Florence from Rome: Train, Tickets and Day Trip Guide

Florence in a day from Rome: is it realistic?

Yes, and it is actually more comfortable than most day trips from Rome: one direct train, no changes, and an arrival station, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, ten minutes' walk from the cathedral. Florence's historic centre is compact: from the Duomo to the Uffizi, then on to the Ponte Vecchio, you rarely walk more than fifteen minutes.

The limiting factor is the museums. The Uffizi alone needs two to three hours, and the Accademia Gallery one hour. In a single day you have to choose: either both big museums with a quick look at the city, or just one museum plus the climb up Brunelleschi's dome. Florence deserves several days, but a well-prepared day gives you a very good feel for it. The trip suits a stay of four days or more in Rome; on a shorter stay, you are better off staying put and following our Rome in 3 days itinerary.

The train from Rome to Florence

Frecciarossa and Italo: the go-to option

Two companies share the high-speed line: Trenitalia, with its Frecciarossa trains, and Italo. Their trains leave from Roma Termini, some also from Roma Tiburtina, and arrive at Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Florence's main station. The journey takes about 1 hr 30; Italo advertises 1 hr 25 on its fastest trains and around thirty departures a day, while Frecciarossa runs several trains an hour during the day.

Fares follow demand, much like plane tickets. Italo lists tickets from €14.90, and Trenitalia sells Economy and Super Economy fares that are much cheaper than its Base fare, but only if you book several weeks ahead; bought on the day, a one-way ticket often costs more than €50. Book an early-morning outbound train and an evening return, at fixed times, as soon as your dates are set. Tickets are sold on both companies' websites and apps, or from the ticket machines in the stations; on these trains, every ticket comes with an assigned seat.

To reach Termini from your accommodation early in the morning, the metro (lines A and B) opens at 05:30: see our guide to getting around Rome.

Regional trains: cheaper, but too slow

Regional and Intercity trains also link Rome and Florence on the old line, for a fixed fare of around €20, but the journey takes more than three hours, often with a change. For a same-day return, they cost you two to three hours of sightseeing: save them for a longer stay in Tuscany.

Organised tours

Many agencies sell a day in Florence from Rome, by coach or by train, with a guide and entries included. They spare you from booking everything yourself, but cost noticeably more, and the coach takes about three hours each way. Check how many hours you actually spend in Florence, and which museums are included.

The day to avoid: Monday

The Uffizi and the Accademia Gallery are closed on Mondays. A Monday trip is therefore limited to the city, the Duomo and its monuments. On Sundays, the cathedral is not open to visitors (it is reserved for services), but the other monuments on the Duomo square stay open, each with its own hours. On the first Sunday of the month, entry to state museums is free for everyone: queues are then very long and booking is not possible.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are therefore the best days. As for the season, spring and autumn are the most pleasant, as in Rome; see our guide to the best time to visit Rome.

Tickets and opening hours for the must-sees

The Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) holds one of the largest collections of Renaissance painting: Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation, Michelangelo's Doni Tondo and Titian's Venus of Urbino. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 08:15 to 18:30; the ticket office closes at 17:30. It is closed on Mondays, 1 January and 25 December.

A ticket costs €25 bought on site on the day, and €29 booked in advance with a timed entry. Since 1 January 2026, a €16 ticket (€20 booked) lets you in from 16:00, still leaving two and a half hours to visit. European Union citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2, and under-18s go in free. The Vasari Corridor, reopened in December 2024, can be visited as an extra, by reservation and with a €20 supplement.

Booking costs €4 more, but the queue for visitors without a reservation can be very long in high season: on a tight day, it is the best money you will spend.

The Accademia Gallery and the David

The Accademia Gallery is home to Michelangelo's David, more than five metres tall, as well as his unfinished Prisoners. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 08:15 to 18:50, with last entry at 18:10, and closes on Mondays, 1 January and 25 December. A ticket costs €16, plus €4 for booking, so €20 online; €2 for European Union citizens aged 18 to 25, free for under-18s. Since 15 March 2026, a €26 ticket valid for 48 hours combines the Accademia and the Bargello museum. The visit takes about an hour. The only official ticket office is B-Ticket: as in Rome, beware of resellers of fake skip-the-line tickets (see our guide to scams to avoid).

The Duomo, the dome and the bell tower

Entry to the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral is free, with no ticket or booking, but the queue can be long in the middle of the day; it is closed on Sundays and during religious services. The other monuments on the Duomo square are visited with a combined ticket, sold on the official ticket site of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore:

• Brunelleschi Pass, €30 (€12 for ages 7 to 14, free under 7): the climb up Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's bell tower, the baptistery, the Opera del Duomo Museum and the crypt of Santa Reparata. The dome climb time slot is mandatory and chosen when you buy: book it several days in advance. The climb has 463 steps, with no lift.
• Giotto Pass, €20 (€7 for ages 7 to 14): the same without the dome, with the climb up the bell tower.
• Ghiberti Pass, €15 (€5 for ages 7 to 14): the museum, the baptistery and Santa Reparata.

The baptistery's mosaic ceiling is under restoration and cannot be seen.

A one-day plan for Florence

Here is a plan for a Tuesday, arriving around 09:30 and leaving around 19:30, with two museums booked:

1. 09:30 – Accademia Gallery: fifteen minutes' walk from the station. Book the earliest entry time you can make after your arrival.
2. 11:00 – Duomo square: the white, green and pink marble facade, the bell tower and the baptistery, then the cathedral. If you have a Brunelleschi Pass, put your dome slot here.
3. 12:30 – Lunch around San Lorenzo: the Mercato Centrale, a covered market whose upper floor is filled with food counters, sits between the Duomo and the station. It is your chance to try lampredotto, Florence's signature tripe sandwich.
4. 14:00 – Piazza della Signoria: the Palazzo Vecchio, the Loggia dei Lanzi and its statues, and the copy of the David where the original once stood.
5. 14:30 – Uffizi Gallery, right next door, for two to three hours.
6. 17:30 – Ponte Vecchio, the bridge lined with goldsmiths' shops, then, if you still have the energy, the walk up to piazzale Michelangelo, on the south bank, for a view over the whole city.
7. 19:00 – Back to Santa Maria Novella, about twenty minutes' walk from the Ponte Vecchio, and the evening train to Rome.

If you only want to do one museum, keep the Uffizi, get a Brunelleschi Pass for the dome and add a stroll through the Oltrarno district, on the south bank.

Practical tips for the day

• Luggage: the museums do not accept large suitcases, and you climb the dome without bulky bags. Travel with a small bag.
• Bookings: the train, the Uffizi, the Accademia and the dome each have their own time. Leave at least an hour between the train's arrival and your first booked entry, and an hour's margin before the return train.
• Shoes: everything is done on foot, on cobblestones. Expect 10 to 15 km of walking if you go up to piazzale Michelangelo.
• Food: Florentine cooking is famous for bistecca alla fiorentina, a thick T-bone steak sold by weight, often shared between two; it takes time and is better suited to dinner, before a late train.
• Pickpockets: as at Termini, the area around Santa Maria Novella station and the crowds on the Ponte Vecchio attract thieves. Keep your bag in front of you.

Summary: getting to Florence from Rome

Prices checked in October 2026.

Further reading

For a shorter day trip, Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este in Tivoli, or Ostia Antica, are about an hour from Rome. To work out what this day adds to your trip, see our Rome travel budget. And if you only have a weekend, stay in Rome with our weekend in Rome plan.