Tours from Rome to Florence

Hours and Sights, Tour by Tour

The table lines up what each tour does with the day, from its own listing. Time in Florence, guided time and what you enter are what separate a $106 coach day from a $766 private one. Where a listing is silent on a point, it reads Not stated.

Why the Train Days Win on Time

Rome to Florence by Train leaves Roma Termini at 8:10 AM, or 7:30 AM on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from April, and leaves Florence Santa Maria Novella at 6:38 PM. That works out at about 7 hours free in the city, with no guided tour in the base option. Florence in One Day Tour adds an 80-minute guided walk and keeps about 6 free hours. Rome to Florence Train Tour gives 2.5 guided hours plus 5 free. Coach days cannot compete: Florence and Pisa Day Trip spends about 4.5 hours on the road out and 4 hours back and gets 2.5 hours in Florence, sharing the day with 1.5 hours in Pisa.

Inside or Outside

A tour that walks past Florence Cathedral, Palazzo Vecchio and the Ponte Vecchio does not enter them. Most listings here are outside-only in Florence. The Accademia and Michelangelo's David are included on Guided Florence and Pisa Tour, Florence with David Small Group and the private Florence Day Trip.

The Uffizi is included on the private day. The Rome to Florence Train Ticket is a one-way rail ticket only, so every museum is up to you. On Mondays the Uffizi and the Accademia are both closed, so entry-including tours make sense from Tuesday to Sunday.

The High-Speed Train

Journey times differ by train type and by source, so the table below shows the range. The train is the fastest way to cover the roughly 275 km between the two cities, and it is why train days give the most time in Florence.

Stations, Trains and Fares

High-speed trains leave Roma Termini and Roma Tiburtina and arrive at Florence Santa Maria Novella (SMN) on a 314 km line. Frecciarossa, Italo and Frecciargento serve the route, with around 49 trains a day and 2-5 Frecciarossa departures an hour. The first train leaves Rome at 5:00 AM on Trenitalia and 5:40 AM on Italo, and the last leaves just before 10:00 PM and about 8:30 PM respectively.

Advance fares start from $16.61 (€14.90) on Trenitalia and $15.50 (€13.90) on Italo, while last-minute fares can run $55.75 (€50) and more, so booking early pays.

Most tours here use the train: Rome to Florence by Train, Florence in One Day Tour, Rome to Florence Train Tour, Florence and Tuscany Wine Trip and Private Florence Day Trip. The Rome to Florence Train Ticket is a one-way Frecciarossa seat for $64 with no guide, for travelers who plan Florence themselves.

Meeting points differ. Rome to Florence by Train and Florence in One Day Tour meet at Via Marsala by Termini. Rome to Florence Train Tour meets at Caffe Vergnano on Via Marsala, and Florence and Tuscany Wine Trip meets at Roma Termini.

Coach and Minivan Days

Road days trade travel time for a lower price or door-to-door ease. Florence and Pisa Day Trip leaves from Piazzale della Stazione Tiburtina and runs 14 hours in total, with about 4.5 hours on the road out, 4 hours back and 1.5 hours between Pisa and Florence.

Guided Florence and Pisa Tour and Florence with David Small Group pick you up at your hotel in Rome by air-conditioned minivan, so no station meeting is needed.

Coaches cannot drive into the center of Florence. The coach ZTL covers the whole city around the clock, and coaches drop passengers at set areas such as Viale XI Agosto and Piazzale Galileo. That is worth knowing when a coach tour quotes its time in the city, because the drop-off point sits outside the walkable core.

What Pisa Adds and Takes Away

Florence and Pisa Day Trip gives 1.5 hours at the Piazza dei Miracoli and 2.5 hours in Florence, so the leaning tower photo costs you most of your city time. Guided Florence and Pisa Tour includes entry to the Pisa Duomo and Baptistery and sees the Leaning Tower from outside, with 3.5 hours in Florence plus 45 minutes at the Accademia. Florence with David Small Group includes Pisa Cathedral entry, while the Leaning Tower is not included on the small-group option.

If you climb the tower on your own, the visit inside takes about 30 minutes. Children who will not have turned 8 by the end of the year are not permitted to enter, and under-18s must be with an adult. Tickets are valid only for the date and time shown, so arriving late means no entry and no refund. Bags larger than 20x30x38 cm go to the cloakroom.

The price differs by source: the Pisa operator lists $22.30 (€20) with no reductions, while Wikivoyage lists $20.07 (€18). Step counts also differ, with 251 steps from the operator and 296 from Wikipedia.

