Trains From Rome To Florence: The Fastest Way To Travel

Avoid traffic and parking hassles by riding a train between Rome and Florence!
Written By: Andrea Spallanzani
Reviewed by: Rick Orford
How & Why We Created This Article

This article has been written, reviewed, and fact-checked by Rick and I. We live in Italy and travel throughout the country to help you make the best choices for your trip. We wrote this piece to ensure you have the best trip possible on your next trip to Italy. Portions of this article have been written using assistive AI tools to help with tasks like research, spell-checking, grammar, and translation.

Last Updated March 22, 2024

In this article, you'll learn how:

  • High-speed trains are the recommended choice for comfort and speed, with multiple options from Trenitalia and Italo Treno.
  • The ticket prices vary depending on the type of train, season, and level of service, but booking in advance can result in lower fares.
  • Their trains have facilities like bathrooms, food options on high-speed trains, and storage space for luggage, providing a hassle-free travel experience.

Are you thinking about taking a train from Rome to Florence or vice versa, but you don’t know how? This article will cover all you need to know about taking a train from Rome to Florence or from Florence to Rome. It’s essentially the same thing, and we’ll use the routes interchangeably.

AspectInformation
Route OptionsRome to Florence or Florence to Rome
Travel TimeTrain: 1 hour and 32 mins or less
Driving Time3 hours and 20 minutes
Train StationsRome: Termini or Tiburtina / Florence: Santa Maria Novella
Train TypesHigh-speed (1.5 hrs) or Regular-speed (4 hrs)
Train CompaniesTrenitalia and Italo Treno (High-speed)
Train FrequencyHigh-speed: Every 25 minutes / Regular: Few per day
Seat ReservationHigh-speed: Seats assigned / Regular: Sometimes assigned
Ticket CostVaries (as low as €22 for regional trains)
Food and FacilitiesFood available on high-speed trains / Limited on regional trains
RestroomsAvailable on all trains
Baggage Storage OptionsOverhead, back of the seat, designated areas
Best OptionHigh-speed train for speed and comfort
Additional StopsPossible on regional or Intercity trains

Why take the train from Rome to Florence?

Suppose you’re staying in Rome, and today, you’re going to a beautiful hotel in Florence, or you just want to tour Florence. You might ask yourself, why should I take the train between Rome and Florence? 

Wouldn’t it be better to drive? There are a few reasons why the train is a much better solution than driving.

First, the train between Florence and Rome is faster than driving. Driving from Florence to Rome will take about 3 hours and 20 minutes. However, the train can get you between the two cities in 1 hour and 32 mins or less. Also, using the train, you will avoid traffic.

The third reason is parking. Parking in Rome and Florence is not easy and is usually very expensive. If you wonder why. It’s because Rome attracted over 35 million visitors in the year 2023 while Florence regularly attracts 10-16 million visitors per year, so the crowd is the reason why it’s not recommended to self-drive in these cities. By taking the train, you will avoid such problems. 

Lastly, the train is an excellent solution because of where the train stations are located.

Where are the train stations located?

In Rome, most of the trains to Florence start from Termini station. Termini station is located in the city center and is well connected by public transit everywhere. On average, there’s an average of 61 train departures per day from Rome’s Termini station to Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station along the route connecting the two cities. 

Some trains to Florence also depart from Roma Tiburtina station, but this station is not as easy to reach if you are staying in the city center. If your plane lands in Rome Fiumicino and you want to go to Florence from there, there are no direct trains, but you will need to change trains at Termini station.

In Florence, most trains from Rome (and, of course, going to Rome) arrive at the Santa Maria Novella train station. You’ll find the Santa Maria Novella train station in the city center. In fact, from Santa Maria Novella, it is less than a 10-minute walk to the Duomo or any other major attraction in Florence.

In front of the train station in Florence, you will find one of the city’s main taxi hubs. Also, you can take a shuttle tram from Santa Maria Novella train station to the Firenze International Airport. 

Different train options between Florence and Rome

The first thing you want to consider if you are taking a train from Rome to Florence is what kind of train you wish to take. There are two kinds of trains on that popular route. One is a high-speed train, and the other is a regular-speed train. 

The high-speed train goes from Rome to Florence or from Florence to Rome in a little over an hour and a half. Italo Train is one of the fastest trains between Florence and Rome at the time of this recording is one hour and 30 minutes nonstop and costs an average of €9.9 per booked ticket, while the regular train takes nearly four hours thanks to multiple stops.

On high-speed trains, seats are assigned, and you can select your seat at the time of booking. On the regular speed trains, sometimes you have seats assigned – for example, on the Intercity, you do, but not on the Regional trains.  

In our opinion, the high-speed train is the way to go, because you get there in no time and on a comfortable train. Book the trains as early as possible if you’re traveling on a budget.

Train frequency

If you use the high-speed train between Rome and Florence, these trains run every 25 minutes or so. On the other end, the regular trains are way less frequent, and there are only a handful of trains a day,

Train companies

If you plan on taking a high-speed train, you have two train companies to choose from: Trenitalia and Italo Treno. Italo has only 1 type of high-speed train. But Trenitalia has multiple trains. For example, with Trenitalia, you can take the following highspeed or bullet trains: Frecciarossa, Freccarosssa 1000, and Freccia Argento.

The regular speed trains include Regionale Veloce and Intercity, which we don’t recommend as it will take forever to get between Rome and Florence.

