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Florence to Milan by Train: Under 2 Hours and How to Pay Less
The Florence to Milan train is about as easy as Italian travel gets: a high-speed service every hour, sometimes more, under the Apennines and across the Po plain in less than two hours. Nobody needs help catching it. What people do need help with is the price, which on the same Tuesday morning train ranged from €19 to €56 depending on who bought the ticket and when, and with one detail that catches visitors out: not every “Milan” train goes to Milano Centrale. Here is how the route works, which station you actually want, and how to pay the lower of those two numbers.
Leaving Florence northbound? Our Florence train station guide covers Santa Maria Novella, and our guide to Venice to Florence by train covers the other high-speed line north, which shares the same tracks as far as Bologna.
The Timetable in One Paragraph
On a November 2026 weekday, Trenitalia runs a Frecciarossa from Firenze Santa Maria Novella to Milano Centrale at fifty-five minutes past every hour, from 06:55 to 21:55, taking 1 hour 55 minutes (the 20:55 is quicker). On top of those, a second set of Frecciarossa trains leaves at ten past several hours of the day (07:10, 09:10, 11:10, 12:10, 17:10 and 20:10) and reaches Milano Rogoredo in 1 hour 44, then carries on to Milano Porta Garibaldi. Italo, the private operator, adds about sixteen trains a day of its own, and advertises 1 hour 43 for the journey. Coming back, Trenitalia’s direct trains leave Milano Centrale at ten past the hour and take 1 hour 54.
That is the whole timetable. You will rarely wait long for a train; the only real decisions are which station and which fare.
| Service | Leaves Florence | Arrives | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frecciarossa | :55 past every hour, 06:55–21:55 | Milano Centrale | 1h55 |
| Frecciarossa | :10 past, six times a day | Milano Rogoredo, then Porta Garibaldi | 1h44 |
| Italo | About 16 a day | Rogoredo and Centrale | From 1h43 |
Centrale or Rogoredo?
This is the detail that matters. Milan has several mainline stations, and the high-speed trains from Florence use several of them.
- Milano Centrale is the grand terminus north-east of the centre, with the metro underneath it and the Malpensa Express departing from its own platforms. If your hotel is near the station, or you are going on to Malpensa airport, Switzerland or most of northern Italy, this is your stop.
- Milano Rogoredo is a through station on the south-eastern edge of the city, on metro line M3. Trains that serve Rogoredo rather than Centrale are about ten minutes faster on paper, but you then need the metro into the centre, which takes back most of what you saved.
The Trenitalia trains at ten past the hour call at Rogoredo and Porta Garibaldi and do not go to Centrale. Italo’s trains call at Rogoredo and Centrale. So the rule is simple: read the arrival station on your ticket. If it says Rogoredo and you wanted Centrale, it is not a disaster, but it is not what you booked either.
How to Pay Less: Real Prices
Trenitalia sells Frecciarossa seats at several price levels at once, and the cheap levels sell out. Here is the Standard-class fare grid for one weekday morning train, the 09:55 from Florence to Milano Centrale on Tuesday 10 November 2026, seen on 15 October, nearly four weeks ahead:
| Fare | Price | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Base | €56.00 | None: unlimited changes before departure, refundable with a deduction |
| Economy | €43.90 | No refund; changes allowed before departure; limited seats |
| Super Economy | €28.90 | No changes, no refund |
| FrecciaDAYS | €21.90 | No changes, no refund; sold only until 21 days before travel |
| FrecciaYOUNG (under 30) | €19.00 | Free CartaFreccia membership needed; sold until midnight on the 11th day before |
Now the same train, five days ahead: €56 or €43.90, nothing else. The flexible Base fare did not move. The discounts simply vanish as the date approaches.
And now a Sunday. For Sunday 15 November, also seen four weeks ahead, the morning trains from Florence still started at €26.90 to €30.90. The afternoon trains, the ones everyone heading home after a weekend wants, started at €56 at lunchtime and €67 from mid-afternoon, with nothing cheaper left. That is the single most useful thing to know about this route.
