How to get around Perugia

Getting around

Perugia has solved its hill with more public engineering than any Italian city of its size, and using it is the difference between an easy visit and a bad one.

The Minimetro

A driverless people mover, running since 2008, with seven stations from Pian di Massiano — where the main car park is — to Pincetto, at the edge of the historic centre. The seven stations are Pian di Massiano, Cortonese, Madonna Alta, Fontivegge — which is the railway station — Case Bruciate, Cupa and Pincetto. That it calls at Fontivegge is the useful part: arrive by train and the people mover takes you the rest of the way. Cars arrive at an average headway of about two and a half minutes, so there is no timetable to consult. From 6 June to 26 December 2026 the last car on Saturdays is extended to 1:05. Service runs from 07:00, last car 21:05, on weekdays, and from 09:00, last car 20:45, on Sundays and holidays.

The escalators and lifts, all free

Four mechanised routes climb into the centre at no charge:

Piazza Partigiani to Piazza Italia, through the inside of the Rocca Paolina — 6:15 to 2:00 in summer, 6:15 to 1:45 in winter. Take this one even if you do not need to: it runs through the buried medieval quarter.
Cupa to Via dei Priori, from 6:45.
Piazza Europa to Piazza Bellucci and Bellucci to Corso Cavour — 7:00 to 2:00 in summer, 7:00 to 22:00 in winter.

Buses

Busitalia runs the urban network, which connects the lower town, the suburbs and the hilltop. The same ticket covers it and the Minimetro.

On foot in the centre

Once you are up, the historic centre is walkable end to end in twenty minutes — but it is not flat. Corso Vannucci is level; everything off it is not, and some of the lanes are stepped. Shoes with grip, and expect to use the lifts.

Verified against Minimetro S.p.A., October 2026.

Connections from Perugia

How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?

Route	Best option	One-way time	Travel Smart take
Perugia and Assisi	Train	~25 min typical, not a timetable	Excellent day-trip connection. Perugia works well as a base for Assisi.
Perugia and Florence	Train	~2 hr typical, not a timetable	An easy leg of a longer itinerary.
Perugia and Orvieto	Train	~1 hr 30 min typical, not a timetable	Possible in a day, but it takes most of one. Perugia is a workable base for Orvieto.
Perugia and Spoleto	Train	~1 hr typical, not a timetable	Comfortable as a day trip. Perugia works well as a base for Spoleto.

Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.

The ticket

One fare, the Unico Perugia (UP), covers the Minimetro, Busitalia urban buses in Perugia, Corciano and Torgiano, ACAP services and specified Trenitalia regional services.

Corsa Singola UP — €1.50, valid 70 minutes from first validation. The Minimetro can be re-entered 20 minutes after you validate out.
10 Multiviaggi UP — €12.90. Each trip lasts 70 minutes from its own validation, and the ticket itself stays valid for a year from first use. It can be validated more than once to cover a group.
Turistico 1 giorno UP — €5.40, valid 24 hours from first validation. For most visitors this is the right purchase.
Senior UP (65+) — €1.20 single, €11.10 for the ten-trip carnet.
Children under 6 travel free with a paying adult. Where one adult has several, the rule is one ticket for every two children. A maximum of two pushchairs per car, parked on the marked spots.

Buy from the machines at every Minimetro station, at the manned desk at Pian di Massiano (Monday to Thursday 9:00–13:00 and 15:30–19:00, Friday 9:00–13:00), or pay contactless at the turnstiles. Busitalia sells the same tickets at the same prices.

The regional pass

UMBRIA.GO covers travel across Umbria with no route restriction — urban and intercity buses, the Perugia Minimetro, the Lake Trasimeno boats, regional trains and the Orvieto funicular. €15.00 for one day, €33.00 for three, €45.00 for seven and €120.00 for a month, with junior versions at €7.50, €16.50 and €22.50. Sold at Busitalia and Trenitalia ticket offices. If you are doing Assisi, Orvieto and Trasimeno from a Perugia base, do the arithmetic — it usually wins.

Arriving by air

Umbria Airlink, run by Busitalia with Trenitalia, connects Perugia airport to Perugia and Assisi, timed to flights and interchanging with trains at both stations. €5.00 for adults, €2.50 for children aged 4 to 12. One bag up to 55 × 40 × 20 cm travels free; anything larger costs €5.00. Buy on the SALGO app, contactless on board, at the Busitalia counters at Perugia Fontivegge station or the bus terminal, through Trenitalia, or on board with no surcharge.

