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Roma / Rome to Bologna by train
How to take the rail journey from Rome/Roma to Boogma
The Frecciarossa and Frecciarossa 1000 trains operated by Trenitalia share the high-speed route between Roma and Bologna, 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 Roma to Bologna 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 trains operated by Trenitalia
Journey Summary
2hr 5min - 2hr 25 min
Daily
Travel Information
The departures with a journey time of 2hr 5mins are non-stop from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale; though there are fewer of these trains at weekends.
The Frecciarossa 1000 trains are more likely to be used on the faster services.
The departures with a journey time of 2hr 20mins - 2hr 25mins divert off the direct route to call at Firenze S.M. Novella station - where they reverse direction.
Frecciargento trains are used on some departures heading to Venezia S.L and Verona and beyond, which take the route via Firenze, but that makes no difference to the journey time.
Final Destination: Various including Milano Cle; Venezia. S.L. and Torino P.N.
Some of these trains also call at: Roma Tiburtina
1 - 3 x trains per hour
Tickets
Book early and save:** Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed train (AV) service between Roma and Bologna is provided by:
(1) these Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
(2) alternative Italo trains
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains 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 these Trenitalia trains.
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.
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.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you will need to reserve prior to boarding these trains, either at the station (using a Trenitalia ticket machine or ticket desk) OR by booking them online.
How to book the rail pass reservations online is included on our guide to using rail passes in Italy.
If you are happy to pay the €10 reservation fees, it makes sense to target the faster trains, the fee will be consistent, regardless of the journey time.
Though rail pass users can save money by taking the Intercity trains.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Italiarail | from €29.90 | |
| Trenitalia | from €29.90 | |
| Trainline | from €29.90 | |
| Omio | from €29.90 | |
| SaveATrain | from €29.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Listen out for the announcements that the train is due to arrive in Bologna.
These trains arrive in the AV (high-speed) station at Bologna Centrale after a lengthy journey through a tunnel; and that part of the station in Bologna is underground, so it will only become visually apparent that the train has arrived in the station at the last minute.
This is a journey of two parts:
(1) The high speed line between Rome and Florence is more scenic than most other high speed routes, it's not a beautiful journey, but there is a wow factor of travelling across the rolling landscape at more than 240 km/h*.
This video taken from a travelling in the opposite direction showcases the journey experience.
The direttissima** between Rome and Florence 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.
(2) Once the train has passed Florence it will speed up, but nearly all of the high speed line between Florence and Bologna is within tunnels.
Option 2: taking the high speed Italo trains
Journey Summary
2hr 5min - 2hr 25min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Various including Milano Cle (most of the faster departures) or Torino P.N or Venezia S.L
Some trains also depart from: Roma Tiburtina
The departures with a journey time of 2hr 5mins are non-stop from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale,
The departures with a journey time of 2hr 20mins - 2hr 25mins divert off the direct route to call at Firenze S.M. Novella station; where they reverse direction
1 or 2 x trains per hour
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 5 months ahead of the travel date
The high speed (AV) train service between Roma and Bologna is provided by
(1) these Italo trains
(2) Frecce trains operated by Trenitalia
Tickets for the Trenitalia Frecce trains 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. ~
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.
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 with Trainline or Omio, though look out for the fact that both of these services will charge a booking fee.
Rail passes are not valid on the Italo trains
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Italo | from €23 approx | |
| Omio | from €23 approx | |
| Trainline | from €23 approx | |
| Happyrail | from €23 approx |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Listen out for the announcements that the train is due to arrive in Bologna.
These trains arrive in the AV (high-speed) station at Bologna Centrale after a lengthy journey through a tunnel; and that part of the station in Bologna is underground, so it will only become visually apparent that the train has arrived in the station at the last minute.
The Italo trains take the same route as the Frecce trains.
Option 3: taking the Intercity trains
Journey Summary
4 hr (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Milano
These trains are around 1hr 45 mins slower than the Frecce and Italo trains between Roma and Bologna because they don't use the high speed line between the two cities.
But they can be much cheaper, particularly when the cheapest 'Super Economy' tickets have sold out on the Frecce trains.
If you will be a using a rail pass, you can avoid the €10 rail pass reservation fee payable on the Frecce trains.
2 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
Take these Intercity trains from Roma to Bologna and you can usually save at least €20 in comparison to taking the faster Frecce or Italo trains.
Though if you want to easily compare prices with both of these services, you will need to look up this journey on the Trainline or Omio websites.
Therefore there are two options for booking tickets for these Intercity (IC) trains:
(1) If you will be travelling to Roma Tiburtina on the metro, search for 'Roma Tiburtina' as the departure station on the ticket booking websites - it will make these IC trains easier to find.
These trains are typically scheduled to depart from Roma Tiburtina at around 12:40 and 16:31.
(2) Or book from Roma Termini as your departure station, your tickets(s) will then include both the train from Roma Termini to Roma Tiburtina AND the train on to Bolgna
Using Rail passes:
Target these IC trains if you want to save €10 on rail pass reservation fees.
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.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trenitalia | from €12 approx | |
| Italiarail | from €12 approx |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Departing from Rome
Note that these faster Intercity trains don't depart from Roma Termini, the main station in the Italian capital.
These trains have travelled north from Napoli, so they call at Roma Tiburtina station, which is some distance from the north of the city centre.
Accessing Tiburtina is particularly straightforward if the starting point of your journey is located along line B of the Roma Metro, take trains heading to Rebibbia.
This metro line also serves Termini, but it will typically be a time saver compared to making the transfer at Tiburtina, though the connection isn't step-free.
If you will be travelling with a Eurail or InterRail pass, you can hop on a Regionale train from Termini to Tiburtina station.
There are two daily Intercity trains from Roma Termini to Bologna, but they take a much longer route via Rimini, so have a journey time of more than seven hours!
Take food and drink with you on this journey, there are no on-board catering facilities available on Intercity trains.
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