Traveling around Tuscany by train is a good way to discover the beauties of our region. If you are scared of driving a car along the roads of the Belpaese, trains allow you to move around comfortably sit in your seat, and admire the different landscapes rolling out of the window.
The connection between the main cities of Tuscany by train is great. You can easily go from/to Florence and Pisa, Lucca, or Siena, and move up and down along the coastline. Instead, it could be more difficult to reach rural areas and small villages due to the lack of train stations. In this case, do not worry. Usually, public buses run between these hamlets and the closest rail stations.
In Italy, there are two main train companies. Trenitalia provides high-speed trains (the Frecce), and also a widespread coverage of the territory with national and local trains. The other company, Italo, operates only with high-speed trains connecting the main Italian cities.
Tuscany by train: how to do it
Here is a map of the Tuscan railway line. Trenitalia provides the service mainly with Regionale trains, as well as some Intercity IC trains running along the coast.
Instead, this is the map of the high-speed railway line provided by Italo.
Main railway stations in Tuscany
The station of Firenze Santa Maria Novella (Firenze SMN) is the main railway terminal of the region. It is located along the route between Rome and Milan. From Firenze SMN you get high-speed trains to Milan, Bologna, Rome, Naples (Frecciarossa or Italo), and Venice (Frecciargento).
Taking a Regionale train instead, you can reach all the corners of the region. From Florence, in approximately one hour, you can be in the Piazza Grande of Arezzo, or walk along the walls of Lucca. But you also reach the coast where you can rest in the sun in Livorno, or take a picture with the leaning tower in Pisa. To get a plane, trains also lead to Pisa International Airport Galileo Galilei.
Pisa Centrale is another important station being a crossroad between the line coming from Florence and the coastal train route. Also, if you land at Pisa Airport, every 7 minutes, the train shuttle “Pisa Mover” runs from/to the central station. The journey takes only 5 minutes, and you can buy tickets directly on the platform from the ticket machines. From there, catch a train to reach your final destination in Tuscany by train. If you buy your ticket online You can enter Pisa Airport as your departure station and select your destination. This way you will also receive the Pisa Mover ticket directly to your email.
Explore the coast of Tuscany by train
The coastal railway line connects the main seaside resorts of Tuscany: Viareggio, Pietrasanta, Forte dei Marmi, Massa, and Carrara along the Riviera of Versilia; Livorno, Castiglioncello, Cecina, Campiglia on the Etruscan Coast; Follonica and Grosseto in Maremma. Moreover, if you take the south direction, you can reach Rome and Fiumicino International Airport. Instead, going north, you reach Cinque Terre, Genoa, and Milan.
Heading to Siena
Departing from Florence SMN, some daily Regionale trains are heading to Siena. Instead, if you are in Pisa or Lucca, you have to get the train to Empoli, get off, and change locomotive. On the way, if you have time, do not forget to stop in Monteriggioni, one of our favorite villages in Tuscany. If you are heading to San Gimignano, stop in Poggibonsi and get a bus. From the southern Maremma, you can get a train to Grosseto or Montepescali.
Drink and don’t drive: Chianti by Train
Reaching Chianti by train is not that easy, but it’s not impossible. The only two train stations of the “shire” where the famous red wine is made are Poggibonsi and Castellina. They are both along the route between Empoli and Siena. From these points, you can catch a bus to reach the villages you wish to visit without getting worried if you drink one glass too many.
Getting to Val d’Orcia
If you decide to visit this fairytale part of Tuscany by train, there are two stations: Montepulciano and Buonconvento.
Montepulciano is on the line between Siena and Chiusi/Chianciano Terme. Buonconvento is on the line that connects Siena to Montepescali in Maremma.
From there, you can proceed by bus to Pienza, Montalcino, San Quirico d’Orcia, and all the other nearby villages listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites of Tuscany.
For the bus connections, check here.
Getting to Mugello
To reach the beautiful nature of Mugello in the northeastern part of Tuscany from Florence, you need to get the regional train that goes to Faenza (in Emilia Romagna). The main places are S. Piero a Sieve, Borgo San Lorenzo, and Marradi. If I were you I would not miss visiting the area in autumn when they celebrate the chestnuts, the traditional fruit of the fall, with many Sagra where you can taste it in many different ways and recipes.
Explore Garfagnana and Lunigiana
You can easily cross the wild and mountainous areas of Garfagnana and Lunigiana by taking a Regional train from Lucca or Aulla. Along this rail line, there are many places off the beaten path to discover. Borgo a Mozzano is known for the Devil’s Bridge and the Halloween festival. Barga is famous for being one of the most beautiful villages of Tuscany and for the summer jazz festival.
