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Cinque Terre has become an insanely popular tourist destination in Italy. When I first visited fourteen years ago, I had never heard of it before and when I came home from being abroad no one I mentioned it to had heard of it either. But the destination has exploded in the last ten years, and now most people have seen pictures of those colorful cliffside houses! This means you need to plan effectively to visit, because it’s small & gets super crowded
Cinque Terre is definitely worth a visit if you have a free day on your Italy trip, or alternatively you could spend a few days there. It is accessible from Florence as a day trip for those who are hoping to see a few things outside of Florence during their stay. It’s a longer day trip than some of your other Day trip options near Florence, but if you leave early you’ll have plenty of time to explore Cinque Terre before heading back to Florence at night!
If you choose to spend longer in Cinque Terre, you can find my full Cinque Terre Travel Guide here.
Jump To:
- Train from Florence to Cinque Terre
- Driving from Florence to Cinque Terre
- Getting Around Cinque Terre
- The 5 Towns:
Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!
Train from Florence to Cinque Terre
Florence –> La Spezia
From Florence you’ll want to take the train from Santa Maria Novella, the main train station, to La Spezia. The trains run directly from Florence to La Spezia several times a day, or you can take a train to Pisa and change to a train to La Spezia. The direct train takes 2 and a half hous. Technically, taking a high speed train and switching in Pisa can save you about 20 minutes if you time the trains perfectly, but I prefer to maybe spend 20 minutes longer on the train and avoid the hassle of switching.
There’s a direct train that leaves at 7:54 AM and gets you to Cinque at 9:37AM, I usually opt for this train. Getting to Cinque Terre early to beat the crowds is a must, it gets crazy. You could leave even earlier if you want.
Getting Around Cinque Terre
La Spezia –> Cinque Terre
La Spezia is the largest town near Cinque Terre and where you’ll want to get to in order to access the local train that runs through the five towns of Cinque Terre (Cinque Terre literally translates to Five Lands) From La Spezia there is a train called the “Cinque Terre Express Train” it runs from La Spezia to each of the five towns and back every fifteen minutes during the busy season (spring-fall) and every hour or so in the winter.
From La Spezia you can purchase the Cinque Terre train card. This will give you a day of unlimited access on the trains between La Spezia and the five towns of Cinque Terre as well as access to the hiking trails connecting the five towns.
Even if you’re planning to hike between the towns (when all the trails are open – you can check that here) you’ll still need a round trip ticket from La Spezia, to get there and back and at the end of the day, and you’ll need to purchase a Cinque Terre card for the two most popular of the hiking trails (Monterosso to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia) so purchasing the Cinque Terre card is likely your best option in any scenario.
From La Spezia you can take the train and start at any of the five towns. The most popular option is to start in the first town, Riomaggiore, or the last town, Monterosso al Mare. I prefer to start at Riomaggiore & end in Moterosso (the beach is there and it’s a great spot to have a late lunch and drinks before heading back to Florence!
Driving to Cinque Terre from Florence
If you’ve rented a car you might be wondering if it’s possible to drive to Cinque Terre from Florence. It’s about a two hour drive from Florence, so it is definitely possible to drive. The one thing to note is that parking is super limited in the five villages of Cinque Terre, and you can’t drive within the villages themselves, so if you do find parking you’ll still need to walk into the villages.
The best option for parking if you’re driving is to actually head to La Spezia Train station and park at the large garage underneath the station. It can be accessed here. This parking garage is much larger, so you’ll have less trouble finding a spot. It costs $30 a day there to park.
From La Spezia grab the “Cinque Terre Express Train” that runs from La Spezia to each of the five towns. Purchase the Cinque Terre train card. This will give you a day of unlimited access on the trains between La Spezia and the five towns of Cinque Terre as well as access to the hiking trails connecting the five towns.
Riomaggiore
From the train station at Riomaggiore you’ll need to walk about five minutes through the pedestrian tunnel down into the small town of Riomaggiore. During my day trips I usually spend some of the least amount of time here, as it’s quite small. but it’s worth exploring for a bit! It’s a good spot to grab a quick cup of coffee before heading to the next town, Manarola.
You could also stop here on your way back to La Spezia, the harbor is stunning at sunset.
