rickandpeggy

The title pretty much says it all. We will be in Florence in mid October, and would like to do a side trip to Cinque Terre. We have the newest edition of "Fodor's Florence & Tuscany," and although it shows various ways "to get here," it does not show the fastest/easiest way from Florence without a car.

I think I read that there is good train service, but can't find it.

Thanks very much for the help.

Andrew

Yes, try the Trenitalia website:

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

You'll probably have to change trains once or twice. I did this trip way back in 2007 and it worked quite well then. Italy has an excellent train system.

There are regional trains between the five villages of the Cinque Terre plus La Spezia and Levanto, the towns to the south and north which are considered part of the region. Many trains will stop only at the larger towns, so you may have to change at La Spezia for example to get to Vernazza or something.

vincenzo32951

Fairly straightforward. Train from Florence to Pisa. Change trains in Pisa. Pisa to La Spezia. In La Spezia pick up one of the local trains that stops at the five Cinque Terre towns.

RonZ

So up to 6 hours on trains and 4 trips going back and forth from stations.

bvlenci

I wouldn't recommend this side trip unless you can stay for a few nights. Not only is it not worth the long trip, but the Cinque Terre are inundated with day trippers from tour buses and cruise ships. If you can stay a few nights, at least you have a chance to enjoy the place in the early morning and the evening.

GinnyJo

You probably don't want to hear this... but given the logistics, I would skip it. It is the most overrated place I have been to in recent years.

Andrew

I couldn't disagree with GinnyJo more. I loved the Cinque Terre so much the first time that I went back a few years later. Yes, it is very touristy now - don't expect to hear much Italian spoken on the trails, you'll hear mostly English - but the villages are still lovely, and the experience of the hikes - and the views - are spectacular.

Mid-October is probably a great time to go, if the weather stays good, and you should have fewer tourists. My first visit was in early October, and it was still hot a couple of the days.

I do agree that spending at least a night or two is a good idea. Like most touristy places, the towns do empty out at night when the day trippers leave, and you get a different experience. I stayed in Levanto, partly because it was cheaper there. Levanto is a nice town but not quite the "village built into the side of the hill" experience you get in the five villages. It was an easy train trip down to Monterosso or you can do the long hike down (I didn't). Note that some of the trails are still closed between villages - you have to check the status before you arrive. Sometimes they close on short notice due do slides or weather.

PalenQ

I've stayed there and done it as a day trip from Florence. From Florence is takes about 2.5 hours each way to a Cinque Terre station- just a few minutes between Cinque Terre stations.

And I walked around all the towns leisurely but did not hike that time because I had done that before and it was January this time.

But enjoyed it- try to hike between some of the villages.

For train and CT info check www.seat61.com - www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

You may get some discounts by booking way in advance but regular fare is not all that much if on IC and Regional trains -discounted tickets peg you into to a certain train at a certain time - OK for going but you never know when you may want to come back.