Take a look at our LITTLE GUIDE FOR GARFAGNANA IN ITALY
In Equi Terme, you can be an explorer for a day at the Geo-Archaeological Park, and during Christmas, visit the suggestive living nativity scene along the alleys of the village and into the grotto.
Castelnuovo Garfagnana and Fivizzano are other two lovely villages to stop for a visit to their castles and taste delicious traditional food.
How to get to Tuscany by train from the main Italian Airports
From Bologna Airport (BLQ)
If you do not land directly in Tuscany, the closest and most comfortable airport to fly to is the Bologna International “Marconi” Airport. Every 11 minutes, a shuttle bus connects the airport to the Central Rail Station. From there you can choose a Frecciarossa that will bring you to Florence SMN in less than an hour.
From Milan Airports
Milano Malpensa (MPX)
The International Airport of Milano Malpensa (MPX) is connected with the railway terminal of Milano Centrale by the Malpensa Express train or the Malpensa Shuttle bus.
Linate Airport (LIN)
If you land at Linate Airport in Milan, you can reach in about 30 minutes the central rail station by AirBus.
Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY)
Flibco.com shuttle bus service connects Bergamo Orio al Serio airport with Milan Central in a fast, economical, and reliable way. You can book your seat in advance using Flibco’s online system or their app. Buses are running from 07:10 AM to 11:25 PM. Plus, by booking in advance online you get access to even more affordable prices!
Once in Milano Centrale Terminal, head to Florence with Frecciarossa, or Italo. Instead, if your destination is the coast (Carrara, Massa, Viareggio, Pisa, Livorno) there are many options between the Frecciabianca, the Intercity, or Regionale trains.
From Rome Airport Fiumicino (FCO)
From the International Airport Leonardo da Vinci of Fiumicino (FCO) in Rome, take the non-stop shuttle train Leonardo Express provided by Trenitalia. Every 15 minutes it connects the airport to Roma Termini station. From there you can choose to reach Tuscany by high-speed trains (Italo, Frecciarossa, or Frecciargento) or by Regionale Veloce train.
How to buy tickets to travel to Tuscany by train
You can buy your tickets online on Trenitalia and Italo websites or directly at the train stations. Consider that only the biggest towns have a ticket office, while most of the small stations have only ticket machines and ticket desks open only a few hours per day.
What about rates? High-speed trains are not so cheap, especially if you buy tickets close to departure. Instead, if you book in advance you can find nice prices and special offers. I suggest you look at both websites as they always do offers (for example Saturday and Sunday offers, train + car offers …).
Online tickets are personal and only the named person can travel with them. You do not need to print them out but you need to make the check-in before getting on board, using the link you get by email. The only thing you need is the PNR code to show in case of control. This rule works for all kinds of trains.
Paper tickets bought at the train station need to be validated at the specific machine before departure (in Italian we say obliterare il biglietto), otherwise, you can incur a penalty.
A Helpful Train Glossary in Italian
We end this post with a short glossary with Italian words that may help you organize your trip and also once in Italy.
- Frecciarossa: the fastest high-speed train in the country. It reaches 300 km/h (186 mi/h) of speed making easier the connections between the main cities of Italy in only a few hours.
- Frecciargento: comfortable fast trains that run both along the high-speed and normal railways. They reach a maximum speed of 250 km/h (155 mi/h).
- Intercity and FrecciaBianca: fast comfortable trains that run along the normal railroads
- Regionale: slow trains that stop at every station and allow visitors to reach even small destinations.
- Regionale Veloce: local trains that go faster than Regionale and do not stop at all stations along the railway.
- Treni in Arrivo: arrivals.
- Treni in Partenza: departures.
- Binario: platform.
- In orario: on time.
- In ritardo: delayed.
- Obliterare: Validate the ticket at the specific machine in the train station.
For other handy information about traveling in Italy by train, take a look here at this post written by the Italian Storyteller Eleonora. If you have any other questions, leave a comment and I will be glad to help you out.
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Cover Photo credit: Trenitalia Press Office
(Updated on 5 February 2024)
Thank you for the mention!
Sorry for big delay!!! It was a pleasure to mention you. 🙂
Great tips. We love hiring a car to drive to stations and catching trains in Tuscany. We love this means that we can stay more rurally
There are some area where it is better to have the car (the south), other well connected by train (especially between Florence and the coast). 🙂
What a very good idea to go by train. Both because the wine is great, and drinking doesn’t work if you stop at the vineyards. But also the twisty Tuscany roads are better suited to walking or bicycles than driving – they made me barfy! So I kind of wish we’d taken the train instead of driving on those mountain roads.
