Day trip to Pisa and Cinque Terre from Florence

I doubt your 4 yr old will enjoy the 6+ hrs on a train or in a car to try to go to both places in a single day.

The concensus here is to advise against a day trip to CT from Florence . Adding a stop at Pisa only makes the it an even poorer idea.

You need to look closely at a map and train schedules to get a better idea of travel times. If going by car do not overlook adding in time to find and get to/from parking

@joe32f - yep I looked at the train schedules in great detail which is why I thought of the idea of taking a car instead because I know with the train schedule it will be super restricted.

Another consideration is after finishing in Cinque Terre, spending the night in La Spezia near the train station - so in this case take the train rather than the car of course.

Honestly, with the hassle of parking at each of the places you want to go, plus driving in Italy in general, taking the train is the better option 9 times out of 10. Train service to both places is frequent and inexpensive, and SO much easier.

As to how many of the villages you see depends on when you first arrive and how much time you want to spend in each.

What did you mean by restricted train schedules? I only looked at one day in April on the Trenitalia site, but there seemed to be quite a few trains going to Pisa, La Spezia, and back to Florence.

@CJean - thank you so much for your reply - I was looking at ItaliaRail and not at Trenitalia. I appreciate you telling me because there are so many options on there!!!
Can you give me a little more information on the difference between ItaliaRail and Trenitalia?

I'm with Joe, that Pisa + CT, with or without a 4yo, is just too much. I've driven in and trained into CT several times, and will try to remember what might be helpful. It is a fun place to stay, or was, back in the day before it got so crowded, but I have day tripped from Lucca when that was our only option.

I remember the train from Lucca had several connections, one pretty quick, and finding the right track was somewhat hair-raising, especially with a slow moving friend. I was also hyper aware about when the last train from the CT would be returning. We drove in for the day once from Lucca and parked near the beach in Monterrosa, but that was in March before the season really revved up, and there was easy parking. Our <2yo really liked driving through the tunnels on the way. I think we went on to Vernazza on the boat and it made for a pleasant day trip.

The first time I visited CT (maybe 2005?) I drove, and vowed never again, after getting pushed into a rock wall by a box truck on the way to park above Vernazza. The next time we left the car in La Spezia, which was also a nightmare. Safe, overnight parking was limited, and very hard to find. I finally got a taxi to lead us to the RS recommended garage after we had backed out of a long one-way street. Not doing that again either.

I don't think I've really answered your questions, but it can be complicated. If Pisa is a bucket lister, I would do only that on one day. If you have a beautiful day and an early start, I think you can get to the CT by train. The little beach in Monterrosa is fun for kids, and if the water isn't too rough, the boat ride and the view of the cities from the water is great. Don't know how long you will be in Florence, but have you considered a day trip to Lucca? Our kiddo loved riding in a chariot behind a bike on the flat city walls, and since the city inside the walls is pedestrian only, we could set him free to walk without worrying he would be run over. There was also a fun carousel in a park and plenty of pigeon chasing opportunities. We were traveling with an 18month old, and I also remember how welcoming the restaurants in Lucca were to him. Hope I haven't discouraged you! I think several of these places are doable day trips from Florence, just not all in one day!

A few thoughts on your proposed plans.....

Renting a car for that trip is the worst option and will not likely be a pleasant experience. As you may be aware, there are some potentially expensive caveats with car rental in Italy, such as....

• each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in hefty fines on the spot!
• many cities in Italy have ZTL (limited traffic) zones and each pass through one will result in hefty fines, which you probably won't know about until several months after you return home. Florence especially is well covered by automated ZTL cameras, and Pisa also has ZTL areas.
• having to deal with and pay for parking is likely going to be a nuisance.

IMHO, you do not have time to visit Pisa and the Cinque Terre in one day, whether travelling by train or car. You'd be spending more time travelling back and forth than you would visiting the places you went to see. I've done a day trip to the Cinque Terre from Florence and it's possible but it was a long day and would absolutely be too much for a four year old. I left Florence right after breakfast and didn't get back until about midnight. As I recall, there was a train change both ways at Pisa Centrale.

If you want a day trip, I'd suggest either Pisa or the Cinque Terre, travelling by train. Of the two, my preference would be a limited visit to the C.T. and it would be possible to see a few of the towns in a shorter day, and perhaps a boat ride (if the boats are running then). For example, based on a travel date of 28 April, you could....

• Depart Firenze SMN at 08:28, arrive Monterosso at 11:17 (time 2H:49M, 2 changes at Pisa and La Spezia)
• Have a brief tour of both the new town to begin with and then the old town. Have lunch at one of the restaurants near the station, perhaps Cantina di Miky (if they're open). Then walk through the tunnel to the old town for a look, and then hopefully take the boat to Vernazza (the ticket office and boat dock are in the old town). Have a look around Vernazza and perhaps some Gelato for all of you.
• Take the train to Riomaggiore and have a brief walkabout there and perhaps a light dinner.
• Return to Florence. There's a departure from Riomaggiore at 18:57, arriving Firenze SMN at 21:39 (time 2H:42M, 2 changes at La Spezia and Pisa Centrale). Your four year old could nap on the train on the way back.

