Rome and Florence in one week
Rome and Florence is the perfect first multi-city trip: two unmissable cities, one 90-minute train, no flights inside the trip. With six nights, split them 4 in Rome, 2 in Florence — or 3+3 if Renaissance art is the reason you're going.
Why Rome gets the bigger share
Rome is simply bigger in every sense: three of the world's most time-hungry sights (Vatican Museums, Colosseum/Forum, and the historic centre itself), longer distances between them, and a pace that punishes cramming. Florence's centre, by contrast, is compact enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes — two full days covers the Uffizi, the Accademia, the Duomo climb and an evening in Oltrarno without rushing.
| Day | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome | Arrive, centro storico wander: Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi at night |
| 2 | Rome | Colosseum + Forum + Palatine (one combined timed ticket) |
| 3 | Rome | Vatican Museums early slot, St Peter's, Trastevere dinner |
| 4 | Rome | Borghese Gallery (timed, pre-book) or Testaccio food morning |
| 5 | Train to Florence | ~90 min on the Frecciarossa; afternoon Duomo piazza, sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo |
| 6 | Florence | Uffizi morning slot, Ponte Vecchio, Oltrarno artisans and dinner |
| 7 | Florence | Accademia (David) early, fly home from FLR or PSA — or train back to FCO |
The train, solved
Rome Termini → Florence S.M.N. runs up to every 15–30 minutes on Trenitalia's Frecciarossa and Italo's high-speed sets. Book a week or two ahead for the cheap "Economy" fares; walk-up tickets on the day cost two to three times more. There's no security theatre — arrive 15 minutes early, validate nothing, sit down. This is why the day-trip crowd does it in reverse: Florence is an easy add to Rome, never the other way round.
What sells out (book these first)
- Vatican Museums — timed entry; the early slots that beat the crowds go weeks ahead in season.
- Borghese Gallery — strict 2-hour timed windows, small capacity; often the first thing in Rome to sell out.
- Uffizi and Accademia — timed reservations are near-mandatory in summer; the reservation fee is worth every cent of skipped queue.
- Colosseum — the standard ticket is easier, but the Underground/Arena add-ons sell out fast.
Flying open-jaw saves a day
Fly into Rome and home from Florence (FLR) or Pisa (PSA, an hour from Florence) and you delete the backtracking leg entirely. If your dates force a Rome return, keep the last Florence morning light — the train plus FCO's queues need more buffer than people give them.