Riomaggiore, Italy to Paris, France via train & flight

On major lines, buy the tickets as far ahead as possible, to save 50 per cent or more over a last-minute purchase. Time to change trains depends in part on the size of the station. Most European terminals have a large central hall where the train numbers and the platform are listed. Often that data is posted 20 minutes or less before departure. You are hauling your own bags. While the sleek high-speed trains are exhilarating, the amount of luggage space can be cramped. Usually there is a rack at the car entrance, overhead shelves for small bags, and sometimes space between seats. With your ticket on a major line you will get a seat assignment. Some of those seats face backwards, or have a narrow tables between four seats.These tickets will be scanned by an attendant en route. For shorter runs, the paper tickets purchased at the station have to be validated in a machine at the entrance to the platform. A date is stamped on the ticket so it can't be used outside the rules.
For the full course in train travel, study www.seat61.com
Your airline specifies how soon to get to the airport. Believe them. With heightened security, checking in and passing through the gates can take a long time. For trans-Atlantic flights, you are expected to be in your seat, not just the departure lounge, 60 to 90 minutes before takeoff. A small point: The arrival and departure times are for wheels-on-tarmac, not when you are actually in the terminal.

90 min prior to departure at airport is more than sufficient (11:00)
Allow 30 min to transfer from station to airport via bus (a few min less via taxi). So you must arrive by train by 10:30.
There are two main stations in a Genova (from east to west)
Brignole
Piazza Principe.
You want the 2nd which is closer to the airport.
Find a train :
www.trenitalia.com
From:
RIOMAGGIORE
to:
Genova PIAZZA PRINCIPE
that gets you there by 10:30.
Some Regionali require no changes.
If you want faster Frecciabiance trains you need to change in La Spezia. Check the results in the website.
Discounted economy and supereconomy are appplicable only in faster trains. No discount on Regionali and no need to prepurchase. The distance is limited therefore the more flexible full base price is not much more. No need to prepurchase if you don’t need discounts.
You seem to have a couple of choices. One without change (all one Regionale), one with change to a Frecciabianca in La Spezia. Both get you to Genoa in time (about 2 hr journey)

Do note that "Genova" is the proper name for what we call "Genoa", as shown in the schedule data posted by Roberto. There is potential for confusion when looking at train departure boards.

mercedes,

I'm assuming you've already booked flights from Genova to Paris? As I recall, there are also flights from Pisa to Paris / ORY, which is an easy trip from Riomaggiore.

As this is your first time using trains in Italy, a few important points to keep in mind......

• many of the trains you'll be using in the Cinque Terre, and possibly to Genova will be Regionale trains. There's no advantage to buying those tickets in advance, as the price is the same either way. However you MUST validate locally purchased tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
• if using any of the express trains (Freccia, Intercity), tickets for these come with compulsory seat reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time, so the tickets can only be used on the one train listed on the ticket. If you board the wrong train by mistake, possibility of hefty fines!
• while it is possible to save money with advance purchase tickets for the express trains, the routes you'll be travelling are all relatively short so the savings won't be that much. Check the Trenitalia website for details.

Buon Viaggio!