San Gimignano and a Winery

Florence and Tuscany Wine Trip replaces Pisa with wine country. It starts with an 85-minute high-speed train ride each way, then a 3-hour guided walk in Florence covering the Duomo, Brunelleschi's dome and Piazza della Signoria from outside. An air-conditioned van then drives about 1 hour each way to San Gimignano and a family winery, where a light first-course lunch comes with wine and food pairing. Free time in San Gimignano is 105 minutes.

The town keeps 14 towers of an original 72, and its historic center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. For $299 per person this is the only tour in the catalog that pairs Florence with Tuscany countryside in a single day from Rome.

A Train Day

The clearest train day is Rome to Florence by Train, which publishes both departure times. You leave Roma Termini at 8:10 AM and return from Florence Santa Maria Novella on the 6:38 PM train, subject to change. That leaves about 7 hours free in Florence with an assistant on the train but no guided tour in the base option.

On Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from April the departure is 7:30 AM instead.

A Road Day with Pisa

Florence and Pisa Day Trip runs 14 hours from Piazzale della Stazione Tiburtina. The listing gives phases rather than clock times, so that is what the table shows.

What Fits in Seven Free Hours

Seven hours covers a lot, because the historic center can be walked end to end in about half an hour. Entry to Florence Cathedral is free with no booking, but it is closed on Sundays and during religious celebrations. To climb Brunelleschi's dome and the rest of the complex, the Brunelleschi Pass costs $33.45 (€30) and is valid for 3 calendar days.

Museum days need planning. The Uffizi ticket office closes at 5:30 PM, so go in the morning if you want the galleries. For the view, Piazzale Michelangelo is reached by bus or by stairs from Lungarno della Zecca. On the way back down, the Ponte Vecchio has held only goldsmiths and jewelers since 1565.

What Is Closed When

Florence's main sights keep different hours, and the two big galleries share the same closing pattern. Check the pattern against your travel day before you book a tour.

Booking a Tour for a Monday

A tour that promises museum entry cannot deliver it on a Monday, because the Uffizi and the Accademia both close. On a Monday, pick a train day without museums such as Rome to Florence by Train, Florence in One Day Tour or Rome to Florence Train Tour, or a walking-focused day. Note that Florence in One Day Tour is not available on 25 December, 1 January, 1 May and the first Sunday of each month.

The First Sunday of the Month

Wikivoyage reports that entry to Florence's main museums, the Uffizi among them, is free on the first Sunday of the month, and ArtVisitGuide says the same for the Accademia. Free entry draws heavy crowds, so queues stretch long and gallery time shrinks. On a first Sunday, a tour with reserved tickets is worth more than the saving, or pick a day with more free hours and fewer fixed museum promises.

Ticket Prices

The Uffizi charges more for advance booking than for entry on the day. The Duomo passes are tiered by what they cover. Where sources disagree, both figures are given.

Climbs and Passes

The Brunelleschi Pass covers Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's Bell Tower, the museum, the Baptistery and Santa Reparata. It costs $33.45 (€30), $13.38 (€12) for ages 7 to 14 and is free to age 6. Both the Brunelleschi and Giotto Passes are valid for 3 calendar days.

Giotto's Bell Tower has 414 steps and no elevator. The Baptistery's vault mosaics are under restoration and not visible. Work on the dome ran from 1420 to 1436, and dome plus lantern reach about 114.5 m.

Dress and Bags

Churches in Florence expect shoulders and knees covered. The Accademia refuses bags over 40 x 30 x 18 cm and has no cloakroom, so travel light that day. At the Leaning Tower of Pisa, handbags and luggage go to the cloakroom and only small bags up to 20 x 30 x 38 cm are accepted inside.

Included, by Tour

Train days bundle the round-trip rail ticket into the price, except the one-way Rome to Florence Train Ticket, which covers the outbound ride only. Coach and minivan days include the vehicle instead. Lunch is the exception rather than the rule.

Hotel pickup appears only on the minivan days, so most travelers meet at a set point in Rome.

Cancellation and Train Tickets

Eight of the listings offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, including Rome to Florence by Train and Florence with David Small Group. The exception is the Rome to Florence Train Ticket: cancel up to 1 hour before for an 80% refund, and changes are allowed up to 11:59 PM the day before travel. On Private Florence Day Trip the train tickets are sent a few days before departure.

One Pisa rule to note: a late arrival at the Leaning Tower slot means no entry and no refund.