Rome to Florence Train 2026: Italo Booking & Luggage Tips
Navigating Italy by train from Rome to Florence? Learn the best way to book your Italo tickets and essential tips for keeping your luggage safe on your journey. Avoid booking headaches!
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Navigating Italy by train from Rome to Florence? Learn the best way to book your Italo tickets and essential tips for keeping your luggage safe on your journey. Avoid booking headaches!
How to Book Trains in Italy
How to Book Italo Trains from Rome to Florence & My Experience Onboard
ⓒ Text & Photos by Minha Hae
Italy boasts an excellent train system, making it a popular choice for getting around!
When I traveled from Rome to Florence, I opted for a Tuscany tour, but for my return journey from Florence to Rome, I booked a train!
Oh, and let me tell you, booking directly on the official website was a real headache... haha.
I've put together my actual experience, covering how I booked my train, and even tips on storing your luggage securely on Italian trains, especially in a country known for pickpockets – so pay close attention!
How to Book Trains from Rome to Florence
If you want to book directly on an official website, you can do so through Trenitalia or Italo's websites!
Personally, I find it much easier for planning my itinerary to check the times regardless of the train operator.
And for seeing everything at a glance, Klook is super convenient!
> Check Rome-Florence Train Times Here <
How to Book Trains from Rome to Florence | |
Operators | Trenitalia, Italo (Italo is newer, with more varied schedules) |
Stations | Rome: Termini Station Florence: Santa Maria Novella Station |
Journey Time | Approx. 1 hour 40 minutes (In my experience, delays were minimal) |
Price | Approx. ~$28 one-way (Italo tends to be slightly more expensive) |
It's true that booking on the official website is usually the cheapest option.
But here's why I ended up booking through Klook...
The official website was SO frustrating and just wouldn't let me complete the booking... sigh.
After endlessly encountering errors and spending over an hour trying, I finally switched to Klook and paid with ease!
First, let me tell you how I booked my tickets:
1) Klook Europe Train Booking < Visit
2) Select your desired date and time
3) Make your payment
Now, you might be wondering:
If you book for two people, can you get seats next to each other?
Generally, if one person books tickets for two people at once,
they'll be issued adjacent seats.
The earlier you book, the cheaper it tends to be, and you'll have more seat options, so I highly recommend booking your train tickets as soon as your itinerary is set.
That's how I booked, and my friend and I got to sit right next to each other!
Another thing you might be wondering is:
Can you change your seats?
I was a bit anxious and wanted to change my seat to be closer to the luggage storage area.
I tried repeatedly to change it on the official website using my booking number, but no matter which card I used, I kept getting payment errors... haha...
So, I definitely don't recommend trying to change your seats.
I'll tell you more about this in my boarding experience review.
Florence Central Station: Santa Maria Novella
I recommend arriving at the station at least 15 minutes before your boarding time, just to be safe.
It can get quite busy with many people around!
📍 Firenze Santa Maria Novella
Piazza della Stazione, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
You'll need to check your booked train number against the train number displayed on the departure board, and then head to your platform once it appears.
It wasn't always displayed as quickly as I expected, though.
Inside the train station, there's also a cafe and bakery...
it’s lovely to grab a pistachio croissant, a classic Italian breakfast,
and a cappuccino to enjoy on board!
I picked one up when I went to Cinque Terre, and it was delicious.
Just a heads-up, it can get quite crowded, so give yourself plenty of time if you plan to visit a cafe!
Italo Boarding Review: Luggage Storage
Once you’re on board, you’ll head to the carriage and seat
specified on your booking voucher.
However, I ran into a bit of a problem here... ^^...
I was sitting in my assigned seat when someone else came over,
claiming it was their seat. So, I asked a train attendant about it.
It turned out that a seat change I’d made earlier, which seemed to have a payment error,
was actually registered in the system, and I needed to pay for it directly.
So, I thought, 'Okay, a seat change, no big deal,' and moved to the new seat.
The attendant then told me to pay for the change.
I paid 7 Euros, but because the internet connection was bad,
they said the payment didn't go through and asked me to pay again, so I did.
A little while later, I realized my Travel Wallet had been charged twice!
So I went back to the attendant and asked, and they casually said,
'Oh, that'll just get refunded back to you~'.
Well... it's been 3 months, and those 7 Euros are still nowhere to be found.. haha.
I definitely won't be paying for a seat change again!
For luggage storage, you can either place it outside your cabin section,
or on the overhead racks above your seat. But here’s another little issue:
Italo’s luggage compartments don’t have places to secure them with a lock.
So, I highly recommend keeping your luggage on the overhead rack above your own seat if possible!
(I noticed many people even managed to lift 26-inch and 28-inch suitcases up there).
My luggage was too heavy for me to lift, so I left it in the external compartment
and checked on it periodically. Luckily, there was only one stop, or maybe no stops at all,
between Florence and Rome, so I felt relatively secure during the journey.
Still, always be extra careful about pickpockets!
Despite the minor payment hiccup, the 1 hour and 40-minute journey had no delays or late arrivals.
The seats were comfortable, with excellent air conditioning,
so aside from those 7 Euros for the seat change,
my Italo experience was entirely satisfactory!
Just so you know, I looked it up, and apparently, these multiple payment issues
are surprisingly common, so I hope you'll pay extra attention to your transactions.
Rome to Florence Transfer Tour: Another Great Option!
While trains are great, if you’re not planning to rent a car for your trip,
I absolutely recommend taking a transfer tour for one leg of your journey!
🔎 Rome → Florence Transfer Tour
When I traveled from Rome to Florence, I used a tour myself, and it included stops at
Civita di Bagnoregio - Pienza - Cypress
- Montepulciano Winery. If you love exploring the countryside, I highly recommend it lol.
These are places that are tough to get to without a car or relying on public transport,
so without a rental car, it would have been quite challenging. But with the tour, I could comfortably travel between cities
and leave my luggage worry-free while exploring – which was fantastic!
The train was comfortable and really good overall, but...
thinking about those 7 Euros I lost, it still feels a little unfair.. ^.^
Anyway, if you have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment!
The author attempted to book the Rome-Florence train on the official website but encountered endless errors for over an hour. After struggling, they comfortably made the payment through Klook. The one-way price for the Rome-Florence train is around ~$28, and Italo tends to be slightly more expensive than Trenitalia.
When boarding Italo, luggage can be stored in the compartments outside the cabin or on the overhead racks above the seats. Since the luggage compartments do not have places to attach locks, the author recommends placing even 26-inch or 28-inch suitcases on the overhead rack above your own seat.
The author attempted to change Italo train seats, but consistently encountered errors when trying to pay on the official website using the booking number. Ultimately, they paid 7 euros to a station attendant, but this resulted in a double charge, and they have not received a refund for three months, which is why changing seats is not recommended.
When taking the Italo train from Rome to Florence, you depart from Termini Station in Rome and arrive at Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence. The train journey takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, and based on the author's experience, there were no significant delays.
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