Famous road · 6 km off the route
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Road trip route · Italy
Rome to Florence drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 2 hr 59 min
- Distance
- 273 km
- Fuel (est.)
- €35
- Tolls (est.)
- €15
The Rome to Florence drive
The drive from Rome to Florence covers 170 miles (273 km) and takes about 2 hr 59 min without stops. That makes it a comfortable one-day drive. Leave in the morning and you'll arrive with the day ahead of you.
Most of it is one road: the A1 carries 84% of the distance. You pass Monterotondo and Montevarchi on the way.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 302 m. The Appian Way is 6 km off the route if you have time for a detour.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around €35 one-way plus roughly €15 in motorway tolls. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 170 miles this is longer than 41% of the 144 routes covered here.
The road, kilometre by kilometre
Towns within a few kilometres of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartRome
- 25 kmMonterotondo17 min in
- 228 kmMontevarchi2 h 29 min ingood place to stop
- 273 kmFlorence
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- A1229 km · 84%
- A1dir21 km · 8%
Famous roads on or near the drive
From the 500-plus passes and driving roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app. None are on the fastest route, but these are close enough for a detour.
Famous road · 16 km off the route
Strada Chiantigiana (SR222)
Best stops between Rome and Florence
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Cathedrals & Temples
Orvieto
A dramatic Umbrian hill town perched atop volcanic tufa cliffs, crowned by one of Italy's most ornate Gothic cathedrals.
Landmarks
Montepulciano
A Renaissance hilltop town in southern Tuscany celebrated for its Vino Nobile wine and elegant Piazza Grande.
Landmarks
Pienza
A tiny Tuscan town redesigned in the 15th century as an ideal Renaissance city and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Landmarks
Civita di Bagnoregio
A dying hilltop village in Lazio perched on an eroding volcanic plateau accessible only by a narrow pedestrian bridge.
Scenic Viewpoints
Val d'Orcia
A UNESCO-listed Tuscan valley of rolling hills, cypress-lined roads, and golden wheat fields that define the Italian countryside.
Racetracks
Vallelunga Circuit
Rome's historic racetrack, opened in 1951 north of the city and named after F1 pioneer Piero Taruffi. A staple of Italian GT racing with regular open track days for road drivers.
Landmarks
Sacro Bosco di Bomarzo
The 16th-century 'Park of Monsters', a wooded valley of colossal mannerist grotesques: an ogre's mouth you walk into, a leaning house, war elephants carved from living bedrock. Ignored for centuries, adored by Salvador Dalí.
Filming Locations
Val d'Orcia (Gladiator's Elysium fields)
The cypress-lined wheat fields of southern Tuscany are Maximus's home and the afterlife he walks toward in Gladiator.
Famous Roads
Strada Chiantigiana (SR222)
The classic Chianti wine road winds between Florence and Siena past vineyards, castles and cypress-lined ridges.
What you need for this drive
Rules for each country on the route, in the order you meet them.
Italy
- Motorway
- 130 km/h · 50 in town
- Tolls
- Autostrade
- Must carry
- warning triangle, hi-vis vest
- Winter tyres
- 15 November - 15 April
Low-emission zones: ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato).
Checked against national road authorities and the ECB reference rates. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Famous drives in Italy
Legendary routes you could bolt onto this trip, with real distances and stop counts.
Rome to Florence FAQs
How long is the drive from Rome to Florence?
Driving from Rome to Florence takes about 2 hr 59 min nonstop, covering 170 miles (273 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Rome to Florence?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly €35 one-way. Expect around €15 in motorway tolls. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Rome to Florence in one day?
Yes, at about 2 hr 59 min of driving, Rome to Florence is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from Rome to Florence?
The fastest route uses the A1 (about 229 km), the A1dir (about 21 km). It passes Monterotondo, Montevarchi.
Where should I stop on the way from Rome to Florence?
If you stop every couple of hours, Montevarchi comes up about 2 h in. All are just off the main road.
What other drives can I plan on Plan Your Road Trips?
We publish drive times, distances and fuel estimates for 144 routes across Europe and beyond, including 17 other drives in the same country. Browse them all on the routes index.
What are the best stops between Rome and Florence?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Orvieto, Montepulciano, Pienza: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from Rome & Florence
Florence → PisaFlorence → VeniceLondon → RomeMilan → FlorenceRome → AmalfiRome → MilanRome → NaplesRome → PisaRome → Venice
Planning a bigger trip? Try the free Italy road trip planner, browse every destination we cover, take it with you on the road, or read the driving in Italy guide.