Taking bicycle or walking white roads as the pilgrim route of Via Francigena is a good way to explore the rural areas. Trains are good especially to connect the bigger town. but you can stop in Montepulciano to taste great red wines! 🙂
A helpful resource for those wanting to travel by train in Tuscany. We have traveled through Italy in a few ways, but train is probably the way we have traveled most. Italy is really well connected, the only issue we had is that the trains (especially in smaller towns) were often not on schedule! 😉
Delays are the biggest problems for Regionale trains. it is very disappointing, for travelers but also for locals who use trains to go work and back home.
Travelling through Europe by train is a delight. And talking of Tuscany, the stunning countryside and the visions of hilltop castle towns is a treat for the eyes. Trains are the best way to experience this part of Italy.
You don’t have to worry about the traffic and parking. a relaxing way of traveling which is the best to explore Tuscany.
Very useful post! My father and stepmother recently returned from Italy and did lots of train travel around the Lucca/Pisa etc area, not always completely smoothly – so this would have been useful to them!
The area you mentioned should be well connected. Anyway it is common that trains can have delays, especially the Regionale ones. Hope they enjoyed anyway.
I very recently did Tuscany by car. An amazing experience as well! Although I can see the advantages of the train, like the Chianti drinking! 🙂 Looks like an amazing trip!
To go deep in the countryside, car is still the best way cause you are more flexible, but you have to worry about drinking, speed limits, traffic and parking. trains are easier. 🙂 Happy you enjoyed our region. 🙂
We love traveling by train in Italy especially between Venice and Tuscany and around the Cinque Terre. There’s lots of good information here, especially the tip about validating your tickets or incurring a fine. I can’t tell you how many tourists we’ve seen that it’s happened to. It’s a great way and easy way to get around your beautiful country!
Locations you mentioned are really well connected and also locals you trains. 🙂 So happy you enjoyed our country. hope you can come back soon.
Traveling via train is my absolute favorite way to travel! This post is quite informative – thanks for including the map and the timetables. This would be a great way to get around if you were doing wine tastings, as you wouldn’t have to worry about driving. Do you find that the prices for train travel are more expensive than other destinations in Europe? Or how do they compare?
I think that in other European countries trains are more expensive but, to be honest, probably they give a better service to customers in terms of punctuality, comfort and cleanliness.
We explored Tuscany by car a few years ago and I absolutely loved the experience of the road trip. However, travelling by train also seems like a brilliant idea! Especially to Pisa, I think it makes sense to go by train and even to Chianti, so that you can enjoy some wine tasting and don’t have to drive after that! What we didn’t do and I would love to experience that in the future is the coastal rail. I’m sure the views would be breathtaking!
I come from the coastal side. I can only say: come! 🙂
The only trains we rode on in Italy were the Cinque Terre train and the train from Milan to Lake Como. We thought about using trains for more of our Italy adventure, but ended up using a rental car because our schedule was so jam-packed and it would have been very difficult to keep the schedule going by train! Still, train travel sounds so relaxing and romantic!
With cars you are more flexible, so your choice make sense. Depending on where people go, I suggest to do a mix of both.
Tuscany is absolutely magical. And with nights filled with delicious Italian vino, a train is the only civilized way to travel. You’ve provided fantastic information that I could even follow after downing a few too many glasses! Cheers!
In case there are no trains anymore at night, get a cab! 🙂 Cheers!
Trying to determine the best way to get from Florence Airport to Marriot Hotel (Via Giovanni Pascoli, Castelvecchio Pascoli Barga Lucca 55051 Italy). Train? Shuttle? Then, the following day after arriving, finding a tour of the local area sights.
Rent a car is the best way. Also because you can easily move across the area, called “Garfagnana”. It is plenty of nice places to see (Barga, Castelnuovo Garfagnana, Vagli Lake, Orecchiella Natural Park…). The hotel is surrounded by nature and the biggest closest town is Lucca. A private transfer from Florence Apt to Il Ciocco Marriot hotel costs about € 200,00 each way. Train is an option but it takes time. From Florence APT, you need to take the tram to Florence SMN Train Station. Then get a train to Lucca. From Lucca another train to Barga/Gallicano train station. From there, ask the hotel for a shuttle. Another option may be to reach Lucca by train (from Florence Central Rail station) and then get a private transfer to the Hotel.
Please tell me what train line is best to take from Rome airport to Luca in Tuscany.
The name of the stops to watch for so I will know where to get off. Do I need a transfer?
Thank you if you can help
Dear Elaine, many thanks for the comment. There are a few options but the easiest way is this one: From FCO Rome Airport you take the train shuttle to Roma Termini Central Rail Station. From Roma Termini, you get the IC Intercity fast train to Pisa Centrale. From Pisa Centrale, you take the “Regionale” Train that in less than 30 minutes arrives in Lucca. A transfer from Roma to Lucca may be quite expensive but obviously is the fastest and more comfortable way. Feel free to drop me a private message at info@mytravelintuscany.com if you need other info.
