If you’re looking for a guide to doing a day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence then you came to the right place! Cinque Terre is one of my favorite places in all of Italy. Why? Because it’s not only a picture perfect town, but it has amazing seafood too! Although, it would be extremely more relaxing to stay at least a weekend, it’s totally possible to do it as a day trip. It’s definitely going to be a long day, but the views are totally worth it!
Most people mistake CInque Terre as a place, but it’s actually a series of five different villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. It’s about a twenty minute train ride from the two furthest points, but it takes about five minutes to get from village to village. Cinque Terre is the southern part of the Italian Riviera off the Ligurian Coast and its an extremely picture perfect place.
I’ve met a lot of people who have never heard of Cinque Terre, but I was actually surprised by how many tourists were visiting. I think most people I saw were tourists. I did a day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence and wanted to give you guys a step by step guide on how I did it and what I did.
Since Cinque Terre isn’t one specific place, there’s no direct trains from Florence to Cinque Terre. The closest station to the Cinque Terre Villages is La Spezia Centrale. I took a regional ItaliaRail train from Florence SMN to La Spezia Centrale which took about three hours for $17 one way ($34 round trip). Faster trains will stop in Pisa and require a train switch in order to get to La Spezia Centrale, so I just stuck with the cheaper and direct option.
During my day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence, I bought the Cinque Terre Train card for one day. I bought my train card once I arrived at the La Spezia Centrale station, otherwise they are available at any of the Cinque Terre villages. I highly recommend Cinque Terre Train Card for the day trip because it’s the most convenient way to travel and the train conductors actually check on the trains! They have one, two, and three day options that allow for unlimited train rides between the villages. The prices are cheaper during the off season, but here’s an overview for the train passes.
Adult Prices
Once purchasing the Train Card be sure to validate the ticket inside a green machine on one of the walls! I watched a couple get a hefty fine for not validating their tickets! Better be safe than sorry! Train tickets otherwise cost €4 for one train ride.
If you’re planning to hike the trekking trails between the villages and not take the trains then you’ll need to buy the Cinque Terre Card. The Cinque Terre card is cheaper but doesn’t include train access. It gives you access to the park busses, all trekking paths, and wifi connection. The Cinque Terre Hiking the trails is possible during a day trip, but it’ll definitely be a long one. I’d recommend staying here for at least two days if you want to do the hike AND really see all of the villages. Otherwise for a day trip, I’d highly recommend taking the trains to maximize your time in each of the villages. The Cinque Terre Train Card includes access to all the trains, busses, trekking paths, and wifi connection!
Monterosso al Mare is the furthest village from La Spezia Centrale (far as in a short twenty minute train ride). It’s the only village with a noteworthy sand beach in comparison to all the other Cinque Terre villages. The landscape view of the cliffs while sitting on the beach is absolutely incredible. This is the biggest village of Cinque Terre and is the only village in Cinque Terre where you’ll see a few cars.
The town is divided into two parts – old town and new town. It’s separated by a tunnel that is used by both pedestrians and cars. Once you exit the Monterosso train station follow the arrows towards Old Town. Walk up the pathway towards the old town centre of Monterosso and explore the town. My favorite thing to do throughout Cinque Terre was just to explore the alley ways that looked interesting.
Vernazza is known to be one of the prettiest villages in Cinque Terre. It has a beautiful harbor and brightly colored buildings. This region is actually where pesto was invented, so you can find this delicious sauce in most shops, restaurants, and cafes to eat or to bring home.
The Doria castle is found at the top of a cliff in the center of the harbor. It’s one of the main sights you see when looking at the skyline of Vernazza. Climb to the top of the castle and find that there’s an amazing view of the entire village.
Eat a Misto Fritto cone in Vernazza, which is a paper cone filled with fresh calamari and anchovies. They have other options that include just calamari or fries and more. I absolutely love seafood, so this was one of my favorite things I ate here. You can find them in a lot of different shops, but the ones I got here at La Bottega Del Fritto were absolutely delicious. If you’re a fan of calamari definitely try them!
Corniglia is the city most people skip over. Mostly because it’s the least accessible and harder to get to. It’s the only village that doesn’t have a coast and is about 100 meters above the sea. It’s definitely the quietest and most remote of all the five villages since its surrounded by vineyards and terraces.
After arriving at the station, there are approximately 377 steps that zig zag all the way up to the top of the village. It’s very difficult to climb, so I’d recommend waiting for the bus shuttle. If you’re tight on time during you’re day trip, this is the village I’d choose to skip over mostly because it’s the most difficult to access.
Manarola is the oldest town in Cinque Terre and was my absolute favorite village. It has a tradition of producing olive oil and wine which comes from the terraces on the hills. This is the village most often photographed when looking up photos of Cinque Terre so grab your camera and took a ton of photos! The village is extremely picturesque with its extremely beautiful and brightly colored houses.
Part of the hike is easily accessible by walking up the trail, which has an absolutely amazing view of the village. I’d highly recommend walking out to see the view because it’s stunning! The harbor is extremely beautiful and people were sunbathing next to the turquoise water on the rocks.
This village is the best to watch the sunset so if it’s evening, I’d recommend saving this one for last!
Via dell’Amore is the walking pathway between Manarola and Riomaggiore. It’s the easiest part of the hike and takes about 30 minutes, however this part of the hike was recently closed due to a landslide. Riomaggiore is known for its sweet, white wine known as Sciacchetra so definitely try it! The town itself is nestled between two steep hills that are covered in vineyards where they produce their speciality wines.
Riomaggiore has a small beach which can be reached by climbing some stairs at the end of the harbor. This is another great village to watch a beautiful sunset.
All in all, doing a day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence was one of my favorite trips in Italy. It’s definitely a place I plan on coming back to and staying for a few days days so I can get the full experience of also doing the hike. The views in Cinque Terre are absolutely breathtaking and the seafood is delicious. I’d definitely recommend going during the off season to avoid the crowds because it can get really busy during the summer months.
Until then, see ya in the next post!
Xoxo, Ang Around the Globe – Angelique
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