Day trip to cinque terre from Florence- questions
 

So, I've decided to day trip to cinque terre from Florence. I'll want to do this on a weekday, early July. As previously mentioned, staying there isn't an option.

1- leaning toward doing this on my own. Seems like we'd start early (7) and take a regional train with a stop in Pisa. Then we take another train to which town?
2- is it correct that there are no direct trains? Can we get our tickets same morning or earlier?
3- about how much will the train trip cost?
4- I don't care about seeing all 5 villages. So, which would be the most convenient to see and hike a little?
5- how much do the ferries cost?
6- would u do this on your own or through a tour group?

I will try to help you as much as I can based on my experience.

Last spring/winter I studied in Florence and did a one day Cinque Terre Trip. It was super rushed but I am a young, active guy who enjoyed it thoroughly and experienced a bit.

So I hopped on a train as early as possible. I think like 5:30 out of Florence to Pisa and then to La Spezia. From La Spezia it was a quick train to Levanto which is right there at Cinque Terre. I arrived before 8am and grabbed a quick breakfast in a quaint shop with friendly owners and excellent cappuccino. Ugh how I miss that aspect of studying in Italia haha. I hiked all the way from Levanto to Riomaggiore to Manarola to Corniglia to Vernazza and finally to Monterosso. I did 2 of the Sentieri Alti (Or more advanced hiking routes). The rest were closed due to the rockslide damages from the previous fall. So sad. I had a beautiful day with gorgeous weather and met a nice guy my guy from Australia who ended up meeting up again with me in Florence.

Anyway, I made it all the way to Monterosse for a late lunch which was divine. Grab a plate of spaghetti with the Ligurian traditional pesto sauce on a beachside outdoor table with a cold Nastro Azzurro. Please note I hike fast and am young. But I also took a lot of pictures and was talking along the route.It really isn't that difficult to see all five towns in a full, packed day. I was on the train back to Florence by 4pm (Was going a 4-day weekend trip to the Amalfi Coast that night =] )

Thank you Branderson! I'm thinking to do this with my son who is 15+ and atheletic (I'm not too shabby myself, I run 4/5 miles a day and in my 30s). Did you take the regional train? I assume you didn't reserve anything in advance?

> I don't care about seeing all 5 villages. So, which would be the most convenient to see and hike a little?

I assume your guidebook(s) give descriptions of the hikes, but just to be clear:
- the walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola is an easy walk of about 20 minutes, mostly on a level wooden walkway.
-the walks to Corniglia from either Manarola or Vernazza are steep, as Corniglia sits on a promontory high above the sea.
That leaves the walk from Monterosso to/from Vernazza ... scenic, beautiful, not "easy" but not hard either.

Kja- thank u! I have Rick Steve's book but sometimes find his tastes to differ from mine (obviously its gonna happen). :-)

You might find it to your advantage to get at least one other good guidebook.

You might want to travel to the furthest point and work your way back. Trains are mostly regional trains so no need to book in advance. Travel between the various CT towns is only about 1€ or so. Florence to Pisa is under 10€ one way and Pisa/La Spezia is about 7€.

The walk from Monterosso to/from Vernazza was the only legally opened path last week. We took the ferry, rt from La Spezia for 25 euro. It stops at every village if you want to get off. It was a nice day and the views from the water were fab. You can also take the train. I loved Monterossa. The path was not easy, lot of steps but the views made it worth it. You have to stop for oncoming traffic as some of the paths were very narrow. I would never do this if there was rain as the path was slippery where water oozed out of the mountains. Mud. If I do it again I am following our German friends and bringing walking sticks.

> I would never do this if there was rain

I was almost exactly halfway between Monterossa and Vernazza when a downpour began. It took me several terrifying hours to finish. Definitely not recommended!