Nicola – great article! Need your advice now. We are traveling from Rome to Chiusi/Chianciano Terme and staying at agritourismo Casa di Fabbrini fron June 3-June 9. We will not have a car. What destination/activity suggestions do you have for us by train? We definitely want to do a wine tasting and we would love to do a Vespa or e-Bike tour. We have looked at a bunch of options but I am curious as to what local insight you can offer. Any information you provide would be much appreciated!
Dear Melissa, happy that our article is helpful for you. Being close to San Casciano dei Bagni I would not miss a bath in their hot springs. By train, you can easily reach Arezzo, which is quite close and is a lovely town not so touristic. You can also go to Florence for a day. By bus from Chiusi, you can go to Montepulciano, another unmissable town where you can also take wine tasting. Regarding activities, in addition to checking online, I would recommend you contact Casa Fabbrini directly. I am sure they have plenty of ideas, and contacts and they will be pleased to assist you with reservations. (I also work in hospitality in northern Tuscany and I am always happy to help my Guests so, I am sure the Staff in Casa Fabbrini will do the same).
Dear Nicola, this is so cool that we can get suggestions and advise from a local and expert. My daughter and I will be travelling in Tuscany this October. We are planning on flying into Florence from there we would like to travel the perimeter of Tuscany to visit the hot spots and off the beaten path bus routes. Any suggestions, we are interested in pottery and local spots. How do we accomplish this via train and bus?
Hey Jennie, thanks for leaving a comment. Nice to hear you are coming to Tuscany next October. I think you can see many things traveling around by bus and train. Obviously, you won’t be able to reach isolated small villages but still, you can see beautiful places. From Florence, you quickly get to Pistoia, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano (https://mytravelintuscany.com/from-florence-to-san-gimignano/), Lucca, the coast with the towns of Viareggio and Pietrasanta. Then, it depends on how many days you have at your disposal.
Hello Nicola,
We are a family of 9 coming to Lucca in May. We have an apartment in the city center but would much prefer a villa with views and the opportunity to enjoy the Tuscan hills. However we do not want to drive. Do you know if any villas that are close enough, within 1km or so, to train stations in any of the small towns in Tuscany where we should look? There are so many places online to look but they do not say how far from a train station or even if there is a train station close by. We of course are happy with our apartment and love staying within the city or town, but have don’t any many times and we’re hoping for one time in the countryside but close to the train. Any ideas for us to consider? Thanks for all the help you give on here, it’s a brilliant site!
Dear Darren, many thanks for your words about our website. We appreciate. A countryside villa next to a train station is not easy to find. You can take a look at Camaiore, which is also not far from Lucca. In the area, I think there are villas to rent and there is a train station in Lido di Camaiore. Also, Pietrasanta has the same. They both are quite popular summer destinations but may is even better because the weather may be wonderful.
Hello, I love your website!! staying in Florence and would like to take a train or bus on our own to a winery. Castello Vicchiomaggio will be closed due to renovations. Can you please share what other wineries, in Tuscany, we can reach by bus or train. We searched online and could only find Castello V. Thank you so much!!!
Hey Dawn, thanks for the comment. Unfortunately, I cannot help you with the wineries’ names because I do not know them. But I am sure that every place can arrange a transfer for you from the nearest train or bus station to the hotel/winery. I am sure you can find lovely accommodation around towns such as Siena, San Gimignano, Certaldo or Montepulciano. You can reach all these towns by bus or train.
Ciao Nicola
Great post and very very helpful. I am forcing and taking my friends to Val d’Orcia in their otherways ‘tour’ of regular Italy and would be grateful if you could help with your input.
I can get train from Siena to Montepulciano, and from there can get local buses to go to Montichiello .. Is there a particular bus stop you would suggest in which we get down to view that vvvv famous view of Val d’Orcia road. I am also a photographer and hoping you know exactly which place. Please correct me if my above plan wont work. I would love to stay in any of these Borgos, but am worried about the cost being too high and hence staying in Siena.
Would you suggest any other stops too, which would be a delight for a photographer.
Graciez Senore. Thank you so much.
Hi Nicola,
One of the most useful post that I could find on internet about taking trains in tuscany. I’m coming on 29 August for 5 days to florence and I would to discover the surrounding by train. The only think that I am afraid of is that only high-speed trains have airco not the regional one. Is that so? For example if I take the train from florence to Pisa, lukka and La Spezia to visit cinique terre. I am afraid that we sit in the train for two ours with airco. That would be great if you have a magic answer for me that all trains have airco
Dear Maryamr, many thanks for leaving a comment and for your nice words about your content. I have no “magic answers” unfortunately. However, despite technical problems (that in Italy are not so unusual), even Regional Trains have air con. Sometimes it is freezing, at least for me. 🙂 So, I would not be so scared. 🙂 🙂