Train from Florence to Rome

Rome and Florence are the two cities almost every first Italy itinerary includes, and the high-speed line between them is one of the busiest in the country. You could drive or take a coach, but the train is faster than both and drops you in the middle of each city. Take the train.

Florence to Rome by train at a glance

Figures are from Italo's route page, checked in September 2026.

Which train to take

Two companies run high-speed trains on this route: Trenitalia, the state railway, with its Frecciarossa ("red arrow"), and Italo, a private company that has competed with it since 2012. Both do Florence to Rome in about an hour and a half, both leave from Santa Maria Novella, and both have Wi-Fi, power sockets and a reserved seat on every ticket. They sell tickets separately, so check trenitalia.com and italotreno.com side by side and take whichever is cheaper at the time you want. There's no real reason to prefer one over the other.

Slower regional trains (Regionale and Regionale Veloce) also run between the two cities. They take three and a half to four hours, stop everywhere, and have fixed fares with no seat reservations. Unless you're traveling on the cheap with a lot of time, or want to hop off in a hill town on the way, the fast train is worth the extra money.

How much the train costs

High-speed fares work like airfares: the earlier you book, the less you pay. Italo's cheapest advance fares on this route started around 15 euros in 2026, and Trenitalia's Economy and Super Economy fares are in the same range. Buy at the station on the day and you'll often pay several times that. The cheap fares come with limits on changes and refunds, so book them once your dates are firm. Booking two to four weeks ahead usually gets you a good price; in summer and around holidays, go earlier.

First class (Italo's Prima Business, or Trenitalia's Business level) gets you wider seats and quieter cars. On a trip this short, standard class is fine.

A rail pass rarely makes sense for this route alone. If you're covering a lot of Italy by fast train, compare the Interrail Italy Pass or the Trenitalia Pass (from about 139 euros in 2026, not valid on Italo) against the advance fares first. More on that on our Italy rail pass page.

Tips for the trip

• No stamping needed. High-speed tickets are for one named train and seat, so you just show the PDF or the app to the conductor. Only paper regional tickets need validating before you board.
• Termini or Tiburtina? Most trains stop at both. Termini is central and has the metro lines A and B. Tiburtina is on Line B and handy if you're staying northeast of the center. Check your ticket for where you're getting off.
• Get there 15 minutes early. The platform number (binario) often goes up on the departures board only 10 to 15 minutes before departure, and at Termini there are gates to pass before the platform.
• If you're late, you may get money back. On Trenitalia's Frecce, a delay of 30 to 59 minutes earns a 25% bonus toward a future ticket, 60 to 119 minutes gets 25% back, and two hours or more gets 50% (details).
• Watch for strikes. Rail strikes are announced in advance on the Transport Ministry's strike calendar. See our tips on train strikes in Italy.

>> More information about how to get from Florence to Rome, and our guide to train travel in Italy

photo by stephmcg