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Firenze / Florence to Roma / Rome by train
How to take the rail journey from Florence/Firenze to Rome/Roma
The 'Frecce' trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Firenze/Florence and Rome, with Italo trains.
They have similar speeds, so the differences between them are to do with the on-board experiences, check out the 'Trains' guides below; and the fact that tickets for the Italo trains and Frecce trains can be purchased from different online booking agents - it's a route on which you can save by booking in advance.
However, some trains from Firenze/Florence to Roma, the IC and RV trains, still take the older 'classic' route, so they're slower, because they don't travel at high speed and also make more station calls
If ticket price and not speed is your key criteria, you can usually save money by taking these trains and they're a cheaper option for rail pass users, but they are not as frequent as the high speed services
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Routes
Option 1: taking the high speed Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Journey Summary
1hr 32 min - 1hr 37min
Daily
Travel Information
Taking these Frecce trains:
Final Destination: Roma, Napoli or Salerno or Paola or Reggio Di Calabria
Most trains also call at: Roma Tiburtina
If your final destination in Rome/Roma is conveniently located to a station on Line B of the Roma Metro the end-to-end journey can be faster and easier if you make the transfer to the metro at Roma Tiburtina instead of at Roma Termini.
Take a Frecce train, from Florence to Roma and you'll have the peace of mind of travelling in a reserved seat.
Though you will have to take the specific train you are booked on to.
The alternative journey options
As the guide to travelling by train in Italy explains, travellers often have a choice of train services when making journeys between major Italian cities.
This is the case on this route between Florence/Firenze and Rome/Roma, as there are four train journey options to choose from:
(1) these high speed (AV) Frecce trains;
(2) Italo (AV) trains which match the speed of these Frecce trains, but aren't sold by Trenitalia.
(3) Cheaper Intercity trains which are slower than either of the AV services because they don't take the high speed line.
They also don't depart from Santa Maria Novella, the main station in Florence/Firenze.
(4) The cheapest, but slowest option are the Regionale Veloce trains, they take the same 'classic route' as the Intercity trains, but call at more stations.
Though they do depart from the main city centre station in Firenze/Florence.
1 - 4 x trains per hour
There are at least two departures in most hours.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: around 4 months ahead of the travel date (Not all departures will be bookable more than 3 months ahead).
The high speed (AV) train service between Firenze/Florence and Roma is provided by;
(1) These Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia*
(2) Italo trains which compete with the Trenitalia trains on this route.
*Trenitalia also operates slower Intercity and Regionale Veloce train services between Firenze/Florence and Roma/Rome.
Tickets for these Trenitalia Frecce trains are placed on sale around 3 -4 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are made available around 5 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
Booking tickets to Roma Tiburtina station:
Most of of these Frecce trains call at Roma Tiburtina station, before going on to Roma Termini.
On the Trenitalia website to see the trains from Firenze to both Termini and Tiburtina stations, choose Roma (Tutte Le Stazioni ) as the Arrival station.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| ItaliaRail | from €19.90 | |
| Trenitalia | from €19.90 | |
| Trainline | from €19.90 | |
| Omio | from €19.90 | |
| SaveATrain | from €19.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The direttissima between Florence and Rome was the first high speed railway line to be built in Italy, so it has a slower maximum speed than the other Italian high speed lines.
But it also takes a route through the foothills of the Apennine Mountains, so it is more scenic than a typical high speed line, which thanks to the trains travelling at around 250 km/h, gives the journey a wow factor.
Option 2: taking the high speed Italo trains
Journey Summary
1hr 36min
Daily
Travel Information
Taking these Italo trains:
Final Destination: Roma, Napoli or Salerno or Reggio di Calabria
All but one of the daily departures also calls at: Roma Tiburtina
If your final destination in Rome/Roma is conveniently located to a station on Line B of the Roma Metro the end-to-end journey can be faster and easier if you make the transfer to the metro at Roma Tiburtina instead of at Roma Termini.
Take an Italo train, from Florence to Roma and you'll have the peace of mind of travelling in a reserved seat.
Though you will have to take the specific train you are booked on to.
