visa. We'll post a direct link here once the timing is certain, but check the official EU site closer to the date.
Travelling with kids
Children need their own passports, and they expire faster than adult ones — five years rather than ten in most countries. Worth checking early if yours are coming.

On the ground

Trains beat driving
Italy's high-speed rail is excellent, and Florence is on the main line. Trenitalia and Italo both run the Milan–Bologna–Florence–Rome route, city centre to city centre, no security queue. Book a few weeks ahead for the cheap fares.
Don't rent a car for the weekend
Florence's historic centre is a restricted traffic zone — the ZTL — enforced by cameras that will post a fine to your rental company months later. Parking is scarce and expensive. If the celebration venue ends up outside the city, we'll sort transport rather than have forty people driving.
When a car does make sense
If you're heading into the Tuscan countryside on your own afterwards, a car is the right call. Pick it up on your way out of Florence, not on arrival, and get an International Driving Permit before you leave home if you're licensed outside the EU.