Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence: One Day Itinerary

Are you wondering if it is possible to do a day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence? Well, the short answer is yes, yes it is. And I’m going to detail exactly how to do it in this post. But before I do, I want to clarify that I believe that the ideal number of days in Cinque Terre is two days. I explain why in the guide I linked. But we don’t always have the ideal amount of time in our Italy itineraries! So, if one day is all you have to squeeze in a visit to Cinque Terre, then keep reading.

But first, a quick suggestion: This is a super-detailed and somewhat lengthy post, with entry prices, direct links to official sites to purchase tickets in advance, etc. I’ve provided a condensed summary at the bottom, but you’ll definitely want to bookmark or Pin this page to return to later if you’re planning a visit to Cinque Terre in one day.

What Can You See in Cinque Terre in One Day?

The main activities to do in Cinque Terre are visit all five villages and hike between them. The trails are quite prone to mudslides, so always check the official trail site for the most up-to-date status of the trails. The most-beloved part of the famous trail was actually closed for twelve years due to reconstruction after an avalanche!

Purchase the Correct Cinque Terre Card

In order to hike even a portion of the famous Cinque Terre trail, you’ll need to pay (unless it’s winter when there’s apparently no one checking). For this itinerary, get the Via dell’Amore + Train Card 1 day card. This will run you €29.50 – €42.50, depending on the date. It grants you unlimited access to the paid trails and unlimited train travel between Levanto and La Spezia. It also allows you free public toilet usage in the villages and free WiFi at the village train stations. You can purchase this card in person at any train station or information point between La Spezia and Levanto, or you can purchase it online in advance. Definitely consider purchasing in advance in the high season, as tickets can sell out!

Purchase the Correct Train Ticket from Florence to Cinque Terre

Florence has multiple train stations. You will NOT be using the main one (called Firenze S. M. Novella) for this Cinque Terre day trip from Florence. The direct train you will take only leaves from one station, called Firenze Campo Di Marte.

Again, the Firenze Campo Di Marte train station is the only one that will allow you a direct train to and from La Spezia, which is absolutely necessary in order to fit a day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence into one day. 

This other station is just a 9 minute ride on the regional train (or 39 minute walk) from the main train station. This ticket is €1.60 each way and its price doesn’t change based on how far out you buy it. The other nice thing about Italy’s regional trains is that you can use your ticket on any train along the same route within four hours after the one you purchased. So it allows you flexibility!

Consider buying all the tickets in advance for your Cinque Terre day trip from Florence (the round trip ticket between La Spezia Central and Firenze Campo Di Marte as well as the round trip regional tickets to and from Firenze Campo Di Marte, if necessary). You can do this either in person at any station or online. This way, you don’t waste extra time the morning of the Cinque Terre day trip looking for the ticket machines and entering all your details.

Now, for the itinerary!

One Day Itinerary for Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence

Take the Train from Florence to Monterosso

Start the day bright and early in Florence. Take a direct train from Firenze Campo Di Marte train station to La Spezia Centrale. If you are buying this ticket for the next morning, you can expect to pay €35 for the 1.75 hour journey. If you are buying one month out, the price drops to €25.90. And if you purchase the ticket two months out, the price drops further to €15.90. (These prices are one way, but remember that your tripw ill. be round trip!) This journey takes 1.75 hours one way.

This train journey only leaves once per day, a few minutes before 8am. So make sure to be at the correct platform in the correct train station with a decent amount of time to spare. And ALWAYS validate your ticket before getting on the train in Italy. Otherwise, you risk a hefty (and I mean hefty!) fine. If purchasing tickets online, you can just check-in online as your validation.

Once at La Spezia’s train station (around 9:40am), you are within the zone that your Cinque Terre trails and train card covers. From here, transfer to Monterosso. This journey takes around 20 minutes.

Once finished, it’s time to hit the trails again! The hike from Vernazza to Corniglia is quoted as taking another two hours. So let’s budget that amount of time for your, even though I actually finished it in 1.5 hours flat, and I’m not particularly speedy, since I’m always snapping pics at every turn!

You should arrive at La Spezia Centrale by 7:20pm. Your departure will be something around 7:40-ish, but again, since it’s the only direct train of the evening, it’s better to be super early! Just in case there are any delays!

Now, just hop on the direct train to Firenze Campo Di Marte. Flip through all your pretty pictures from your day trip to Cinque Terre, or just enjoy the Tuscan scenery as you make your way back to Florence. This train journey takes 1.75 hrs. 

Ways to Adjust this Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence

The way I have this Cinque Terre itinerary laid out, you are spending roughly an equal amount of time in each town (around 45 minutes). This makes it hard to have a proper sit-down meal if you want to stay on schedule. But the towns don’t really require that much time each to visit. Most are pretty tiny!

So if you want to have a proper sit-down lunch halfway through (perhaps in Vernazza or Corniglia) or a proper dinner (perhaps in Manarola), you can remove 15 – 20 minutes from a few of the other towns and tack that time onto the town that you want to have a meal in.

The same thing goes for having a quick swim. If you want to have some time to properly spread a towel and lie out (perhaps in Monterosso or Manarola), you can reallocate time to do so.

Another adjustment you can make if you are traveling in the low season is the direction that you walk the Via dell’Amore. If you prefer to do this, you can take the train to Manarola (instead of Riomaggiore) from Corniglia. Then, after exploring Manarola, you can walk the path down to Riomaggiore and finish the day there. But if you will be visiting in high season, I recommend you stick to the order of towns that I have suggested in the itinerary above! The trail can only be walked one direction in high season.

Summary of this Itinerary for a Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence

Phew! That was a lot of information – I know! It might be hard to visualize it all, so I’ve created this nifty overview schedule below. If you still have questions, definitely comment below. I spent four nights shuttle-busing, training, hiking, and swimming around Cinque Terre and its surrounding. So I’ll respond with any itinerary help I can provide.

• 8:00-ish am: depart Firenze Campo Di Marte
• 9:45-ish am: arrive at La Spezia Centrale, transfer to Monterosso
• 10:00 am: arrive in Monterosso, explore
• 10:45 am: begin hike to Vernazza
• 12:45 pm: arrive in Vernazza, explore
• 1:30 pm: begin hike to Corniglia
• 3:30 pm: arrive Corniglia, explore
• 4:15 pm: begin walk down to Corniglia train station
• 4:30 pm take train to Riomaggiore
• 4:45 pm arrive in Riomaggiore, explore
• 5:30 pm: walk the Via dell’Amore to Manarola
• 6:00 pm: arrive in Manarola, explore
• 7:00 pm: be at Manarola train station to depart for La Spezia
• 7:20 pm: arrive at La Spezia, locate platform for your transfer, and
• 7:45-ish pm: depart from La Spezia Centrale
• 9:30 pm: arrive at Firenze Campo di Marte

It’s a lot, isn’t it? I did warn you, though! A day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence is a really big feat if you are hoping to hike all trails and see all towns. But, like I also said, it’s doable if need be. And now you have the full itinerary to be able to do it!

What Do You Think of my Cinque Terre One Day Itinerary from Florence?

Will you be doing this one day Cinque Terre itinerary? Or do you prefer to travel slower, like I do? Let me know in the comments section below! Also feel free to drop any questions you have about this Cinque Terre day trip from Florence. I respond!