Cinque Terra trains

Yes, they run until around midnight most days. But definitely check the schedule when you get there, as those things can and do change. You can check the schedules on http://www.trenitalia.com/ Hit the Union Jack up top for English. And since these are regional trains, the schedules are only posted a week out. So check the corresponding day of the week, such as Friday July 13th if you interested in travel on Friday Sept 21, for example.

It depends a bit on 1) which way you are arriving into the CT and, 2) which towns you wish to travel to and from. The Regionale trains in the CT don't stop at all towns on all runs. The last run from La Spezia Centrale north that stops at all five towns departs La Spezia at 23:10. The last run from Levanto south that stops at all five towns departs at 23:37. By the way, you can see the schedules for the Regionale trains some months out. What you can't see more than 7 days out are the fares.

sue, As the others mention, the local trains run well into the evening, so it's very easy to have dinner in one town and then return to the town you're staying in. If you have the Italy Guidebook, the times are all listed there. The websites will likely be a bit more up-to-date, but there aren't usually too many changes. The last three trains departing La Spezia heading north are listed at 21:23, 23:07 and 00:50, stopping in "all or most of the towns" (they'll arrive in the towns a few minutes after that). The last few trains departing Monterosso heading in the other direction leave at 21:32, 22:22 and 23:45. It's very easy to check the charts posted at the stations to verify the return times. I'd probably buy a ticket prior to going for dinner, as it saves a bit of time. Just validate and then hop on the train. The atmosphere tends to be a bit "informal" there, so riding the trains is often somewhat of a unique experience. Happy travels!

As the others mentioned it is pretty easy to travel between towns on the trains. My only advice is take the schedules with a grain of salt. Our experience was not trains came on time. They came when they came.