Rome to Florence Day Trip?

By either the Trenitalia train system or by an Italo train, it’s 1.5 hours one way. Most Trenitalia will require seat reservations. Check schedules, prices, and buy tickets at Trenitalia.com or ItaloTreno.it .

The fast train is 90 min. each way, so technically it’s possible. However, there’s so much to Florence that I think it would be a shame to go for so short a time.

Can check schedules and fares here: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
Would be a long day but it is doable. Wouldn't suggest trying it during the peak of the summer season due to the heat and the crowds in Florence, but if you'll be there during the shoulder season or the off-season then it would be an attractive option.
Can save money on the Frecce trains (the fast trains) by booking ahead. Believe there's also a special same-day out and back fare as well.

Yes, it's 90 minutes by high-speed train from Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella (Florence's main train staton). There are many trains making this run every day.

MaryPat, your link doesn't work.

Go to this site:
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

Choose "Roma Termini" in the "From" dropdown box, and "Firenze S.M. Novella" in the "To" dropdown.
Enter your preferred date and time of travel to Florence, and the same for "Return"
Enter number of passengers and hit "Search"
Your options for going TO Florence will come up. Toggle between the departure and arrival stations at top of page to see your options going back to Rome. Explore the prices available by clicking the little black arrow to the right of the price shown for the time of train you want.

Italo high-speed trains also make the Rome>Florence run; you can probably figure out their site without much help. :O)
https://www.italotreno.it/en

In both cases, your tickets would be for specific trains, at specific times, for specific carriages (by class of ticket you bought) and for designed seats. You do not have to validate tickets for these types of trains before boarding. Understand that the lowest-priced tickets are very likely to sell out in advance; the price will be more - sometimes a lot more - if you wait to buy them on the day of the journey, and all that's left are the more expensive tickets.

I'll agree that there's so much great stuff to see in Florence that it's a shame try and do it on the fly just to say you did! Most of the better attractions are also indoors, and may require advance, timed-entry tickets.

I can’t say too much since I’ll be going for the first time in June 2022, but with one day it’s technically possible if as you say that you don’t care too much about what you see and don’t see. You should at least buy a ticket in advance for something like the David. That plus the Dome from the outside would be a nice little day trip. Of course there’s always loads more you can do if you have time.

Thank you everyone. Good info and insight. Really appreciate everyone's information.

Although the last time I was in Italy was 27 years ago I'd like to share my opinion. First off from what I read it sounds like you've never been to Florence before. You say your taking a trip to Rome for 7 days for the first time?. Rome La Citta Eterna eternal city is very beautiful as is the surrounding countryside. That being said is spending 7 days in Rome set in stone? If neither of you have been to Italy before then I'd say do 3 days in Rome and the other 4 days in Florence. RS ie Rick Steves on his tours spends typically just two days in Rome unless your doing his 7 day Roma RS tour. So if you wanted a little more time in Rome than go for 3 days and then head up to Florence.

I'm my opinion don't just go to Firenze to say that you've been. Your (jokingly) insulating the city. Why catch a train and rush to see Florence and not even care what you plan to see. You have two major museums plus, Il Duomo, and all these other amazing historical locations. The Medicis were from Florence. Plus if you like wine your in the Chianti region of Italy. Great works by Michelangelo Il Davide and more are located in Florence. There's also the Arno River and Ponte Vecchio bridge.

So in all honesty in my opinion don't bother visiting Florence for just one day rushed. Yes you can do it but respect the city and its history. If you just want to focus on the history of the Romans and the Etruscan etc then focus on that and then the next time you can plan a trip specifically for Florence. Again in my non professional opinion Rome can be seen in two -three days for the main attractions ie the Vatican, the forum Trevi fountain etc etc. So I think either do 7 days in Rome if that's what you really want or do a combo trip which I think is much better option. When you land in Rome you can either head directly to Florence and do that portion of the trip first or visit Rome first. Again if you've never been to either of these two cities visit both of them. But if you want to truly dive deep into the the Roman life and its history then just stay in Roma the whole time. Good luck and let me know what you decide.

Lilian got it right. A day trip to Florence doesn't cut it. Florence is a wonderful city, to be savored. It takes more than a few hours to do the city right. I have been to Florence twice as well as Rome. I found the hotel accommodations to be cheaper in Florence than Rome. Why only a short stay?

