A platform at Firenze Santa Maria Novella, where trains from Rome pull in a short walk from the Duomo.
Photo: Tubantia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Rome to Florence by Train
A domestic route within Italy.
Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-27
- Duration
- 1h 22m – 1h 50m
- Price from
- 14.9 EUR
- Distance
- 261 km
- Operators
- Trenitalia FrecciarossaTrenitalia FrecciargentoItalo
- Frequency
- Italo alone runs around 30 direct departures a day; combined with Trenitalia's Frecciarossa and Frecciargento on the same Milan-Naples mainline, this is one of the highest-frequency rail corridors in Italy
Compare and book Rome–Florence tickets
Check pricesWhat makes Rome to Florence different
- This corridor carried Europe's first dedicated high-speed railway, the Direttissima Roma-Firenze: begun in 1970, opened in stages from 1977, and completed in 1992, cutting the trip to about 1h20m at the time — years before France's TGV network reached comparable speeds on a purpose-built line.
- Because Rome and Florence both sit on the shared Milan-Naples trunk line, nearly every long-distance Frecciarossa and Italo train running north-south through Italy passes through this exact stretch, which is why frequency here is unusually high even though it's not a route built just for these two cities.
- Italo launched on this exact Rome-Florence-Bologna-Milan corridor in April 2012 as Europe's first open-access private high-speed operator, founded by former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo and Tod's CEO Diego Della Valle — as of 2025 it holds roughly 35% of the Italian high-speed market to Trenitalia's ~65%.
Rome station
Departs from Roma Termini in central Rome, connected to Metro lines A and B (Termini stop) — Italian high-speed trains don't use airport-style baggage x-ray screening, just ticket checks at the platform access gates, so a 15-20 minute buffer is usually enough.
Florence station
Arrives at Firenze Santa Maria Novella (Firenze SMN), tucked into the northwest corner of the historic center — it's about a 10-minute, 750m walk to the Duomo, so most travelers skip onward transport entirely and walk straight into the old town.
Train vs. other options
There's no meaningful scheduled flight market between Rome and Florence given the short distance, and driving the A1 motorway takes roughly 3 hours before tolls and city-center parking — the ~1.5-hour, center-to-center train beats both alternatives outright on this specific pair of cities.
Booking tips
- Book 4-8 weeks ahead for the cheapest Super Economy (Trenitalia) or Low Cost (Italo) fare bracket — on a 1.5-hour trip the spread between advance and walk-up prices can be 3-4x.
- Compare Trenitalia and Italo directly rather than just one app — fares and exact departure times differ enough on this corridor that the cheapest option changes by time of day.
- Both stations sit in each city's center, so there's no airport-style transfer buffer to build into your plan.
Good to know: Because this segment carries almost every Milan-Naples train, several different long-distance services can leave Roma Termini for Florence (and beyond) within minutes of each other from nearby platforms — check your train's specific number and final destination on the departure board, not just 'Firenze', since a ticket bought for this route may actually be on a train continuing on to Bologna or Milan.
While you're in Florence
Florence Cathedral's dome, seen at night from Piazzale Michelangelo across the Arno.
Photo: dllu / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Florence's historic center is small enough to cross on foot in 20 minutes, but its biggest draws — the Uffizi, the Accademia, Brunelleschi's dome — are anything but small on booking lead time, often selling out weeks ahead in high season.
Full Florence travel guide →Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Rome to Florence take?
The fastest Frecciarossa and Italo trains cover the roughly 261km in about 1h22m-1h30m. Services with extra stops can take closer to 1h50m.
How much does the train from Rome to Florence cost?
Fares start around 14.90 EUR for advance-purchase Italo tickets in standard class; Trenitalia's cheapest Super Economy fares are similarly priced but both rise quickly closer to departure.
Which operators run this route?
Trenitalia (Frecciarossa and the slightly slower Frecciargento) and Italo both run frequent high-speed services — this was part of Italo's original 2012 launch route, when it became Europe's first open-access private high-speed operator.