Day trip to Cinque Terre

Don't go in a tour group, those are a big problem since they all seem to arrive at the same time after breakfast which sucks.
Those towns are pretty small with stairs so you will just be in a human traffic jam of tour groups. The magic and romance of Cinque Terre is early morning and at dusk when daytrip tour groups are not there. I'd skip a daytrip from Florence (which can also be unpleasant with all the tourists and the pickpockets they attract) altogether. No one is actually Italian in Florence it seems nowadays.

You go to Florence for great art and architecture, so don't be put off by the previous comments about the excessive number of tourists and the risks of pickpockets (whether or not they are true). It's a great city with so much worth seeing.

I do agree that a day trip to Cinque Terre is not a good idea. It's a long way to go and come back. Cinque Terre deserve at very minimum an overnight stay.

I recommend you wear a money belt or neck wallet in Florence under clothes to protect your passport, credit cards and cash.

It is always good to be mindful of where your necessary assets are when you travel, even in your own home town. Opportunists are looking for an easy distracted target. Be Safe out there!

If you don’t mind train time just get up early and land in Vernazza-a magical place and then take the boat ride and see all five towns from the sea… stop for a nice late lunch and say I will return…was just there for the third time this month.

This needs more context--do you like hiking, do you think you''ll ever be back, are you doing anything else in Tuscany?
I like to maximize my time and I always plan as if I will be back, so that long day trip would not be worth it to me when there are so many appealing places close to Florence.

We have been to Cinque Terre in early October and did not run into any huge crowds or feel like we were being shuffled along. I have pictures of us with no one in the background, just the town and the ocean. BUT a lot of people are traveling to Europe now that the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, so things may be different.

Tour company Walk About Florence has a Cinque Terre day trip from Florence, and they are an excellent company. Looks like they give you the option to Hike between the villages or take the train (I would take the train, you can move at your own speed and cover lots of ground). Looks like a 13 hour day that starts at 7:30. If you do go on a tour just know that you will get a taste of the villages and that may be all you need. I say if this is on your bucket list then do it! I have never regretted a day trip, even the long ones. I take note of places I can remove (Pisa) and places I want to explore more (Sienna).

Thank you all for your advice. I think we sill skip Cinque Terre as a day trip from Florence this trip. Any other easy day trips recommendations are most appreciated.
This is a wonderful forum and so happy to part of it.

Easy day-trip suggestions from Florence:
Siena (a popular choice)
Lucca (another popular choice)
Pisa
Pistoia
Fiesole

I will argue in favor of the Cinque Terre day trip, weather-permitting. (Don't go if it's raining.) it's easy to do on your own by train. There will still be plenty of tourists there in October, but you don't have to just hang out in the towns. If you like to hike, there are some trails that are less busy than others. E.g. take the train one town PAST Monterosso (the fifth village) to Levanto, a nice little town in itself. Then hike from there 2-3 hours back to Monterosso. It's not quite as nice as the other hikes between towns, but it's far less crowded, and you get an amazing view back on all five towns at once when you get toward the end near Monterosso.

If you don't want to hike, then I probably wouldn't bother, though.

Mb- Walk About Florence has a wonderful all day Tuscany trip that will take you to 3 towns and includes lunch at an organic winery. It is a great value and a really great way to spend the day without having to worry about logistics.

Thank you for all the great recommendations everyone!