train - Firenze to Monterosso

Cat, I wasn't able to find any direct Firenze - Monterosso trains. All have either one or two changes (typically Pisa Centrale / La Spezia Centrale). Where are you getting your information? Many of the trains on that route are Regionale, with some Intercity and Freccia, so there likely won't be any benefit to pre-booking tickets (depending of course on which train you choose). The easiest solution may be to just wait until you arrive in Florence and buy tickets at the station from one of the Kiosks. Rather than booking segments (ie: "book to Pisa or La Spezia and catch a regional separately"), buy a ticket that covers the whole trip. DON'T forget to validate! Happy travels!

Hi Ken, Thank you. Yes, that's what I saw as well, two stops - Pisa then La Spezia.
I was wondering it's smarter to book with the stops, or if it's better to book just to Pisa (Or La Spezia)? Then once there, just grab the ticket to CT. It sounds like you are saying to just buy as we are boarding for this one ? (and validate!!) :)

Cat, "It sounds like you are saying to just buy as we are boarding for this one ? (and validate!!)" I normally try to buy my tickets at least a day prior to travel, as that minimizes any possible delays (ie: huge queues at the ticket office or Kiosks). When I'm hauling all my gear, I'd much rather just validate and then board the train. As Larry mentioned, you'll likely receive a separate ticket for each leg of your journey. The train I'd use is departure from Firenze S.M.N. at 10:28, arriving Monterosso at 12:54 (time 2H:26M, one 16 minute change at Pisa Centrale, reservations compulsory for the Intercity train on the second leg). Second class prices for a departure on 6 March are currently as low as 16.80€, and although Super Economy is sold out that's still quite cheap. Even the Base (highest) fares are cheap so I wouldn't even bother pre-purchasing the reserved Intercity segment. For a few Euros, it's not worth the effort (IMO). Theoretically you only have to validate the ticket for the first segment, which you should do prior to boarding the train on the day of departure. If the other ticket specifies a Carrozza (Car No.) and Posti (Seat No.), (ie: reserved seating) it shouldn't need to be validated although I sometimes do anyway. Buon Viaggio!

Cat, first my thanks for your comment on coming out of the train station in Venice. Second, there are no direct trains from Florence to anywhere in the CT. On a couple of runs, you can go from Florence to La Spezia Centrale before changing to the Regionale train for Monterosso. On most runs, you will change at Pisa as well. All trains from Florence to the CT will stop at Pisa whether you change there or not. Also, almost all trains from Florence to Pisa will be Regionale-class trains. As mentioned previously some of these trains continue on to La Spezia Centrale thereby permitting you to stay on the same train. However, this only happens a couple times a day with no such runs shown for the morning runs. On some train changes at Pisa, you may be put onto an Intercity or High-Speed train to La Spezia Centrale. This makes the journey a bit more expensive because you are riding better and faster trains. However, you really don't gain enough time on this segment to justify the extra fare. But, the high-speed is nice. Bottom line, here are a couple of thoughts. 1) More than 7 days out from your time of travel, you will not be able to buy Regionale tickets online. If you look now and you a date less than 7 days from now, you will see the routes and the fares.
2) At Florence, you will receive one ticket for each train that you will be on. 3 Trains 3 tickets. If these are all on Regionale trains, the ticket is good from point A to point B for 60 days. You can get on any Regionale train making the run between point A to point B shown on the ticket. No seat reservations permitted. Just be sure to validate each ticket in the little yellow or blue/gray boxes in the train station before boarding. Validating places a date and time stamp on the ticket.

Cat, a few more thoughts. 3) There are no discounts on Regionale tickets. It's the same price in Florence that you see online. 4) You will not have difficulties getting a seat out of Florence. Most trains from Florence to the CT originate from Florence. They are empty before the journey begins. Just get there about 30 minutes early and you have your choice of seats. 5) Trains are not really crowded until you get to the CT. In high season, you will see people jammed onto the trains between the towns. Not to worry. It's part of the experience and its only a couple of minutes to the next town.
6) If you are going to be there for 2-3 days and expect to ride the train a bit, there is a unique Cinque Terre Treno card that gives you unlimited rides on the Regionale train between La Spezia and Levanto. You can buy this card at any TI office and some shops in the area. It comes in 1,2,3 and 7 day versions. It also gives you free passage on the famous ocean trails. Yes, there are fare trolls on the trails. It also permits you to ride free on the mini-buses in the different CT towns. It's not good on the ferry, however.

Thank you both so much!! Great info. I'm finally starting to get a little grasp on the train operations. :)