The historic center is a restricted traffic zone, so most visitors arrive on foot from a car park or bus stop at the edge of town and walk in. The main sites lie along the slope with the Basilica of St. Francis at one end and the Basilica of St. Clare toward the other, and going between them means sustained uphill or downhill walking on stone. The City of Assisi's guide is candid about the gradients: over 20 percent on parts of the route to St. Francis, about 21 percent on the short road to the Upper Basilica, and up to 20 percent on the path down to San Damiano.
There is real help. Bus line C runs from the railway station in the valley up to the St. Francis stop and on to Piazza Matteotti in the upper town, so you can ride up and walk down. Two small loop lines, A and B, start from Piazza del Comune. Taxis can be called (Radio Taxi Assisi, +39 075 813100). On the busiest days the city runs a free on-call shuttle to the entrance of the Basilica of St. Francis between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., booked through the tourist office at +39 075 8138680. Drivers with a disabled parking permit may enter the restricted zone and use the designated spaces.
Good to know before you go: inside the Basilica of St. Francis, the Lower Basilica has a ramp, and the tomb is reached by an elevator whose key you ask for from the custodian. The main door of St. Clare has six steps. The Cathedral of San Rufino and the Porziuncola, down in Santa Maria degli Angeli, are easy on level floors. Wear shoes with grip, take the hills slowly, and plan fewer sites per day than the map suggests. Details read on the city's pages October 10, 2026.