If you're willing to spend a longer day, a limited day trip to the C.T. should be possible (although I can't remember what it's like to travel with a four year old).

As you're probably aware, there are also some potentially expensive caveats when using trains and other public transit in Italy (validating tickets, seat reservations on express trains, etc.).

Do it and don’t worry about it.
I’ve driven quite a few times from my house in Florence to the Cinque Terre for the day trip. Although more often I would drive from nearby Forte dei Marmi, where I used to vacation. Last time I drove from Florence for the day was over 10 years ago, with my American sister and brother in law (who had never visited before). Drove to Riomaggiore for the day, parked there, then visited the rest by train and walk. Then on the way back to Florence I took them to Pisa to have a quick glimpse of the tower. It’s better to do the tower on the evening on the way back. The tower can be seen after sunset, whereas for the Cinque Terre you need to take advantage of the daylight as much as you can. So go straight to the Cinque Terre first, then do Pisa on the way back in the evening. The drive is practically all freeway, except for the last piece after you exit at La Spezia, then from there it’s city streets. I usually drive all the way to Riomaggiore. But you can also park at La Spezia Centrale (there is a multistory parking structure there) and take the train. It is probably faster to do so, especially if you are not familiar on how to get to Riomaggiore. In my case I’ve driven to Riomaggiore so many times in my youth that I can drive there with my eyes closed. There is a two story parking structure in Riomaggiore. However if you decide to drive all the way to Riomaggiore, be aware that after the tunnel, when you take the turn off down to Riomaggiore, the road is really narrow on the last mile. Basically a one lane two way road. The rule of the road is that the vehicle traveling downhill must yield to the vehicle traveling uphill, so if on the way down to Riomaggiore there is a car coming up you must be able to get as close as possible to the wall to let the other vehicle through. Sometimes you may have to back up in reverse until you find a space to let them through. If you are the type who has a hard time parking your car in a two car garage, you will get nervous. You must be a skilled driver and be able to negotiate very narrow spaces. If you don’t feel comfortable driving with just few inches available on each side of the car, you are better off parking at La Spezia Centrale station. You can also travel by train all the way from Florence, but I don’t like having to be bound by the train schedule. Also the train, in most cases, takes longer than the car, unless you happen to catch the FrecciaBianca early in the morning from Campo Di Marte station.
The drive from Florence to La Spezia Centrale station is about 1h45min or so, depending on traffic. If you drive all the way to Riomaggiore you need another 20 min. However, as I said, the train from La Spezia is just as fast and you don’t have to deal with the narrow scary road near Riomaggiore.
You could also drive to Levanto and take the train from there backtracking to Monterosso. Takes about the same amount of time.

I'm joining Roberto here. While a day trip is not the best way to see the Cinque Terre, your expectations sound realistic and having a car will make everything much smoother.
By the way, if you feel that you are short on time after Pisa, Lerici and Tellaro would be a good alternative to the Cinque Terre - nearer Pisa, and with car access. Not quite as charming, but FAR less crowded.

Thank you so much everyone!!
This is so helpful!

So to give more insight here is our plan (noting we have been to Italy a few times before):
Day 1 - flight to Rome
Day 2 - arrive Rome in the morning, spend afternoon/evening in Rome (half day)
Day 3 - Rome full day
Day 4 - Rome full day with an evening high speed train to Florence
Day 5 - Florence full day
Day 6 - rent car - day trip Montepulciano and Pienza full day
Day 7 - pending
Day 8 - pending during the day, but late evening we would like to take a train from wherever we are to Varenna/Lake Como
Day 9 - Lake Como
Day 10 - Lake Como
Day 11 - Lake Como in the morning, Milan in the afternoon/evening (all we want to see here is the Duomo)
Day 12 - Fly out from Milan back to USA

So we have Day 7 and 8 pending and it looks like fitting Cinque Terre is possible, but perhaps too much traveling or we just skip CT and head to Parma + Bologna. We love scenery (hence the stop in Lake Como) and we love food (hence Italy in general).
Thoughts?

To answer your question, Italia rail is a private company, Trenitalia is the state sponsored railway. They both run on the same tracks.

For your 2 days, you have several options…

Florence>Lucca, 1Hr20m spend a portion of the day, late afternoon head to Pisa after all the tourists busses have left. About 32 minutes.
Return, Pisa> Florence 1Hr01min.

Florence> Bologna 38 minutes. Return 37 minutes.

Florence >Parma 2Hr16 min.
Left luggage outside the station.

Parma>Milano Centrale 47 minutes.
Milan> Como. ( Varenna? )

Actually Italia Rail is a travel agency.
The Train Companies are Trenitalia (State Owned) or ItaloTreno (private).
However ItaloTreno does not operate trains for the Cinque Terre, therefore you are stuck with Trenitalia:
www.trenitalia.com
You can use ItaloTreno along the high speed rail from Milan to Salerno. So in your case between Rome and Florence, and between Florence and Milan. From Milan to Lake Como the trains are operated by TreNord