Riomaggiore –> Manarola Path – Via dell’Amore
The trail from Riomaggiore or Manarola is the shortest and easiest of the Cinque Terre hikes and is known as Via dell’Amore. It reopened in 2024 from renovations, but requires separate reservations from the other hiking trails. Tickets are limited, so book in advance.
Details
- Tickets for the Via dell’Amore can be purchased online at card.parconazionale5terre.it by selecting the “Cinque Terre Card Plus” option, or at www.viadellamore.info. Tickets are for a specific day and time
- The trail is one way Riomaggiore –> Manarola
- If you’re staying in Riomaggiore ask your accomodation about a Riomaggiore resident card – this may give you access to both directions on the trail & no required timeslot
Manarola
Manarola is likely one of the towns you’ve seen images from if you’ve seen pictures of Cinque Terre online before. It offers stunning views of pastel houses stacked up the cliffs above the Mediterranean Sea. This is one of the most picturesque of the Cinque Terre towns and you’ll want to take your time to explore! Even if you’re not planning on hiking the Corniglia (the next town) I recommend you head towards the trails and walk part way up, the views looking back at Manarola are some of the best picture spots!
Manarola –> Coniglia Hike
The hike to the next town of Corniglia is about an hour long. Corniglia sits high up on a hill, so it’s a bit more of an average-medium hike. If you’re not interested in hiking you can hop back on the train and head to Corniglia that way.
Corniglia
Corniglia sits high above the rest of the Cinque Terre towns and is the only town without access to the Mediterranean. Corniglia is small and a bit more difficult to reach than the rest of the towns, form the train station you need to hike about 20 minutes uphill to reach the town, or wait for a small shuttle (this gets super crowded, so wait times can be long)
If you’re short on time (or trying to squeeze a lot into a one day trip) you can bypass Corniglia and continue straight on to Vernazza (probably the most famous of the five towns)
If you do visit Corniglia it’s high vantage point offers some stunning views and the town has some lovely views over the terraced vineyards with the colorful houses in the background. It’s worth a stop if you’renot short on time!
Corniglia –> Vernazza Hike
The hike from Corniglia to Vernazza is about 90 minutes – 2 hours depending on your speed, and is mostly downhill. Some fo the best views of Vernazza are from this trail as you get towards Vernazza
Vernazza
Vernazza is probably the most picturesque of the five towns and is worth leaving some time to explore, and maybe grab a drink at one of the cafes on the water lining the small inlet! I still remember how magical we found this place when we first visited Cinque Terre ten years ago. The pictures couldn’t even come close to doing it justice! To get the best view head up the trail towards Monterosso, as the trail climbs up you get the most stunning views of Vernazza below.
Vernazza also has some options for swimming. The “beach” is tiny, but you’ll find people spread all across the rocks and swimming on warm days.
Vernazza –> Monterosso al Mare Hike
The last time I was there this portion of the trail was closed and I was so bummed to not be able to hike this portion as it offers the best views in my opinion! The hike is about an hour and a half long, the first half being a steep climb and the second half being a steep descent into Monterosso al Mare.
Monterosso al Mare
The fifth town, Monterosso, is also my favorite for having a late lunch, relaxing on the beach, and having a few drinks before taking the train back to La Spezia and catching the next train back to Florence! Monterosso is the only of the towns that offers a sandy beach for swimming.
The beach is also lined with restaurants with outdoor patios under colorful umbrellas for enjoying your lunch and aperitif with a view! I highly recommend you try something with pesto, like a pesto pizza, Cinque Terre is famous for it! The last time I was there I had lunch at Barabba In White right on the water. The food was fantastic!
The town of Monterosso is actually about a 10 minute walk from the beach, and is also worth a visit if you’re not short on time. Just follow the crowds, you walk along the beach back towards Vernazza to reach the town. Many people opt to stay here in Cinque Terre as it’s a bit bigger with more options than some of the other towns/
After spending some time at the beach you can take the Cinque Terre train back to La Spezia and catch a train back to Florence in time for a late dinner! The latest train back to Florence is at 9:24PM, I usually take a train around 6-7PM.
If you do take a day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence let me know your thoughts in the comments! Also, check out my full Florence Travel guide here!
Other Highlights from my Day Trips Series
Some of my other favorite cities (besides Florence) to base yourself in for amazing day trip opportunities are Innsbruck, Reykjavik & Munich
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