Four ways to pay less:
- Book three weeks out if your dates are fixed. FrecciaDAYS fares stop being sold 21 days before travel.
- Avoid Sunday afternoons, when the cheap levels go first. Travel in the morning instead, or on a weekday.
- Look at Business. On our sample train, Business FrecciaDAYS was €30.90 and Business Super Economy €35.90, less than a Standard Economy ticket. If you are booking early anyway, the upgrade can cost almost nothing.
- Check Italo on the same screen. Its route page advertises fares from €17.90, and its lowest fares and Trenitalia’s do not always fall on the same trains.
If your plans might change, Economy is the sensible middle: you keep the right to change before departure for about €12 less than Base. Our Florence to Naples train guide goes through the fare levels and classes in more detail, and they work identically on this line.
Which Class on a Two-Hour Train
On a journey this short, the class question is mostly about price rather than comfort. Standard on a Frecciarossa gives you a reclining seat, a power socket and free Wi-Fi, and for under two hours that is plenty. The full Base fares on our sample train were €56 in Standard, €67 in Premium and €77 in Business, and nobody needs to pay €21 extra for a bigger seat between Florence and Milan.
The discounted levels change the sums, though. Business, with single and double leather seats spaced more than a metre apart, was on sale at €30.90 four weeks ahead, which is cheaper than Standard Economy. If you are booking early, look across the whole grid rather than only the Standard column. Business also has an Area Silenzio, where mobile phone use is not allowed, which suits anyone planning to work or sleep.
The café car on the Frecciarossa is in coach 3 or coach 5, depending on the train. On a two-hour run there is just about time for a coffee and a sandwich, but not for a queue as well.
Italo on the Same Route
Italo runs its own high-speed trains between Florence and Milan: about sixteen a day in each direction according to its route page, which also advertises a journey time of 1 hour 43 and fares from €17.90. Its route page lists Bologna and Reggio Emilia AV as stops on the way, and in Milan Rogoredo and Centrale, so you can stay on to the main terminus.
Italo has three classes: Smart (the standard class), Prima Business and Club Executive. If you travel with a large suitcase, note that Italo does not allow luggage over 75 × 53 × 30 cm in Smart, so a big case means booking Prima. Otherwise there is little to choose between the operators on comfort, and the right one is whichever is cheaper at the hour you want.
Arriving in Milan
At Milano Centrale the platforms are upstairs and the city is downstairs: follow the signs down through the station to the street or to the metro. The Duomo is a short metro ride away on line M3, which also serves Rogoredo.
Milan’s city transport is run by ATM. A standard urban ticket costs €2.20 and is valid for 90 minutes across the metro, trams and buses. The simplest way to pay is with a contactless bank card or phone at the metro gates; check ATM’s site for the current ticket options if you prefer not to.
Coming Back to Florence
The return is just as simple. Trenitalia’s direct Frecciarossa trains leave Milano Centrale at ten past the hour and reach Santa Maria Novella in 1 hour 54 minutes; on a November weekday the first leaves at 05:10, and there are departures at 16:10, 17:10, 18:10, 19:10 and 20:10 through the evening.
Prices behave the same way in this direction. On the sample weekday, the late-afternoon trains from Milan were already €33.90 to €36.90 four weeks ahead, while the 19:10 and 20:10 were still at €21.90. If you can stay for dinner, the later train is often the cheaper one.
Florence to Milan’s Airports
Plenty of people take this train to fly home, because Milan has far more long-haul flights than Florence or Pisa. Each of Milan’s airports needs a different connection.
Malpensa
The Malpensa Express, run by Trenord, links the city with Malpensa airport from two stations. From Milano Centrale it runs via Porta Garibaldi and takes about 51 minutes to Terminal 1. From Milano Cadorna, it runs every 30 minutes and takes about 37 minutes. A single adult ticket costs €15 (children aged 4 to 13 €7.50; under-4s free).
