Cinque terre

Mary, It would help to know when you plan on travelling to the Cinque Terre? Were you planning to do this on a day trip from Florence? Combining a visit to both the Cinque Terre and Pisa on the same day is not realtistic, due to the travel times involved. Even a visit to the Cinque Terre as a day trip is going to be challenging. As you want to hike, I'd suggest staying for at least one night there (and preferably two nights), so that you can not only hike but also enjoy the area at night when the atmosphere is somewhat different. One point to note is that the Via dell'Amore (Riomaggiore to Manarola) is the ONLY one of the Sentiero Azurro trails that is open at the moment. Local authorities are planning to have all the trails open by Easter, however it remains to be seen whether they'll be able to achieve that on time. Also note that a Park Pass will be required to hike ANY of the trails. You can buy this when you arrive in the Cinque Terre. Happy travels!

Hi Mary. To answer your question, yes, there are good train connections between Florence, Pisa, and CT. Take a look at a map, then go to trenitalia.com to see train schedules. For CT, use Monterosso to get an idea. No need to buy the train tix in advance. If not traveling soon, use a random date in the near future. Also, suggest you get Rick Steves Italy book; a lot of great info. Enjoy your trip!

you can easily take the train from Florence to the CT and the trains connect in Pisa but I would not do both as a day trip. You should really try to spend a couple of nights in CT. You could spend 1/2 day in Pisa on your way to the CT or do Pisa as a day trip from Florence but I wouldn't try to do Pisa and CT as a day trip from Florence. Can you spend a couple of nights in CT?

We arrive in Florence on April 2 at 9 a.m. and leave Florence early morning April 11th. Plan to go to Venice for a few days. My daughter has April 6-10th off from school. Could we find trains that would allow us to do the following: April 6th: visit Pisa and then take train into Cinque Terre April 7th: hike and spend night in Cinque Terre April 8th: take a train to Venice, spend night (or should we return to Florence and take a train from Florence to Venice) April 9th: Venice
April 10th return to Florence. Is this too much time travelling? We LOVE to explore and discover and are very outdoorsy. I am going to check the suggested sites for Trains. We have the Frommer's Guide to Italy Are we crazy to leave Florence on Easter? I would imagine there would be some amazing celebrations. Six years ago we rode our bikes through Tuscany and stayed at Agriturismos (amazing) but haven't seen anything north of Florence. This site is amazing and I appreciate all the informed help I can get! Mary

you can get the train info at trenitalia website have you already spent time in Florence? I understand your daughter has but if you have not make sure to give yourself time for Florence your itinerary is doable you can take train to Pisa (there is luggage storage)tour Pisa's main highlights, train to CT spend a couple of nights in CT train to Venice is about 5 hr 15min so you will loose some time with that connection spend a couple nights in Venice and train back to Florence (2hrs) for your final nights or you can do the route in reverse
in CT your daughter may like Monterosso the best as it has the only beach

Mary, The tentative plans look reasonable. I'd suggest spending a few days in Florence at the beginning, as it will provide some time to get over jet lag. A few comments.... > Apr. 6 (Fr) - If you want to get an early start, use a train departing Firenze SMN at 08:28, arriving Pisa Centrale at 09:28 (time 1H:00M, current fare 7.10€, Regionale Velocita - DON'T forget to validate). From Pisa there's a train departing at 13:44, arriving Monterosso at 13:54 (time 1H:10M, reservations compulsory, Intercity, current fare 10.50€). You can buy all your tickets prior to departing Firenze. It appears that you'll be spending two nights in the C.T. (Apr. 6 & 7)? I agree with a previous post that staying in Monterosso would be a good idea. It's the largest of the five villages, so has the best choice of accommodations. They will just be opening for the season then. One comment about hiking in the C.T. Not all of the trails may be open then. At the least, you'll be able to stroll the famous via dell'Amore (Riomaggiore-Manarola). The trails are supposed to be open by Easter, but no guarantees. Note that a Park Pass is required to hike any of the trails. > Apr. 8 (Easter Sunday) - My choice would be a train departing Monterosso at 10:55, arriving Venezia S.L. at 16:40 (time 5H:45M, reservations compulsory, one change at Milano Centrale, current fare 55.50€). > Apr. 10 (Tu) - That's an easy trip. There are trains about every hour, so pick your departure time. Travel time 2H:08M, reservations compulsory, current fare 43.00€. You might find it helpful to have a look at the Rick Steves Italy 2012 book. Check your local bookstores. I wouldn't worry about leaving Florence on Easter, as I'm sure there will be festivities wherever you happen to be. Cheers!