9 x trains per day
There are hourly departures from 09:43 to 15:43 and then from 17:43 to 19:43
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 5 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed (AV) train service between Firenze/Florence and Roma is provided by;
(1) These Italo trains
(2) Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Frecce train tickets are placed on sale around 4 months in advance, but the Italo train tickets are made available around 5 months ahead.
Trenitalia does not sell tickets for the Italo trains - and Italo does not sell tickets for the Trenitalia trains.
If you're booking no more than 4 months ahead and have no particular preference for the train that you will be taking, the price and departure times of the Frecce and Italo trains can be directly compared on Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
Booking tickets to Roma Tiburtina:
All but one of these Italo trains call at Roma Tiburtina station before going on to Roma Termini.
If your final destination is near a station on Line B of the Rome Metro, then making the transfer at Roma Tiburtina can be a better option than making the connection at Roma Termini, particularly if you don't have luggage.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Italo | from €17 approx | |
| Omio | from €17 approx | |
| Trainline | from €17 approx | |
| Happyrail | from €17 approx |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
These Italo trains take the same route as the Frecce trains.
Option 3; taking an Intercity train
Journey Summary
2hr 57min (Intercity trains)
Daily
Travel Information
You will need to set the alarm to take the only direct city centre to city centre Intercity train, as the train to Roma Termini is typically scheduled to depart from Firenze S.M.Novella station at 05:45 (not Sundays).
Other Intercity trains depart from Firenze Rifredi station and NOT the city centre station, Firenze S.M.Novella.
You'll need to take a connecting train from Firenze S.M. Novella to Firenze Rifredi in order to connect into these trains.
Final Destination: Roma Termini
An Intercity trains to Roma Termini is usually scheduled to depart from Firenze Rifredi at around 17:30 (not Saturdays).
This train also calls at:** **Roma Tiburtina
Final Destination: Napoli Centrale
There are two additional Intercity trains per day from Firenze Rifredi to Roma Tiburtina station that do not call at Roma Termini, these trains are usually scheduled to depart at 08:30 and 18:28
2 - 4 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
If you want to compare the cost of taking these Intercity trains, with the alternative high speed service of Frecce and Italo trains, you will need to look up this journey on Omio or Trainline.
Take these Intercity trains from Firenze to Roma and you can save around €10 in comparison to taking the slower and less comfortable Regionale Veloce trains; IF the cheapest 'Super Economy' tickets are still available.
However, if you will be booking tickets last minute at the station, those Regionale Veloce trains are the cheapest option for a Florence to Rome train journey.
If you have a rail pass you can save €10 by taking these IC trains and not the Frecce trains.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trenitalia | from €12.90 | |
| Italiarail | frfrom €12.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
So why take these Intercity trains from Florence to Rome?
Three reasons:
(1) Ticket prices are cheaper than on the high speed trains.
(2) The limited numbers of cheapest discounted 'Super Economy' tickets, which will be made available online, can cost less on these IC trains, than on the [slower Regionale Veloce trains.
(3) Rail pass users can save €10 by taking these IC trains and not the Frecce trains.
Though if you'll want the peace of mind of being able to remain in the same seat for the entire journey, paying the optional €3 reservation fee is virtually essential.
Option 4: taking a Regionale Veloce train
Journey Summary
3hr 48min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Roma Termini
These trains also call at Roma Tiburtina
The trains on this route are 2nd class only.
7 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: No
Tickets will cost the same price if purchased at the station immediately before departure.
If you will buying at the station on the day of travel then it's likely that you will save around €25 by taking these trains and not the Frecce or Italo trains.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trenitalia | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Why take these Regionale Veloce trains from Florence to Rome, when the alternative train journey options are much faster.
For these reasons:
(1) They're much slower, but also a lot cheaper than the high speed trains.
(2) Like the high speed trains, they depart from the city centre station in Florence.
(3) If you will be booking tickets last minute at the station, they will also be a cheaper option than taking the Intercity trains.
The Intercity trains are less frequent and most of them also depart from Firenze Rifredi station, so you need to take a connecting train from Firenze S.M.Novella station, in order to board those Intercity trains.
(4) If you will be travelling around Italy with a rail pass, you can just hop on these trains, knowing that nobody else will be able to claim the seat(s) that you have occupied.
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