Rome to Florence day trip

You can do it. I don't think a lot of people would. The Florence train station is just a short walk from the Duomo so you could see a few things but as with most things in Italy.. taking a few deep breaths, and just watching the show is half the fun.

The Duomo in Florence is only about a 5 minute walk from the SMN train station and many of the sites are fairly close together depending on what you want to see. I would look at trains that go to Firenze SMN station instead of the other ones and look at the high speed trains to make the most of your time in Florence. If you plan on going to either Accademia or Uffizi museums, call ahead and reserve a time to get in. Since you want to do this as a day trip, definitely decide what sites you want to see and remember to leave yourself time to wander a little bit in Florence.

Susan, while it is feasible to take a daytrip from Rome to Florence, most people prefer to spend more time in Florence. If you're planning to visit the Uffizi or Accademia, reservations are highly advisable so that you don't waste ANY time waiting in queue's. ¶ As the others have mentioned, Firenze SMN (the main rail station) if close to many of the major sights, so you could easily walk. One option might be to take one of the red Hop On / Hop Off Bus tours, which depart from an area beside the station. As I recall, there are two routes, one of which travels to the nearby area of Fiesole, which is up the hill from Florence. Check the Guidebook for details. ¶ There are a few regional trains on that route, but I'd suggest using one of the EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita trains (travel time 1H:35M). If you departed Rome at 07:15, you'd be in Florence at 08:50. On the return, if you departed Florence at 20:15, you'd be back in Rome at 21:45. Second Class Fare is listed at €44 PP each way (subject to change of course). Happy travels!

"Do we need a car in Florence for a daytrip?" The LAST thing you want or need in Florence for a day trip is a car.

certainly. If timing dictates you stay in Rome, then, of course. Take an 8-9 AM train, get in at 10-11 or so, walk around, go to musuems, make sure to get timed tickets in advance. You could easily do an early afternoon entrance. That gives you time to get to Florence, walk around, shop, eat a light lunch, go to museum for a few hours, then walk aruond a bit more, eat dinner (lovely al fresco restaurants on the Square) and catch a late train back.

While we didn't day trip to Florence, we did only spend one day/night there while in Italy and it is definitely doable if you take an early fast train from Rome (it's about 1-1.5 hours). We started at the Piazza Michaelangelo, walked down and across the Ponte Vecchio, went to the Church of Santa Croce, the Duomo (and walked to the top), grabbed some gelato and did a little shopping, and went to the Accademia (definitely book a reservation ahead of time), and were able to do all of this in about 6.5 hours.....

you definitely do not need a car IN Florence, I stayed in the countryside last week and drove my car to a parking lot in Florence and walked everywhere. No need for a car to get around especially if you like to walk.