Booking choice: Florence and San Gimignano by train, from $299 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Florence is about 1.5 hours from Rome on the high-speed train, which makes a day trip easy on paper. The tours built around it cost more than the countryside coach days, and they are a very different kind of day: art and crowds rather than hills and lunch.
Below: the two main Florence tours from Rome, and how to decide.
The quick answer
For Florence, take the high-speed train tour: a guided walk in Florence, then a van to a winery lunch at San Gimignano, from $299 (4.9 from 357 reviews). The budget Florence and Pisa coach day is $110 but runs 14 hours with short stops. If you want countryside, food and wine more than museums, the Montepulciano and Pienza coach day from $115 is the better fit.
How do you get from Rome to Florence for the day?
By high-speed train from Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, about 1.5 hours each way.
The train tours include the tickets and meet you at Termini. By coach, Florence is about three hours away, which is why the coach tours that include it run 14-hour days.
What does the Florence and San Gimignano train tour include?
Round-trip high-speed train tickets, a guided walking tour of Florence, a van to San Gimignano, a winery tour with tasting and light lunch, and free time in San Gimignano.
It meets at 8:10 inside Termini, takes up to 20 travelers, and rates 4.9 from 357 reviews. Guests single out the guides and the family winery. One reviewer lost their free time in Florence to a delayed train, so treat the timings as approximate.
Florence and a winery lunch by fast train. Check dates.
Check dates for Florence and San Gimignano by trainWhat about the cheap Florence and Pisa coach day?
It is $110 and covers both cities, but it is a 14-hour day with about an hour at the Leaning Tower and quick walks past Florence's sights.
It rates 4.7 from 1,342 reviews, but several guests call it rushed, with a lot of time on the bus. Lunch and guided visits inside the monuments are not included, and you may need a small train ticket in Pisa. It suits travelers who want photos of both cities and nothing more.
Florence or the Tuscan countryside: which should you choose?
Florence for art, architecture and a famous city; the Val d'Orcia for landscape, small towns and a long lunch.
| Florence train tour | Florence & Pisa coach | Val d'Orcia coach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | $299 | $110 | $115 |
| Travel each way | About 1.5 h by train | About 3 h+ by coach | About 2.5 h by coach |
| Length | 12 hours | 14 hours | 12 hours |
| Lunch | Light lunch at a winery | Not included | Three courses with wine |
| Rating | 4.9 (357) | 4.7 (1,342) | 4.7 (5,660) |
Can you see the David on a day trip?
Not on these two tours as standard; some other Florence day trips add the Accademia with a timed ticket.
If Michelangelo's David is the reason you are going, book a timed Accademia entry separately or a tour that includes it, and accept that the rest of the day will be tighter.
Is Florence worth it as a day trip from Rome?
Yes for a first look, but one day only scratches the surface; the countryside day is more relaxed.
Florence rewards time: its museums alone could fill days. A day trip is a sampler. If you are choosing between the two for your only day out of Rome, think about whether you want to spend it in crowds and galleries or in the hills.
Prefer hills and a long lunch? The Val d'Orcia day from $115.
Explore the Tuscany in One Day tourWhat is the best plan if you want both?
Do the Val d'Orcia day from Rome, and see Florence properly on another trip or on the way north.
If you are travelling on from Rome to Florence anyway, skip the Florence day trip and spend a night there instead; use your Rome day out for the countryside.
Countryside day from Rome: check dates for the classic tour.
Check dates for the Tuscany in One Day tourFrequently asked questions
How long is the train from Rome to Florence?
About 1.5 hours on the high-speed trains between Roma Termini and Firenze Santa Maria Novella.
Is the Florence and Pisa day trip from Rome too rushed?
Many guests say it is fast-paced, with about an hour in Pisa and a lot of time on the bus. It works if you only want a quick look at both.
Do Tuscany day trips from Rome include Florence?
The coach tours to Montepulciano and Pienza do not. Florence needs a train tour or the long Florence and Pisa coach day.
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Florence & San Gimignano by High-Speed Train
Florence plus a winery lunch at San Gimignano, by fast train
Tuscany in One Day: Val d'Orcia, Wine & Lunch
- Round-trip air-conditioned coach from Rome with Wi-Fi
- Guided walk in Montepulciano with a local guide, photo stop at San Biagio
- Three-course lunch at a Tuscan farm and winery, wine tasting incl. Brunello
Florence & Pisa Guided Day Trip
The Leaning Tower and Florence, on a long, fast day
