The short answer
The Cinque Terre are five villages in Liguria: from north to south, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, inside the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They aren't in Tuscany, but they lie just over the border, and most visitors arrive from Florence, from Pisa or from Versilia. The gateway is La Spezia: from there a local train links the five villages, each just a few minutes from the next.
What to book, in short:
- If you're going independently by train: the Cinque Terre Treno Card for the day (or days) of your visit, bought online or at the Infopoints in the stations. If you want to walk the Via dell'Amore, book the time slot together with the Card.
- If you only want to walk and you're arriving by car or by boat: the cheaper Trekking Card, without trains, is enough.
- If you'd rather not organise anything: a group tour from Florence, bearing in mind that it lasts 12–13 hours and you'll see the villages in a rush.
Getting there from Tuscany: everything goes through La Spezia
The train is the right way to go: the line runs along the coast and stops in all five villages, and the local trains are included in the Treno Card.
| Route | Train | Journey time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firenze SMN → La Spezia Centrale | direct regional | about 2 h 27 | €15.90 |
| Firenze SMN → La Spezia Centrale | regional with a change at Pisa | about 2 h 15–2 h 20 | €15.90 |
| Pisa Centrale → La Spezia Centrale | regional | 1 h 13–1 h 15 | €8.90 |
| Pisa Centrale → La Spezia Centrale | Intercity or Frecce | about 50 minutes | €9.90–14.90 |
| La Spezia → Monterosso | Cinque Terre Express | 22–25 minutes | seasonal fare |
Regional fares are fixed; Intercity and Frecce fares change with the date. From Florence there are also connections using the Frecce high-speed trains, from about €18.70, at variable prices.
Between La Spezia and the villages run the Cinque Terre Express trains, roughly every half hour. The single ticket has a seasonal fare, higher in peak season: if you plan more than two or three journeys in the day, the Treno Card, which covers them all without limit, is usually the better deal.
From Versilia and Pisa the journey is even shorter: it's the most sensible way to fit the Cinque Terre into a holiday in Tuscany without turning it upside down.
Cinque Terre Card: the price bands
The Park sells two cards, and their price isn't fixed: it depends on the day. In the main season the Park divides the calendar into three bands according to expected crowding (low, medium, high), set out in an official calendar. Same ticket, different price: the days when more people are expected cost more. Guides that still quote €7.50 or €16 are stuck on fares from years ago.
Cinque Terre Treno Card: unlimited second-class regional trains between La Spezia, the five villages and Levanto, access to the Sentiero Verde Azzurro and the Via dell'Amore, the Park's buses in the villages, free toilets in the stations (otherwise €1), the Park's Wi-Fi, and free entry to the CAMeC museum in La Spezia.
| Treno Card, adult (ages 12–69) | Low band | Medium band | High band |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | €22 | €29.50 | €35 |
| 2 days | €36.50 | €51 | €61 |
| 3 days | €49 | €68 | €81 |
| 1 day, child aged 4–11 | €15 | €20 | €23.50 |
| 1 day, over 70 | €18.50 | €25 | €29.50 |
Out of season, in winter, a single winter fare applies: €17.30 for one adult day, €29 for two days, €34 for three. There are also family fares (two adults with children aged 4 to 11).
Cinque Terre Trekking Card: the paid trails, the Via dell'Amore and the village buses, without trains. It has two price columns, standard and high crowding: €10 or €15 for one adult day, €17 or €26.70 for two days.
You can buy the cards at the Park's Infopoints in the stations between La Spezia and Levanto, or online at card.parconazionale5terre.it. The one-day card is valid until midnight on the day you choose.
The Via dell'Amore: open, but with rules
The cliff-edge path above the sea between Riomaggiore and Manarola was closed for a long time after a landslide and reopened after years of work. Access is now regulated:
- One way only: you walk only from Riomaggiore towards Manarola, about 30 minutes. You can't come back along the same path.
- You need a Card and a booked time slot. The Via dell'Amore is included in both the Treno Card and the Trekking Card, but places are limited: you choose the slot when you buy, or later, using the voucher code. Without a card you can't get in. The minimum cost of access is €10, in other words a one-day Trekking Card.
- Opening hours: every day from 09:00 until evening, closing later in summer (until 21:00) and earlier in winter (at 18:00), with last entry half an hour before.
- Free for children up to 3 and for visitors with disabilities. Groups of up to 30 people book and pay in advance.
Along the path there are five installations by the artist Gino Covili. If you have the Treno Card, plan the day starting from the south: train to Riomaggiore, the Via dell'Amore, then from Manarola carry on north by train.
Trails: what's open and what's closed
The Card is only needed for two routes: the Sentiero Verde Azzurro (number 592, the coastal path between the villages) and the Via dell'Amore. The Park's other trails, hundreds of kilometres of them, generally don't require a ticket.
