Best day tour from Florence to Cinque Terre

Why would you do this day trip?
It is 6 hours of train travel in total.
Go somewhere closer. Bologna (39 minutes each way), Livvorno (1:20 hours), Siena (1:28), Arezzo (1:38)

I suspect finding a bus tour will be difficult, if not impossible, as the 5 towns are not easily reached by road.

If you do choose to do it yourself, pick a day that there are no cruise ships in port at La Spezia.

Really better if you spend a night so you can enjoy some time there without the hordes of day trippers from the cruise ships.

Best day tour is no day tour ;-) . Enjoy the Tuscan countryside instead, for instance.

Hi, paxinparis, and welcome to the forum -
While I'll disagree some with the trip involving 6 hours of rail time there and back, I don't disagree with re-considering this day trip at all due to additional factors. The biggest of those is adding your bulk to what can be a very large mass of other day trippers, depending on what time of year you intend to go. That mass has been known to clog the narrow streets and trails, create crushing discomfort on the trains, and generally make for a less-than-wonderful experience

The usual recommendation is that if wishing to see and experience this region to STAY in the region so as to take advantage of the golden hours the masses of day-trippers aren't around. Guided tours further complicate the issue as it's even more difficult to play Follow The Leader in crowds like this:

http://www.anaussieinitaly.com/2016/02/18/cinque-terre-winter/overcrowded-cinque-terre-2/
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-crowds-of-people-tourists-queue-for-the-boat-water-taxi-at-vernazza-70493498.html
https://www.dreamstime.com/manarola-italy-april-central-street-village-crowded-tourists-cinque-terre-region-image149309675

You have to rely on your one day being a fair weather one, too.

I've been to and stayed in the region and can say for sure that we wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much had we been there for just part of a day, and not much at all if we'd had to do it with a tour. How long will you be in Florence and what time of year are you looking to do this?

A day out and back is hard. And you do not ever need a tour to visit five small villages that are connected by hiking paths, local trains or a water taxi.

I think a tour would be especially risky in the Cinque Terre. If you go on your own and find a town to crowded to be enjoyable, you'll be able to move on to another one. You won't have that flexibility with a tour.

I'm with everyone else who thinks the CT doesn't make a good day trip. In my opinion, the CT is way over-rated. That said, I'm not sorry I went there, but really happy we stayed overnight in one of the villages so we could enjoy the evenings when the masses of people had left. If you can't stay overnight, I'd suggest finding another day trip. If you must get to the coast, there are other places that are easier to get in and out of that are very nice.

No, don't do this on a day trip.

We are going in October and looked at a day trip to CT, but with everyone’s advice on here and looking at what the villages offered and our interest we opted to go to Siena instead. We are staying in Positano later in trip and figured that would be good for the coastal view and hikes around there. And less stressful trying to cram everything and getting a train back to Florence

I agree with the above messages, but If you can take the 7:54 train from Firenze Campo di Marte station you will arrive at Monterosso at 10:41. Same for the return trip: the fastest trains via La Spezia call at Campo di Marte, not at SM Novella.

I agree that the Cinque Terre is a tough day trip (both the travel time and the crowds). However, if your heart is set on visiting the Cinque Terre, then I would suggest that you go by train yourself. You will spend about 6 hours RT in travel time. You can take a train as early as 5:35 in the morning from Santa Maria Novella train station to Monterosso. Then you can come back as late at 21:00. Check the train times specific for the time of year that you are visiting.

pax,

I agree with the others that you don't need an organized tour to visit the Cinque Terre. It's very easily done on your own and that will provide the flexibility to see what you want and stay a bit longer. I've stayed in the Cinque Terre many times, and that's always the best option as the towns are beautiful in the evening when the day tripping hordes have left, but if you only have time for a day trip, it can be done. I have also visited on a day trip from Florence when I didn't have time in my Itinerary for a proper stay.

While a day trip to the Cinque Terre from Florence is possible, you need to be clear on what that entails. It's a good idea to get an early start and plan on getting back to Florence later in the evening, as that will provide the most time and allow a brief look at the five towns. I'd suggest starting in Riomaggiore and ending in Monterosso with a fine meal at one of the great restaurants there.

According to the current rail schedules, you could use a train departure from Firenze SMN at 07:28, arriving Riomaggore at 10:02 (time 2H:34M, 2 changes at Pisa Centrale and La Spezia Centrale). For the return trip, you could use a departure from Monterosso at 21:07, arriving back at Firenze SMN at 23:50 (time 2H:43M, 1 change at Pisa Centrale - that's the one I use). There are earlier train departures, including one at 19:07 with a similar travel time.

So the bottom line is, if you can tolerate a longer and somewhat tiring day, it is possible to visit the C.T. on a day trip.