Exploring Cinque Terre for a day

Its all laid out in great detail in the Rick Steves' Guidebook. Its too late at night for me to want to copy it all out. Can I suggest a trip to a library or bookstore.... It all depends on your fitness and preferences.

Thanks Nigel. I 'll check it out. Just wanted to know if anyone on here had suggestions in addition. Is that in his Tuscany book or Italy overall?

Sarah, Regarding the station, La Spezia Centrale is the best destination for accessing the Cinque Terre from Lucca. From there you can transfer to the local trains, which is a VERY short trip. For example, La Spezia to Riomaggiore is only about 9-minutes. How early are you planning to leave Lucca to travel to the CT? If you could depart Lucca at 07:08, you would arrive at La Spezia at 08:49, which would allow a full day of touring the area. That train has one change at Pisa San Rossore (schedules subject to change of course). For "must see highlight", I'd suggest having a look at the Guidebook to see what appeals to you. Hiking the trails is always one of the favourite activities (Park Permit required) and hopefully they'll all be open by then. Explore the ambience of the five villages and of course the local restaurants. Happy travels!

Thanks Ken! Station info is very helpful. Most likely we would be at the train station around 7am to ensure a full day. Can you usually buy train tickets same day or do they need to be booked in advance?

Sarah, You should be able to buy tickets the same day either at the ticket office or Kiosks, although that would probably mean being at the station at least half an hour or more before departure time. I'd suggest using the Trenitalia website to determine which train you want to use, and then buy your tickets the previous day. This MAY allow you to get discounted fares (depending on which train you choose). That way you'll be ready to board the train as soon as you arrive at the station. The train that I suggested in my previous reply is a Regionale, so no reservations are necessary. However, some trains on that route will require reservations for at least one leg. If you're travelling via Regionale, don't forget to validate your ticket! You might consider starting in Riomaggiore, and then hiking the famous Via dell'Amore to Manarola (it's paved so not really much of a "hike"). As I recall, you can buy a Park Permit either at the TI office in the station plaza, or at the small wooden booth at the beginning of the trail. If you don't want to hike all of the trails, simply use the local train to get to the next village - tickets are quite cheap. Cheers!

Sarah,
If the seas are calm and the ferry boats are running between villages, I encourage you to take the boat between villages.....maybe train or hike one way, and then boat back the other way. The views from the boat are incredible, as are the views from the trails....just different views. Enjoy!

Thanks! Are they typically running in late May?

Yes, they should be since that is a brisk tourist time.