The status of the Sentiero Azzurro stretches, according to the Park's official list at the moment:
| Stretch | Status |
|---|---|
| Riomaggiore–Manarola (Via dell'Amore) | open with booking, one way |
| Manarola–Corniglia | closed, apart from a short accessible section |
| Corniglia–Vernazza | open |
| Vernazza–Monterosso | open |
So there's no walking "all five villages along the coast": between Manarola and Corniglia you take the train. If you also want to walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola in the other direction, there is trail 531, higher up, via Beccara, which is not currently listed as closed. On the open stretches between Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso you need proper shoes and water. After heavy rain or landslides the status changes from one day to the next, so check the trail network page on the Park's website in the morning.
By boat
Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti links La Spezia, Porto Venere and Lerici with the Cinque Terre and with Levanto, with single and day tickets. The full season runs from late March to early November, with a few reduced services until December. Two things to know: Corniglia has no landing stage, because it sits on top of a cliff, and in rough seas sailings are cancelled. The boat is a lovely way to see the villages from the sea, not something to rely on to get back on time.
Cinque Terre day trip from Florence: tour or train?
It's the question everyone asks. The honest answer: it can be done, but it's a long, tiring day.
The organised tour
A typical programme, that of the Pisa and Cinque Terre trip sold on Tiqets, lasts about 13 hours:
- Florence, Piazzale Montelungomeeting point and coach departure
- La Speziaabout 2 h 20 on the road; from here you carry on by train
- Manarolaabout 1 h 45: the village and the viewpoint
- Monterossoabout 2 h 45, with free time for lunch and the beach
- Coach departure towards Pisaafter the train back
- Pisa, Piazza dei Miracoliabout 1 hour of free time, Tower climb not included
- Florencereturn, often later
Times are approximate. Take away about 4–5 hours on the coach and you're left with two villages and a photo stop in Pisa, with no Tower climb. The advantage is that you don't have to think about anything: trains between the villages, connections, the journey back. The drawback is the group pace, in the busiest villages, at the busiest time of day. Before booking, check whether the Card or the local train tickets are included: it changes the comparison.
The partners sell several versions, from a "Cinque Terre only" trip to one with Pisa, with an optional hike or with a boat ride. Partner prices change, and we check them regularly.
Florence: Cinque Terre Day Trip with Optional Hiking or Pisa
(6,091 reviews) from €55
Book on GetYourGuide
| No. | Option | Platform | Rating | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Florence: Day Trip to Cinque Terre with Optional Street Food cheapest | GetYourGuide | 4.5 (3,418) | 12 hours | €41.30 |
| 02 | Cinque Terre: Day Tour from Florence | Tiqets | 4.3 (17) | 13:00 | €49 |
| 03 | Florence: Cinque Terre Day Trip with Optional Hiking or Pisa | GetYourGuide | 4.9 (6,091) | 12 - 13 hours | €55 |
| 04 | From Florence: Cinque Terre & Pisa Day Trip | GetYourGuide | 4.7 (3,268) | 12 - 12.5 hours | €89 |
| 05 | Pisa & Cinque Terre: Day Trip from Florence | Tiqets | 4.4 (45) | 13:00 | €99 |
| 06 | Cinque Terre: Day Trip from Florence + Boat Tour + Optional Hiking | Tiqets | 4.8 (18) | 13:00 | €135 |
Doing it yourself by train
From Florence on the direct regional train you spend €15.90 each way, about two and a half hours there and the same back. Add the Treno Card: between €22 and €35 depending on the band. Total for one adult: about €54–67, often more than the cheapest tour. In return, you choose the villages, the pace and where to eat, and you can linger on the beach at Monterosso instead of rushing back to the coach.
To do it properly in a day, you need a train in the early hours. The best approach, though, is not to do it as a day trip at all: spend a night in La Spezia or in one of the villages, or break the journey by stopping in Pisa on the way there. From Pisa, with just over an hour on a regional train, the visit becomes comfortable.
Which to choose: a tour if it's your only chance, you're travelling alone and you don't want to think about connections; the train if you want to walk, you're travelling as a couple or a family and you're willing to get up early; a night on the spot if you can manage it.
All Cinque Terre trips on GetYourGuide
When to go, and mistakes to avoid
- Spring and early autumn are the best times for walking. In summer it is generally hot on the exposed trails and the local trains are packed; on high-band days the Card costs more precisely because there are more people.
- Don't buy the wrong Card: if you arrive by train and move between the villages, the Trekking Card doesn't cover the trains.
- Don't count on the boat to get back: it depends on the sea.
- Don't promise anyone a walk through all five villages: Manarola–Corniglia is closed.
- Check the bands before choosing your date: if you're flexible, a low-band day costs €13 less per person for the Card alone.
Related pages
For more trip ideas, see day trips from Florence and the Pisa page, the easiest stop to combine. If you want the sea in Tuscany, Versilia is half an hour by train from Pisa. To understand how booking works with the partners, read our appraisals of Tiqets and GetYourGuide.