The connection is easy at Centrale, because the Malpensa Express leaves from the same station your Frecciarossa arrives at. Check its timetable on the Malpensa Express site for your day, and work backwards from your flight: two hours from Florence, a margin at Centrale, about fifty minutes to the airport, and the airline’s own check-in deadline on top. For a morning long-haul departure, that usually means the night before in Milan.
Linate
Linate, the city airport, is now on the metro. Line M4 runs from the centre to Linate in about 12 minutes, and it costs an ordinary €2.20 urban ticket: there is no airport supplement. You can change onto the M4 from line M1 at San Babila, from M3 at Sforza-Policlinico, or from M2 at Sant’Ambrogio. From Centrale, that is two metro lines and well under an hour door to door, which makes Linate an easy airport to reach by train from Florence.
Bergamo
Milan Bergamo airport, at Orio al Serio, is the one served by many low-cost airlines, and it is a long way from Milan. Coaches run to it from Milano Centrale, and there are trains to Bergamo itself. Check the options and fares on the airport’s own site and allow plenty of time; with a Florence start, it is a long day.
Milan as a Day Trip
Unlike Naples, Milan works perfectly well as a day trip from Florence. Under two hours each way, a train every hour, and a city whose main sights, the Duomo and its roof terraces, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the Brera quarter, cluster in the centre. Leave Florence at 07:55, arrive just before ten, and take a train back at 18:10 or 19:10 to be in Florence by eight or nine.
Two cautions. First, on our sample weekday the late-afternoon trains back from Milan were already dearer than the later evening ones, so price both legs before you commit. Second, if Leonardo’s Last Supper is the reason for the trip, book the timed visit before you buy your train ticket, not after; entry is by timed reservation only, and slots are released in blocks on the museum’s official site, cenacolovinciano.org.
Whether Milan is worth a day of a Florence holiday is another matter. If you have a week in Tuscany, there are a dozen places closer to hand. If fashion, design or the Last Supper are what you came to Italy for, two hours on a comfortable train is a small price.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the train from Florence to Milan?
Frecciarossa trains from Firenze Santa Maria Novella take 1 hour 55 minutes to Milano Centrale, and the trains that call at Milano Rogoredo instead take 1 hour 44. Italo advertises 1 hour 43. On a weekday there is a Frecciarossa to Centrale every hour from 06:55 to 21:55.
How much is the Florence to Milan train?
The flexible Frecciarossa Base fare in Standard class is €56. Booked about four weeks ahead for a November weekday, the cheapest fares were €21.90 (FrecciaDAYS) and €19 for under-30s with FrecciaYOUNG; five days ahead, the cheapest was €43.90. Italo advertises fares from €17.90. Sunday afternoon trains sell their cheap fares first.
Do all trains from Florence go to Milano Centrale?
No. Trenitalia’s trains leaving Florence at ten past the hour call at Milano Rogoredo, on the south-eastern edge of the city, and Porta Garibaldi, and do not go to Centrale. Italo trains call at both. Check the arrival station on your ticket.
How do I get from Florence to Malpensa airport?
Take a Frecciarossa or Italo train to Milano Centrale, then the Malpensa Express, which takes about 51 minutes to Terminal 1 and costs €15 for an adult. Allow about three and a half hours from Florence to the airport including the change, plus check-in time.
Can I do Milan as a day trip from Florence?
Yes. With trains every hour taking under two hours, a day in Milan is easy: an early train arrives before ten, and evening trains have you back in Florence for dinner. Book both legs early, and reserve the Last Supper before buying train tickets if you want to see it.
Keep Reading
- Florence train station guide — Santa Maria Novella before you leave.
- Venice to Florence by train — the other high-speed route north.
- Florence to Naples by train — the full fare guide, heading south.
- Florence transportation guide — every other way in and out.