Whether you choose Italo or Trenitalia, as long as you’re taking a high-speed train on your tour to Rome or Florence, you’ll find both excellent options, and you will be pleased with either. We recommend checking each of them when booking your ticket to see which one has a better price for the day you are traveling – and which goes faster.

We also left a link in the description below to buy tickets; you do not need to use a travel agent. Also, we strongly recommend you buy your tickets in advance to get the best price possible. If you purchase your ticket at the station, you can do it from the automated kiosks, but we do not recommend this option because those are not the most straightforward machines. In this case, we recommend seeing an agent at the ticket office.

If you are not taking a high-speed train, your choice is limited to Trenitalia, the only train company that does the regular train between Rome and Florence or vice versa.  We’ve also left a link in the description below to buy tickets for regional or Intercity trains. Remember that if you buy the Regional train ticket, you can not pick your seat in advance, while you can do that for the Intercity. 

Levels of service

On high-speed trains, you have several levels of service.

On Trenitalia, these are:

  • Standard: Featuring regular fabric seats, free wifi, and electrical plugs included. 
  • Premium: with reclinable leather seats, snacks, and a beverage included. It also has free internet and electrical plugs. 
  • Business: has wider chairs, snacks, and a beverage, and again free wifi and electrical plugs. 
  • Business Silent “Area Silenzio”: is the same as before but in a quieter area of the train.  
  • Business Salottino: Like Business, but four chairs are in a private area. This option is perfect for a family of 4 traveling together.
  • Executive: Features extra wide chairs with more than one and a half meters in between chairs, snacks and a beverage, and free internet and electrical plugs.

On Italo Treno, the classes of service are:

  • Smart: Reclining leather seats, footrests, coffee tables, and individual electrical outlets. Free Wi-Fi 
  • Prima: Features wider chairs, more legroom, snacks, a beverage, free Wi-Fi, and an electrical plug.
  • Executive: this class of service offers a lounge service at the station, also has wider chairs, food, and drinks included, free wifi, and an electrical plug
  • Salotto: same as the Executive, but the chairs are in a private area, again great for groups or families traveling together.

On regular trains, you only have two levels of service:

  • First “Prima”: Features slightly bigger chairs, and
  • Second class “Seconda: The most basic service.

As mentioned before, you can reserve your seats on high-speed trains and intercities, while on regional trains, you can not. You sit anywhere it is available.

How much does the ticket cost?

The cost of the train between Rome and Florence varies greatly depending on the type of train, the season, the type of fare, and the level of service. In general, slow regional trains can be significantly cheaper than high-speed trains.

On a regional train, you can find a ticket from Rome to Florence for as low as €9.9. But honestly, the train can vary depending on availability, time of the year, service level, and fare type on a high-speed train. Booking a nonrefundable, non-changeable fare (Super economy) would be much cheaper than a fully refundable and changeable fare (Base fare).

High Speed Train Prices from Rome Termini to Florence SM Novella

We found a fare on Italo – Rome to Florence for under 10euro and nonstop!  Also, both train companies often offer promos with excellent fares, so if you are considering booking the train from Rome to Florence, or vice versa, check both train companies often. Also, booking your tickets at least 90 days in advance is usually cheaper.

How fast is the train from Florence to Rome?

The Italo high-speed train offers service between Florence and Rome. The train is designed for speeds capable of reaching 186 mph and features amenities such as comfortable seating. 

Which is better Italo or Trenitalia?

Italo train tickets are often priced lower than the state-owned Trenitalia service on certain routes. However, some Italo cabins provide less comfort, especially for lower fare classes on longer journeys. Travelers may compare fares and classes between the two operators when booking trains between two and three hours.

Can I stop in other cities while going from Rome to Florence?

If you take a regional train or an Intercity, you can stop in some beautiful towns and cities along the train route, such as Orvieto or Arezzo. If you are taking a high-speed train, if it happens to make a stop, you won’t be able to get off other than the final destination- well, you can get off, but you’ll have to buy another ticket to your final destination.

Is there food on the train between Rome and Florence?

On most high-speed trains, you can find a small coffee shop to purchase food, drinks, coffee, and snacks. For example, on Intercity trains, you can find vending machines to buy snacks, water, soft drinks, coffee, and other hot beverages. But, on regional trains, you usually won’t find any food or beverages, so you should buy them before getting on board.

Can I use the Bathroom on the train?

Yes, every train has several bathrooms for you to use. Usually, each coach has one unisex bathroom right by the entrance on high-speed and Intercity trains. On regional trains, there are fewer bathrooms, usually one every two or three coaches.

Where can I store my bags on a train between Rome and Florence?

If you are traveling on a high-speed train, you have several options to store your bags. The first option is if your bag is a carry-on, you can put it above your seat. Another option for larger bags is to put them in the back of your seat. The last option for large bags is to put them in the bag-designated area by the entrance of the coach.

If you are taking an Intercity train, you have the same options to store your bags. On regional trains, you can still store small carry-on bags on top of your seat, but for anything bigger than that, you will need to store it in the designated area by the coach entrance.

Conclusion

Taking the train between Rome and Florence is the best option to travel between these two incredible Italian Cities. Using the train, you will have the convenience of going safely and quickly from Downtown Rome to Downtown Florence. You will not have to worry about renting a car, dealing with traffic, or finding parking in Rome or Florence. 

The high-speed train is the fastest and more comfortable train, but if you plan to visit other places between Rome and Florence, you will have to pick a regular-speed train. 

We hope you enjoyed this article and you have learned how to use the train from Rome to Florence. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us – we love to hear from you and answer your questions.

Ciao!