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10-12 days the third week of April: Florence and Venice, and.....?

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For my first trip to Italy, I had my heart on seeing the Cinque Terre, but from what I've been reading it doesn't sound like a good idea. Initially, I thought we could go to CT after a few days in Florence, which doesn't seem that far...but going from CT to Venice sounds like a haul (including lots of transfers on the train). From your experience, was a visit to CT worth the crowds and worth time it took to get there and get to your next destination? Was considering staying at Vernazza for 2 nights, but I'm not sure anymore. I wanted to ask ya'll before I give up on the idea of CT.

I'm traveling with my family (2 adults and 2 teens). I'm set on Florence and Venice, but can you recommend a town in between Florence and Venice that's accessible by train? I'm sad we won't have that dramatic, coastal town experience, but maybe it's opening a door to something unexpected.

Posted by
23697 posts

Both Trenitalia and Italo run high speed train direct from Venice S. Lucia to Florence S.M.N. about every hour taking 2 1/4 hours. So if Venice and Florence (and possibly CT) are your hot button destinations, just stick to that. Not making a stopover will leave more time if you do want to keep the CT on your list.

Posted by
7505 posts

Do keep in mind that April 25 is Liberation Day, a national holiday.

You might also check flights, since it is often easier to fly into Venice than out. Flights leaving and connecting to US flights often leave there in early morning and getting to the airport in the early hours can be.... let's say not straight forward. You might want to reverse the order and leave from Florence. Sandwiching in a couple of days in Vernazza needn't be that complicated. It will just take time. Most of a day between Venice and CT, and a half day between V and Florence. If you choose your trains carefully on the Trenitalia site, you can go between Venice and Vernazza with only 2 changes. Between Vernazza and Florence with only 1 change. If you really want to experience the CT, just be willing to spend the time getting to and from. But don't do it on the holiday weekend.

Posted by
1245 posts

On our recent trip to Italy we visited CT before traveling to Venice via Trenitalia. There were 2 transfers (Pisa and Florence SM Novella) both were very simple, and for us it was worth the effort. We chose to stay in Monterosso at Hotel Stella Della Marina and it was terrific. There is no elevator, but the owner, Gabriele carried our luggage up the stairs. On one of the days, we purchased a day pass for the hop-on, hop-off ferry to travel from village to village. That provides you with the beautiful views of each village as the ferry docks. The other option is to travel from village to village via train; that is very easy. The crowds were not all that bad, and if you are there on days when there is not a cruise ship in La Spezia or Genoa, then crowds will be even less. If your heart is set on visiting CT, then I would say go for it!

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