The best day trips by train from Florence Italy

If you want to see a number of different towns and cities by train, Florence is one of the best places in Italy to base your vacation.

Located in the northern part of the region of Tuscany, Florence has a perfect location due to its central location between Rome and northern Italy.

In this article, we discuss the best day trips by train from Florence.

In the case of much of northern Italy, the train system is the best way to travel, since all of the major cities and secondary cities are connected by train within a few hours or less.

The major cities are connected by high speed trains.

For instance, you can travel between Rome and Florence in just over 90 minutes even though they are nearly 170 miles apart.

So, that’s where we’ll start.

The best day trip by train from Florence is Rome

Yes, you certainly can’t see all of Rome in just a day, and we typically like to stay in Rome for a few days if it is one of the focal points of a trip to Italy.

However, if you are basing yourself in Florence, have time for a day trip or two, and you have not yet seen much of Rome, then you need to go!

If you are staying in the historic center of Florence (where we recommend), then you can easily walk to Santa Maria Novella train station for your trip to Rome.

Once you get to Rome you will arrive at Roma Termini where you will then want to grab a tax to your first site seeing destination of the day.

Two of the must sites to see in Rome are the area where the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum are located, and of course The Vatican.

For a day trip to Rome, we recommend choosing one of these places to visit for a few hours and then head to the neighborhood where the Pantheon is located for strolling, shopping and eating.

While strolling near the Pantheon, you can also check out Trevi Fountain.

The fastest day trip by train from Florence is Bologna

Bologna

Bologna just may be the most underrated city in all of Italy.

While it is often regarded as the culinary capital of Italy, it is simply a beautiful city to explore.

And one of the things we really like about Bologna is that it is not overrun with tourists.

However, it does mean that you will need to learn a bit of Italian as there is less English spoke there due to the lack of tourists.

Bologna is similar in size to Florence, not just in population but also in the size of its historic center.

Therefore, like Florence, it is very walkable.

As indicated, Bologna is the fastest day trip by train from Florence as the ride is typically just 38 minutes.

Two of our favorite places to stroll in Bologna are around Piazza Maggiore and Piazza Santo Stefano.

Siena

Siena was once a rival city of Florence just before the Renaissance and therefore offers plenty of historic sites to see.

Located south of Florence, Siena is now a much smaller city, with a population under 53,000.

While it is a much smaller city than Florence, it is certainly worth a visit to see its gothic cathedral and main town square, Piazza del Campo.

Piazza del Campo is anchored by the Palazzo Pubblico, which contains an important art museum.

The train ride from Florence typically takes about 90 minutes, since there is no high-speed train service between the two cities.

Pisa

Heading west of Florence is Pisa, which you can reach by train in about one hour.

Aside from visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa, there is plenty else to do during your visit.

The famous tower is located on Piazza dei Miracoli along with the Baptistry and Cathedral.

Other sites to visit include Camposanto Monumentale, Piazza dei Cavalieri (Knight’s Square), Santa Maria della Spina (a small gothic church), the National Museum of San Matteo and Palazzo Blu.

Don’t forget to take the time to stroll through the streets of the old town and along the Arno River.

Arezzo

Arezzo is another small city located to the south of Florence.

The primary activity in Arezzo is to take a stroll from the train station up through the old town to the main square (Piazza Grande) near the top of a hill.

Along the way you will find shops, cafes and restaurants.

The stroll is only about 1/2 mile, but it is entirely uphill.

Once you get to Piazza Grande, you will find some more shopping and several cafes where you can sit outside and admire the view of the square.

Further up the hill is the Fortezza Medicea, which was a stronghold for Florence when it held most of the power in the region in the 1500s.

If you have time, head over to the Museo di Casa Vasari, a residence of Renaissance painter Giorgio Vasari.

Cinque Terre

If you want to head another hour northwest of Pisa, you can reach the first of the five small villages that make up the Cinque Terre along the coast of Liguria.

The ride will include a stop in La Spezia, the biggest city near the Cinque Terre, and then the first of the five villages you can reach is Riomaggiore.

The total train ride is about 2 1/2 hours, but you will need to grab the 7:54 am train to reach Riomaggiore by late morning.

The other towns are Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterroso al Mare.

There is a walking path that connects the towns, but the entire stretch is not always open.

Ahead of your trip, you will need to determine which stretches are open and plan your day accordingly.

Given the time it takes to reach Riomaggiore it will not likely be possible to visit all five villages on one day trip.

You’ll likely want to work your way back to the train station in La Spezia to catch the 7:48 pm train, which takes about 1 hour and 41 minutes to get back to Florence.

Final Thoughts – Best day trips from Florence by train

You now have a solid list of day trips you can take from Florence by train.

As you can see, you can effectively build a vacation to Italy and stay centrally located in Florence.

This helps alleviate the hassle of changing accommodations every couple of days to visit new cities and towns.

Except for Rome and Bologna, you can pretty much see all you want to see in these towns in a day.

To get started on your trip planning, check out our tips for travelling to Italy.

Now, get to work!