If you’re planning a holiday in Italy, you should schedule some days in Rome. The “Holy city” is the cradle of the civilization and the Italian city with the most glorious past, the place where you can see the remains of the ancient Roman Empire. Unlike any other place, Rome can show you more than this, because it preserves the signs of another glorious period, the Renaissance. Everybody knows that the Renaissance started in Florence, but in its late stage it moved to Rome with Michelangelo, and for a couple of centuries the flourishing Papacy sponsored many artists to renovate the city. If the best example of the ancient glory is the Colosseum, the best example of this re-birth are certainly the Vatican Museums. Unlike Florence, Rome is a large city: you can’t just walk from one side to another in 15-20 minutes, so the best way to see the attractions is to stay there, for at least a couple of nights. By the way, if for some reason you can’t do this, you can take advantage of the Italian high-speed trains, that get you to Rome from Florence in just 90 minutes. Some tour operator took advantage of this chance to organize day trips from Florence to Rome, giving you three options: Imperial Rome, Vatican, or both. Prepare to wake up early, be aware that it will be a long day, follow my suggestions and choose the one that best fits your needs.
“Imperial” day trip from Florence to Rome
This tour from Florence to Rome starts at 7 am in Florence Santa Maria Novella train station and it has a price of € 140/person. Once in Rome, you will have free time until the afternoon, when you have to meet your guide at the Arch of Constantine (you will be given directions on how to reach the meeting point). From here, you will visit the Colosseum with skip-the-line entrance, having a chance to see the large arena where any kind of violent show took place, from the classic fights between gladiators to Christians tortured because of their faith, and you will learn how the arena could even be flooded to offer naval fights. The next stage of the tour is the Roman forum, the center of the ancient Roman daily life, where political intrigues took place. At the end of the tour, you will reach the Roma Tiburtina station where your train back to Florence starts at 8 pm.
Vatican tour from Florence
This tour also starts at 7 am from Santa Maria Novella train station, for a price of € 150/person. Enjoy your 90 minutes trip to Rome at 300 km/h, and then take the subway for a short trip to the Vatican city where you will meet your guide. Skip the long lines and get into the Vatican Museums to see masterpieces like the School of Athens by Raphael or the Sistine Chapel frescoes by Michelangelo, along with many beautiful classical statues. Now enter in St Peter’s church, the largest Christian church ever built, to admire Michelangelo’s Pietà and the works by Bernini. At the end of the tour, you have all the afternoon to do what you wish, until 8 pm when your train back to Florence starts at 8 pm.
Vatican city plus Imperial Rome
If you don’t want to make a choice, but want to take full advantage from your tour from Florence to Rome, you can join the two previous tours into a full day immersion in the beauties of Rome. With this package, you will get both Imperial Rome and Vatican city tours for a discounted price of € 205/person. Of course, you have to forget about free time, but this is a way to see Rome in one day. There are no other organized day trips from Florence to Rome offering this chance. The tour starts at 7 am from Florence Santa Maria Novella train station, and your train back to Florence starts at 8 pm from Roma Tiburtina. You will visit the Vatican city in the morning and Imperial Rome (Colosseum, Roman forum) in the afternoon.
What other suggestions can you find in this section?
- The best Florence tours and activities reviewed by a tour guide
- Walking tours
- Uffizi tours
- Florence in one day
- Duomo tours
- Vasari Corridor tours
- Inferno tours
- Skip-the-line David tours
- What to do on Mondays
- Tours of Florence from Rome or Venice
- Florence outdoor activities
- Florence food tours
- Wine tours in Tuscany
- Cooking classes
- Wine tours in Florence
- Day trips from Florence to Tuscany countryside
- Day trips from Florence to Pisa
- Day trips from Florence to Siena
- Day trips from Florence to Cinque Terre
- Day trips from Florence to Rome
- Day trips from Florence to Venice

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