Guide
Rome to Milan: when the train wins, and when it does not
Three hours against five and a half: on paper there is no contest. Then luggage, the number of people and the chance to stop halfway come into it, and stopping is something the train simply cannot do.
Updated 7 October 2026
In short
Rome to Milan is about 570 km: 3 hours by high-speed train (about 4 door to door), 5 h 30 by car (6–7 with a stop). For one or two people with light luggage the train wins. The car makes sense for groups, heavy luggage, awkward hours or a stop on the way such as Florence, Orvieto or Bologna. Car with driver, one way: from €1,250 + 10% VAT per sedan (up to 3 passengers), from €1,350 per van (up to 7), fuel and tolls included.
Rome and Milan are the two best connected cities in Italy. High-speed trains link them in about three hours, with dozens of departures a day, and for one person travelling light nothing else makes as much sense.
Even so, a share of the people making this journey choose a car with driver, and not by mistake. There are three reasons: the number of passengers, the weight of the luggage and, above all, the option of breaking the journey with a stop, which is the one thing the train cannot offer.
The numbers, without optimism
By road it is about five hundred and seventy kilometres, almost entirely on the Autostrada del Sole, for five and a half hours of driving and some forty euros of tolls. With a short break it comes to six hours door to door.
By train the journey is just under three hours from Termini to Milano Centrale. The usual rule applies: three hours is station to station. Add getting to Termini, being there early, and at the other end the stretch from Centrale to the actual address, which in Milan is rarely around the corner.
By air the flight to Linate is a little over an hour, but with two airport transfers and security the advantage thins out considerably, and luggage becomes something to manage again.
| Option | Door to door | Cost | When it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed train | about 4 hours counting both ends | ticket per person, highly variable | one or two people, light luggage, city centre |
| Flight to Linate | about 4 hours counting everything | ticket plus two transfers | rarely: on this route the train almost always does better |
| Car with driver | 6 to 7 hours with a stop | €1,250 sedan, €1,350 van, per vehicle | groups, heavy luggage, a stop halfway, awkward hours |
| Rental car | the same, but you drive | rental, fuel, tolls and parking in Milan | if you want a car during the stay as well |
When the train wins, and wins clearly
One or two people, one cabin bag each, departure and arrival near the stations: in that case the high-speed train is faster, costs far less and has no drawbacks. There is no point pretending otherwise.
The same holds for a day trip on business, with a meeting in central Milan and the return in the evening: the train is the right tool.
What the train cannot do: stop halfway
The Autostrada del Sole runs past some of the most visited cities in Italy. Florence sits exactly halfway, two hundred and seventy-five kilometres from Rome. Orvieto comes early on, its cathedral minutes from the exit. Bologna is on the route, and Siena is about half an hour off the motorway at the Valdichiana exit.
Stopping two or three hours in one of them turns a transfer into a day of travel. By train the same thing means two separate tickets, timetables to align and, above all, a left luggage office to find and reach: at that point the stop costs more effort than it is worth.
In the car the stop is agreed before departure and is part of the quote. You arrive, you are dropped at the right spot, and you set off again from there.
The luggage stays in the car
This detail decides the choice more often than people expect. During the stop the suitcases do not move: they stay in the locked vehicle, with no storage office to find, no queue and no closing time to respect.
It matters just as much for people actually relocating, carrying more than one case each. On a busy train four large suitcases are a real problem, and there is not always anywhere to put them.
What it costs
The Rome to Milan transfer has a clear starting price: from 1,250 euros by sedan and 1,350 by van, per vehicle and one way, before ten per cent VAT, with fuel and tolls included.
On long journeys the sedan takes up to three passengers and the van up to seven. The price is for the vehicle, so divided among four people it compares with four tickets, not with one.
A stop along the way is agreed in advance: a short one is part of the rate, while a visit of several hours is reflected in the quote, since the vehicle is committed for longer. Either way the figure is a single one, settled before departure.
A rental car is worth it only if you need the vehicle in Milan too. On top of the rental come fuel, tolls and parking in the city, which in Milan is expensive and complicated by the restricted traffic zones; and the five and a half hours of driving are still yours.
The hours the trains do not cover
A four in the morning departure for a flight out of Malpensa, or a return to Rome deep into the night after a day in Milan, are the cases where the comparison stops being theoretical: the train is simply not running, or it is running with changes and waits.
The same goes for travelling with small children, for anyone who struggles to walk, and for those carrying bulky equipment, musical instruments or work material.
Frequently asked questions
Rome to Milan
How far is Milan from Rome by road?
About five hundred and seventy kilometres, almost all on the Autostrada del Sole. That is five and a half hours of driving, six door to door with a short break.
What does the Rome to Milan transfer cost?
from 1,250 euros by sedan and 1,350 by van, per vehicle and one way, before VAT, with fuel and tolls included. On long journeys the sedan takes up to three passengers and the van up to seven.
Can we stop in Florence on the way?
Yes, and it is the main advantage of the car on this route. Florence is halfway, right by the motorway. The stop is agreed before departure and is part of the quote.
What other cities can be added?
Orvieto and Bologna are on the route, and Siena is about half an hour off the motorway at the Valdichiana exit. Any stop that does not take you far from the motorway can be considered.
Does the luggage stay in the car during the stop?
Yes. The suitcases do not move and there is no storage office to find: they stay in the locked vehicle for the whole of the stop.
Is it better than the high-speed train?
For one or two people, travelling light to an address near the station, no: the train is faster and cheaper. For four with suitcases, with a stop to make or at an hour the trains do not cover, the sum turns around.
Can we leave at night or very early?
Yes, at any hour, including times when no trains run. It is one of the most common reasons people choose this service.
Rome to Milan, with a driver
A reply with the exact rate normally arrives within an hour.