Florence to Cinque Terre, take the train? and other details.

Walking is a good way to go in the Cinque Terre (even between a couple of the towns). Otherwise, the towns are connected by a regional train running every half hour or a local tourist boat service.

You would take a train from Florence, but doing it roundtrip in a day is not ideal, since travel time is 2.5-3 hours each way. How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it. This link doesn't sell the tickets (Trenitalia does) but these regional train tickets are normally bought in the station, not online, since there's no advance-purchase discount.

Walkaboutflorence.com has a CT day trip from Florence. With your limited time in Florence, a day trip might be your best bet. The bus leaves from near Santa Maria Novella train station and takes you to CT. You get to hike between a couple of towns and have lunch. You won't see it all, but you don't have to worry about any logistics. You can do it on your own via train. Go to trenitalia.com for train schedules to get from/to Florence. There are hourly trains between the towns that you can take advantage of as well. You can see 2-3 towns on your own but it will be a very long day.

As mentioned above, the trip is almost 3 hrs each way....with most trains.

But there is one train (and one train only) that gets you there (and back) in just over 1.5 hours. Since you are going for just a day trip, you should strive to take that train, to maximize your time at the Cinque Terre.

The train I'm talking about is a high speed Frecciabianca train from Florence to La Spezia Centrale (you will need to change trains in La Spezia regardless of which train you take). It's the only high speed train that travels that route (all others are slower Regionale trains). It costs more (€26.50 one way, instead of €13.50 with a Regionale) but the price is not exorbitant anyhow and in your case it will afford you more time at the Cinque Terre (and a more posh travel experience).

Most tourists don't know about this train, because when they search on the www.trenitalia.com (the Italian railway company) they search from Florence main station (FIRENZE SANTA MARIA NOVELLA), but the Frecciabianca actually departs from Florence second largest station (FIRENZE CAMPO DI MARTE). If you check the timetable from FIRENZE (TUTTE LE STAZIONI), i.e. All stations, you will see it.

It departs from FIRENZE CAMPO DI MARTE at 7:38 am and gets you to La Spezia Centrale just 1h33min later. Then from La Spezia you would take any of the Cinque Terre Express trains to the CT village of your choice. That is at least 70 min faster than with any other train.

The return trip on the same Frecciabianca train departs from La Spezia Centrale just after 8pm. If you want to return earlier there is a Regionale train departing one hour earlier at 7:09pm but you will get back to Florence at about the same time because Regionali trains are slower.

Banana,

It is possible to take a day trip from Florence to the Cinque Terre, but it will be a long day. If you plan your time well, you should be able to visit all five towns using the local trains. One of the shortest travel times will be a departure from Firenze SMN at 07:08, arriving Riomaggiore at 09:32 (time 2H:24M, 2 changes at Firenze Campo di Marte & La Spezia Centrale). The final segment is only 7 minutes, using the newly implemented "Cinque Terre Express".

I'd suggest starting in Riomaggiore and working north, ending your trip in Monterosso in the late afternoon. You can have a fine meal in one of the great restaurants there, and then return to Florence in the evening. Departing Monterosso on the 21:07 train will work fine.

I'm not entirely clear on your meaning for "is it able to be solely walked around"? You can walk throughout the towns and you can hike between the towns from Corniglia to Vernazza and Vernazza to Monterosso on the Sentiero Azzurro trails. You can also take the Ferry between towns (weather permitting), although it doesn't stop in Corniglia.

Although I prefer to stay there for a few days, I have visited the C.T. on a day trip and it's certainly possible if you're willing to put in a full day. You should be able to see a "good portion" in one day, but be sure to check the weather before you embark on the trip.