Fastest/Easiest Route to and from Cinque Terre

I assume you are taking the train? Or are you driving? (Train is really easier for visiting the Cinque Terre itself.) If taking the train, note that you will probably want to take the faster Frecciarossa and/or InterCity trains between Venice, Milan (on the way out) and Florence, mixed with some regional trains. These faster trains tend to have cheaper fares available earlier before departure but the cheaper fares sell out closer to departure. In other words, if you wait to book until the day before you leave, expect higher train fares than if you book 2-3 months in advance.

The only thing of very minor logistics to think about is that some InterCity trains don't stop at the the smaller Cinque Terre towns (like Vernazza) - they will stop at the larger towns like Monterosso and Riomaggiore. All that means is that to get to Vernazza by train, you may need to change trains an extra time to a local regional train like the Cinque Terre express to get to Vernazza. Maybe an extra 10-15 minutes of travel time at most, an extra connection to make.

Trail conditions could change by the week. Check them a week or two before your visit. (Find the official park website with trail status on the web somewhere.) At the moment, the main trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola ("Via dell'Amore") is closed and probably will still be in October (big slide a few years ago). The main trail between Manarola and Corniglia is also closed right now. But the main trails between Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso are open right now. In October? Again - check at the time.

If Rome is part of your itinerary you may want to consider going to the Cinque Terre after Florence.
Venice>Florence>Cinque Terre>Rome.

From Venice to Cinque Terre you can go either via Florence or via Milan. It's a bit faster Via Florence but not by much. Where at the Cinque Terre is up to you. All villages are just minutes apart. If you go Via Milan Monterosso comes first. If you go Via Florence then Riomaggiore comes first.

Check your options:
www.trenitalia.com
From Venezia Santa Lucia
To (name of Cinque Terre town)
Use a date this week as your trip is too far in the future.

The Cinque Terre is pretty far north (on the west coast).
You get to the Cinque Terre by taking a train to La Spezia which is north of Pisa and Lucca. You take a short local train ride (no reservations required) into the C/T.

Thank you for the help. I should add, I am traveling by train. These are the cities we would like to visit, if anyone has a better idea of the best order, please let me know:

Lucerne, Switzerland (visiting family for 2 days)
Zurich, Switzerland (visiting family)
Venice
Cinque Terre (staying in Vernaza hopefully)
Florence
shopping in Prato
Several days in Tuscany wine tasting (we have lived in Napa, and love high end boutique wine tastings and hope to do so in Tuscany) Towns we are considering, Sienna, Volterra, Montalcino, Orvieto, and/or Montepulciano) What is the best hub of these towns?
Ending in Rome

It is proving difficult to find the best route between these cities. We will have a rental car in Tuscany (will be meeting up with other US travelers) otherwise we will depend on public transportation. Any suggestions on order of the cities (which city in Cinque Terre is the easiest to travel in/out of, etc... would be great. Thanks!

As I said above, the only thing that makes Vernazza harder to get in/out of than the larger Monterosso is that IC trains won't stop in Vernazza - you have to catch another lol train and it will take a few extra minutes to get there but really not a big deal. Not a reason to avoid Vernazza at all. Pick the city in CT that you want to visit based on other factors. All are accessible by train.

If you are meeting people in Tuscany, you probably need to be there at a specific time, right? So I'd plan your visit to Florence around the same time. Plan everything else around that. Venice - Florence - Cinque Terre - Rome might work slightly better, but Venice - Cinque Terre - Florence/Tuscany - Rome should be OK too.

Thanks for the clarification on your Itinerary as that helps. You could consider something like this.....

• Lucerne
• Zürich
• Venice (fly from Zürich - easyJet has flights on alternate days OR travel by train, about 7 hours with one change.
• Florence (travel by high speed Freccia or Italo train)
• Cinque Terre (of the five towns, my favourite is Monterosso - it's the largest of the five and has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other amenities, and the best beaches - pre-booking accommodations would be a good idea)
• Prato (travel by train - about 2-4 hours with 1-3 changes)
• Tuscany (travel by train - Siena would probably make a good hub, but I'll leave that suggestion to the others - note that Orvieto is actually in Umbria).
• Rome

As you plan on using a rental care and since it's your first trip to Europe, there are some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of. For driving in Italy, each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at https://it.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/transportation-driving/ for more information on I.D.P's and driving in Italy.

You may also want to have a look at some of the other posts here concerning the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato (limited traffic) areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities especially Florence, which is almost saturated with automated ZTL cameras. EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket, which you won't know about until several months after you return home! This website provides more information - http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/traffic_cameras_speeding.htm

There's also the issue of parking tickets, high fuel costs, tolls and automated speed cameras including the devious Traffic Tutor system which measures not only instantaneous speed but also average between two points. Violate either or both parameter and expensive tickets will follow. A good map and/or a GPS would be advisable.

There are also some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains and other public transit, which can also result in hefty fines collected on the spot. If you need more information on those, post another note here.