Mary, One more thing..... For the "premium" trains, you might be able to qualify for the discounted "Mini" fares if you purchase tickets at least one day prior to travel. Have a look at This Website for more information (enter "Mini fare" in the search box). You may find it helpful to browse other sections of the website, as there's LOTS of information there.

Thank you. Your comments are invaluable!

This website is from the Italian national parks, which shows which trails are currently open (green dot) and which are closed (red dot). It's in Italian, but it's easy enough to figure out. http://press.parconazionale5terre.it/news_dett.asp?id_prodotto=1436&id_lingue=1

Mary, Mary: "We have the Frommer's Guide to Italy" THIS IS RICK STEVES' WEBSITETHE OTHER BIG GUIDE AUTHOR. Lol! If you're not renting a car, your Northern Italy trip is going to be somewhat limited. The Dolomites are very mountainous and beautiful. The Cinque Terre is a full day's 4 train trip from Venice (and vice versa), and two of their four towns are not repaired since their flash floods. I understand they're trying to get the hiking trails ready by Easter, but recent weather's been bad. The Cinque Terre might be a place saved for your next trip. Have you considered just taking in Florence and Venice the right wayslowly? Or, taking a train to Rome for a couple of days during the middle of the week?
You could also make a day trip by train to Pisa and Lucca, which is another great city. Venice, Florence and Rome will be very busy Easter weekend, and the day after Easter is a national holiday. We're going to be moving from Chianti to Rome the day before Easter, and expect the city to be very crowded and interesting. Have a great time. I'm sure your daughter will be very glad to see you.

David, "The Cinque Terre might be a place saved for your next trip." I respectfully disagree! It's important to remember that three of the five villages were NOT impacted by the floods of Oct. 25th, so it will be "business as usual" in Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corniglia, so they would absolutely be worth a visit. The recovery in the "old town" section of Monterosso has been remarkable, and some businesses have now re-opened. The "new town" section was only minimally impacted, so it should be "business as usual" there also. Although Vernazza was seriously damaged, a number of businesses there will also be back in operation this spring, although the town won't be completely back to normal. If you'd like to see the current status of businesses there, have a look at This Website. I'd have no hesitation in visiting there even at the beginning of March. Cheers!

Mary, I'm not sure what to suggest, other than perhaps another E-mail or phone call. The other option would be to cancel and stay in one of the other villages. Monterosso would be the best bet, as it's the largest of the five and therefore has the greatest number of accommodations. Good luck!

Your help has been invaluable. Here is my latest dilemma: We are all booked in Florence and Rome. After reading Rick's recommendation to stay at Albergo & Ristorant Cecio in Corniglia we tried to book it using the website listed. It always comes back undeliverable SO I tried calling and with his very minimal English told me to e-mail. SO I sent a note with our reservation wishes and a credit card to hold the rooms, asking him to e-mail if he received it. How do I contact this person and get confirmation? Help? It is Easter weekend and I am pretty sure reservations will be necessary. Thanks, Mary

Hi! We just returned from Italy and I would like to thank you for your EXCELLENT advice. Yes, a trip from Florence to Pisa and on to Cinque Terre is very doable. The train connections were superior. Cinque Terre is not to be missed. The only town still suffering is Vernazza although some places are open. The paths are starting to open - the hiking was incredible! My only complaint is Cecia's in Corniglia. Food is way more expensive and not at good as Rick's recommendation. In Florence we stayed at Panellas (recommended by Rick Steves where the owner shared some Rick Steves "secrets") and it was "perfecto". In Venice we found excellent food (hidden gems we could only find via Rick Steves directions). Thank you again for all your help!

Mary, It's great to hear that you had a wonderful time in Italy! I'll be heading back to the Cinque Terre (Monterosso) in September, and really looking forward to it. As was the case last year, it's proving a bit "challenging" to arrange a Hotel room, even that far in advance. If you have time, you might consider posting more detailed comments in the new "Trip Reports" section of the HelpLine. Are you starting to plan your next trip to Italy yet? Cheers!