Arriving by rail

Fontivegge is the main station, in the lower town. From there the free Piazza Europa–Bellucci–Corso Cavour escalator chain and the urban buses both reach the centre. Perugia is not on the Rome–Florence high-speed line; connections are regional and change at Foligno or Terontola.

Arriving by car

Drive to Pian di Massiano and take the Minimetro, or to Piazza Partigiani and take the Rocca Paolina escalators. Driving into the historic centre is restricted and achieves nothing: the streets are narrow, the parking is for residents, and the mechanised routes are faster and free.

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against Minimetro S.p.A. — The Minimetro has seven stations, Pian di Massiano and Pincetto at the ends, with Cortonese, Madonna Alta, Fontivegge, Case Bruciate and Cupa between them., The Minimetro runs 07:00 to a last car at 21:05 on weekdays and 09:00 to a last car at 20:45 on Sundays, at an average headway of about two and a half minutes., From 6 June to 26 December 2026 the Minimetro's last Saturday car is extended to 1:05, and it opens at 7:30 on Eurochocolate's two Sundays and runs to 2:45 on New Year's Eve., The escalators and inclined lift at Pincetto run 7:00 to 2:00 daily in summer, and in winter 7:00 to 21:20 Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 00:30 on Saturdays and pre-holidays and 7:00 to 21:00 on Sundays and holidays., One Unico Perugia ticket covers the Minimetro, Busitalia urban buses in Perugia, Corciano and Torgiano, ACAP services and specified Trenitalia regional services., A single Unico Perugia ticket costs EUR 1.50 and is valid 70 minutes from first validation, with the Minimetro usable again 20 minutes after exit validation., A ten-trip Unico Perugia carnet costs EUR 12.90, each trip lasting 70 minutes, with the ticket itself valid a year from first validation., A one-day Unico Perugia tourist ticket costs EUR 5.40 and is valid 24 hours from first validation., Over-65s pay EUR 1.20 for a single Unico Perugia ticket and EUR 11.10 for the ten-trip carnet., One Unico Perugia ticket covers the Minimetro, Busitalia urban buses in Perugia, Corciano and Torgiano, ACAP services and specified Trenitalia regional services., Tickets are sold from machines at every Minimetro station, at the manned Pian di Massiano desk Monday to Thursday 9:00-13:00 and 15:30-19:00 and Friday 9:00-13:00, or paid contactless at the turnstiles., Children under 6 travel free on the Minimetro with a paying adult, one ticket covers every two such children, and each car takes a maximum of two pushchairs., UMBRIA.GO costs EUR 15.00 for one day, EUR 33.00 for three, EUR 45.00 for seven and EUR 120.00 for a month, with junior versions at EUR 7.50, EUR 16.50 and EUR 22.50., UMBRIA.GO covers urban and intercity buses, the Perugia Minimetro, Lake Trasimeno boats, regional trains and the Orvieto funicular, with no route restriction, and is sold at Busitalia and Trenitalia ticket offices. (October 2026).
Checked against Busitalia Sita Nord — Perugia's mechanised pedestrian routes connect the historic centre to the base of the acropolis and are free to use., The Piazza Partigiani to Piazza Italia route through the Rocca Paolina runs 6:15 to 2:00 in summer and 6:15 to 1:45 in winter., The Cupa route to Via dei Priori opens at 6:45, and the Piazza Europa to Piazza Bellucci and Bellucci to Corso Cavour routes run 7:00 to 2:00 in summer and 7:00 to 22:00 in winter., Umbria Airlink costs EUR 5.00 for adults and EUR 2.50 for children aged 4 to 12, with one bag up to 55 by 40 by 20 cm free and EUR 5.00 for extra baggage., Umbria Airlink is run with Trenitalia and connects Perugia and Assisi to the airport, with tickets sold on the SALGO app, contactless on board, at Busitalia counters at Perugia Fontivegge and the bus terminal, through Trenitalia, and on board with no surcharge., The Cupa route to Via dei Priori opens at 6:45, and the Piazza Europa to Piazza Bellucci and Bellucci to Corso Cavour routes run 7:00 to 2:00 in summer and 7:00 to 22:00 in winter. (October 2026).