Go and stay 3-4 days and stroll through this magnificent city. Also, see David at Accademia. See the Duomo, Bapistry and go up the Duomo tower. Go to the Basicilia of San Croce and see the tombs of famous Florentines like Galileo, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Marconi, Rossini, See the wonderful art at the Uffizi.

For what it’s worth, the cruise ship port for Florence is at Livorno, which is 1.5 hours from Florence by train. Many people get their one Florence visit as a day trip with 60-90 minutes on a bus or train, each way. And they have to be back in time to catch their boat, so they’re even more rushed. The one day to perhaps skip Florence if there’s just one day available would be Mondays, when several sights and restaurants are closed. Rome’s certainly worth more than just 7 days itself, but a lot can be seen in 6 days, and an added taste of Florence could add to the trip. It certainly wouldn’t completely take away, 3 round-trip hours on a train notwithstanding.

Living in Rome, we often did day trips to Florence - generally to shop, dine, and see friends. We'd usually try to catch the 2nd to the last train back to Roma Termini, which used to depart about 2140h (giving us one extra "last" train, just in case). But I'd agree with the many posters above, if you've never been to Florence, you're doing yourself (and Florence) a disservice to only spend a few hours there. Perhaps rework your itinerary, or save Florence for your next trip!

I did this back in 2017 and it was fine. We were in Rome for 2 full weeks and took a few trips out from there. I wanted to see some things in the Uffizi and Santa Croce. I know there are many other things to see, and we do plan on going back to spend more time in Florence (was supposed to be in 2020, dang it) but I love trains anyway. So we took the high speed train and it was very enjoyable. I think we got first class tickets so had large seats and a "welcome aboard" drink and snack. We had timed tickets to the Uffizi, had gelato, then went to Santa Croce, wandered around a bit and pretended to be Lucy Honeychurch looking over the Arno. We even had time to shop at Santa Maria Novella and grab a delicious sandwich to take on the train back to Rome. Got some wine from the train's snack bar, ate our delicious sandwiches while watching the fields of sunflowers slide by. Not a bad way to spend a day.

Every time I go to Florence, I stay longer than I did on the previous trip. If you decide to split your trip between the two cities, remember that you need to go to Rome the night before your flight. You will have a great time regardless of what you decide.

If you'll never be in Italy again, I would say definitely plan a day trip Rome to Florence!
Also if it's your first trip to Italy, you will enjoy taking a train to somewhere. (It's easy.)
You want the fastest train, which is about an hour and twenty minutes, I think.
The Trenitalia website was not responding just now, or I would check for you.
You can book in advance to save a bit of money, or just turn up and buy the ticket at the station.
You can also go to any station or look online to buy a ticket while you're in Rome, once you've decide on a day to go.
Only buy online through Trenitalia or Italo.
Second class is fine.
Get a train around 07:00 or so, and have your breakfast on board, bought from the station in Rome...Termini station has excellent food choices to go.
Have a paper map or Google map of Florence ready to go, and pick out a few highlights to see.
Stay till after dinner, and get the second or third last train back to Rome (plan on one of those in case you get delayed and amazed by Florence,and have to leave later, then you still have options)
The station you want in Rome is Termini, and the one in Florence is Santa Maria Novella.
Even if you don't go to any museums, Florence is a lovely place to spend a day walking and eating...and shopping!
Let us know what you decide!
Florence is my favourite city in Italy, I've stayed there nine times....worth a couple of weeks for you next time!

If you choose to do so, I suggest you catch a very early train going and a late train returning. Trains start as early as 5:35 and there are 5 trains that will get you there no later than 8:45. Going back there's trains leaving as late as 10:00 pm.

If you plan carefully, you could have a good experience. Look closely at the different options offered by Walks of Italy. I highly recommend them and taking a tour will maximize the efficient use of your time.

The first time I was in Florence was on a school trip August 1966. That's where my wife and I had our first kiss. We just celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary.

If you go early and return late you should have time to wander the historic part of the city and see a major site or two. I'd go!

I am planning a day trip to Florence from Rome with my family. I've been to Florence; they have not. We are planning on taking an early train, hitting up a couple of key sites, and taking a late train back to Rome. There is are a few videos on YouTube that'll give some itinerary ideas. A 90-minute train ride is kind of hard to pass up on a trip like this. My philosophy is you can always return. Happy travels!