Roma / Rome to Pisa by train

How to make a rail journey from Rome/Roma to Pisa

There is a choice of three different rail services when taking a train from Rome/Roma to Pisa.
1: The early morning Frecciargento train races up the high speed line to Firenze and then heads across country.
2. The Frecciabianca trains don't take the high speed line, but they tilt, so they can travel faster on the 'classic' route.
3. The Intercity trains take the same route as the Frecciabianca trains, but they don't tilt and they make more station calls, but they're typically the cheapest option when booking head.
4. Slowest of all are the Regionale Veloce (RV) trains, but when booking tickets last minute at the station, they become the cheapest option.

There are no Italo trains between Rome and Genoa.

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Routes

Option 1: taking the high speed Frecciargento train

Travel Information

Final Destination: Genova P.P.

This train, which is usually scheduled to depart from Roma Termini at 06:05 is the fastest train of the day from Rome to Pisa.

It is primarily aimed at business travellers, hence its early departure time, but if you need, or would rather be in Pisa before 08:30, this is the train you'll need to take.

1 x train per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date

Seat reservations are complimentary and included within the ticket price.

This fastest train of the day from Rome to Pisa is usually scheduled to depart from Roma Termini at 06:05.
Though when looking up this journey you can easily compare it with the prices of the alternative trains from Rome to Pisa

Rail Pass Users:

If you will be travelling in Italy with a Eurail or InterRail pass, you can save €10 in rail pass reservation fees, by taking an Intercity train from Rome to La Spezia.
But if you'll be happy to pay a fee and won't mind an early start, the €10 fee for this train is better value for money in comparison to taking the slower Frecciabianca trains.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trenitalia from €24.90

Trenitalia Guide

Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:

  • Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
  • Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
  • The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
    Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.
Italiarail from €24.90

Italiarail Guide

ItaliaRail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.

Users of InterRail and Eurail passes can also book seat reservations on the Frecce and InterCity trains without paying a booking fee,

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesHigh Speed (partial)

Good to Know

This train takes a different route to the other trains between Roma and Pisa.
It is the only the train between the two cities which heads north on the high speed line between Roma and Firenze.
After departure from Firenze the train will then use conventional tracks for the remainder of the journey.

This train takes a different route to the other trains between Roma and La Spezia.
It is the only the train between the two cities which heads north on the high speed line between Roma and Firenze.

The high speed line between Rome and Florence is more scenic than most 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.

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.

This video, taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, gives an idea of the journey experience.

Option 2: taking the Frecciabianca trains

Travel Information

The tilting Frecciabianca trains are used on this route from Rome to La Spezia.

Final Destination: Torino or Milano or Genova

All of these trains also call at: Grosseto and Livorno

Note that these Frecciabianca trains don't call at Roma Ostiense station, but the alternative Intercity trains from Rome to Pisa do call there.

5 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date

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.
Seat reservations are complimentary and included within the ticket price..

Though when looking up this journey you can easily compare it with the prices of the alternative, faster Frecciargento train and the, usually cheaper, Intercity trains

Rail Pass Users:

If you will be travelling in Italy with a Eurail or InterRail pass, you can save €10 in rail pass reservation fees, by taking an Intercity train from Rome to Pisa.

Booking tickets for journeys with a change of train:

When looking up tickets on Trenitalia for journeys between Roma and Pisa - the majority of the booking options are for journeys that involve a change of train at Firenze S.M.Novella station.
They will be the journey options which have Changes:1 in the 'Duration' column and a journey time of around 3hrs.

So those fastest journeys with a connection are not much slower than than these direct Frecciabianca trains, and they can be cheaper too.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trenitalia from €19.90

Trenitalia Guide

Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:

  • Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
  • Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
  • The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
    Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.
Italiarail from €19.90

Italiarail Guide

ItaliaRail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.

Users of InterRail and Eurail passes can also book seat reservations on the Frecce and InterCity trains without paying a booking fee,

SaveATrain from €19.90

SaveATrain Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High SpeedCoastal views

The route that these trains take, follows the Mediterranean Coast north from Rome, though the sea can only be seen close to in a couple of locations, south of Civitavecchia and north of Grosetto.
These coastal views are on the left, but to see them you need to be sat on the right when boarding at Roma Termini; on departure the train will head south and then loop around the city in a semi-circle before heading north.

Option 3: taking the Intercity trains

Travel Information

Final Destination: Torino or Ventimiglia

These Intercity trains also call at: Roma Ostiense*, Grosetto; Livorno

Those alternative Frecciabianca trains from Rome to Pisa not call at Roma Ostiense.

2 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date

If you're booking in advance, these Intercity (IC) trains, which are usually scheuled to depart from Roma Termini at 09:57 and 15:57, are the cheapest option for taking a train from Rome to Pisa.

They're always cheaper than booking tickets for the alternative Frecce trains and when the most heavily discounted tickets are still available, you can also save money by booking these trains and not the slower Regionale Veloce (RV) trains.

Though if you will be booking tickets last minute the station, those RV trains will be the cheaper option.

Rail Pass Users:

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 remaining 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 €9.90

Trenitalia Guide

Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:

  • Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
  • Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
  • The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
    Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.
Italiarail from €9.90

Italiarail Guide

ItaliaRail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.

Users of InterRail and Eurail passes can also book seat reservations on the Frecce and InterCity trains without paying a booking fee,

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

These Intercity (IC) trains, which are usually scheduled to depart from Roma Termini at around 09:57 and 15:57, can be worth targeting when making a Rome to Pisa train journey.

They're less than 25 mins slower than the Frecciabianca rains,  but they're usually cheaper; and like those FB trains, complimentary seat reservations are included when booking tickets for these IC trains.

When the most heavily discounted 'Super Economy; tickets are still available for a journey by these IC trains, they're also typically cheaper than the much slower Regionale Veloce (RV) trains from Rome to Pisa.
And seat reservations are not available on those RV trains.

Option 4: taking Regionale Veloce trains

Travel Information

Final destination: Pisa

These Regionale Veloce (RV) trains are much slower than the Frecce or Intercity trains on the Rome to Pisa route.

They call at more stations than those trains and unlike the express train services, seat reservations aren't available on these RV trains.

However, when the cheapest advance tickets are sold out on the Intercity trains, these RV trains become the cheapest option for taking a direct train from Rome to Pisa.
So you can save money if you will be booking tickets last minute at the station by taking these RV trains.

6 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: No (not on these trains)

Tickets will cost the same price as the online price, even if purchased at the station immediately before departure.

So if you will buying at the station on the day of travel,  you will save money by taking these Regionale Veloce (RV) trains and not the faster Frecce and Intercity trains.

Though when the cheapest tickets for the Intercity trains are still available online, those IC trains are the cheapest option for a Rome to Pisa journey

Rail pass users can simply hop on to these trains.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trenitalia *

Trenitalia Guide

Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:

  • Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
  • Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
  • The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
    Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesNot High Speed

Good to Know

As seats can't be reserved on these trains, aim to be waiting on the concourse at Roma Termini, ticket(s) in hand, when the
binari (track/platform) that the train will be departing from is confirmed.

If you want to buy tickets at Roma Termini, then it's a good idea to be at the station a minimum of 40 mins before the train departs.

Buying tickets from a Trenitalia ticket machine is usually quicker than purchasing at the ticket office, but at busy times there can also be lengthy queues for the machines.

These trains can also depart from a binari (track/platform) which is particularly distant from the main concourse.

Don't forget to stamp your ticket before boarding these trains.

These trains take the same route as the Intercity trains.

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