Florence area- Cinque Terre- Venice

Lindsay, I'm not sure if an overnight train is even available from Venice to the Cinque Terre, but in any case that's not a method I'd suggest. The trip length will vary depending on which train you choose, and which of the five towns you're going to. One of the quickest trips is a departure from Venezia Santa Lucia at 08:32, arriving Monterosso at 13:55 (time 5H:32M, two changes in Firenze S.M. Novella and Sarzana, reservations compulsory for at least one leg). If you want a later departure, there's a train leaving Venice at 08:50, arriving Monterosso at 15:02 (time 6H:12M, one change at Milano Centrale, reservations compulsory). I wouldn't bother stopping anywhere on the trip from Venice to the C.T. However, it would be good to spend a few days in Siena after the C.T., and then return to Florence via Bus just prior to your flight home. Happy travels!

There is no night train between the CT and Venice. You'll have to take the 5.5hr-6.0hr. train ride if you want to see both. Plus, there will be 2-3 train changes depending on the run. One of the train changes will most likely be Florence. That's the reality of the Venice, Florence, CT visit. Don't forget the leaning tower of Pisa. One of your stops and possible train changes will be Pisa.

How exciting this is for your first trip!! I don't think the train rides are as long as you have been led to believe. I just looked at the trenitalia website, which is a nightmare to use unless you know how it works. It's at http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ad1ce14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD To use the site, you have to make some assumptions that likely will not be true, but they allow you to at least plan. So, I assumed you were traveling on Thursday from Firenze and that you would leave after 8 am, and you were going to Venezia. This lists all the available trains for a regular day between Florence and Venice. There are lots to choose from, and they all take 2 hours and 3 minutes to make the trip. Do the same for Firenze to Riomaggiore, and the time for the trip is between 2 hrs 40 mins and 3 hrs 10 mins (with changes at one or two stations, listed, depending on when you leave). One of the stations on the way from Firenze to Riomaggiore (the closest of the CT towns, by the way), is Pisa, so you could build this in to your trip. Depending on who you talk to, Siena is either great or not. We went three times, just to see if it could woo us a little more each time, and it did not. I personally would rent a car and drive the CR 222 to Siena if you can do that. That way you could hit other Tuscan towns. Driving is very easy, I have found. Cheers!

Linday, One additional point to mention. As this is your first trip abroad, I would highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to departure. It provides a LOT of good information on "how" to travel well in Europe. For more specific information on sightseeing, transportation, Hotels, etc. in the places you'll be visiting, use the country or city-specific Guidebooks. Cheers!

Yes, Lindsay, it'll take (on the particular I day I chose, not knowing your actual travel day) from 4h44m (3 changes) to 6h12m (1 change) b/n Venezia and Monterosso. On that date, you'd pay anywhere from €18 to €69, depending on the train and whether you bought the tickets in advance online. The earlier, the better savings! (Venezia to Firenze costs €9-45, depending on how early you purchase!) You could book 2 tickets - Venezia to Pisa, and Pisa to the CT (whichever town you want). Then, you could 'check off' the Leaning Tower, IF that's the only thing you were going for. Maybe the Baptistry, too, but the wait to get in was hours the one time I went to Pisa (sniffle). OR, since the trip b/n the CT and Siena is more like 3h30m and 4h, you might want to stop in Pisa then. (pulling hair) Not.Enough.Time. Maybe: 3 nights Firenze.........2h30m - 3h to: 2 nights CT....................5h - 6h to: 3 nights Venezia....................2h to:
1 night Firenze As much as it pains me to say it...daytrip to Siena from Firenze (every hour, 1h30m, €7,70). I would be ecstatic to win a one-month stay in Siena, and would wail loudly when it came time to leave. To each his own ;-) This would also 'mess up' my suggestion to stop off at Pisa; if it's high-priority for you, then that could also be a day-trip from Firenze - ~1h, €7,10. You may or may not want to do the CT at another time...It's the odd-man out with a long travel time and only 9 nights and 4-5 towns. **When searching/booking on Trenitalia, use Firenze and Venezia, and plain ol' Siena (NOT Siena Zona Industriale or Torrita di Siena!!! NOT the same places!)