My husband and I are planning to be in Cinque Terre for three nights in September. We would ideally like to leave CT early in the morning via train to make an afternoon flight out of Florence. Do you think this is feasible? How do I determine train schedule from CT (specifically Manarola) to La Spezia and then on to Florence? Do we then just cab to the airport from the train station? Thanks very much!
Posted by
Fort Lauderdale, FL
1232 posts
Doing just a quick search, on trenitalia.com, I see trains starting at 5:10 AM, leaving from Manarola. You will need to change in Pisa (Pisa Centrale) then continue to Florence (Firenze S. M. Novella). It takes approx. 2 hrs 45 Min to 3 1/2 hrs, depending on which trains you choose. Be sure to use the Italian name when choosing your station, as per my examples!
You wont see the Sept. schedules now because it is too soon. I used May, but the schedules don't change much.
https://www.lefrecce.it/B2CWeb/search.do?parameter=searchOutputViewer&cFID=946i5piuapse
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you very much! It's helpful just to know the site to use in booking. I appreciate your insight.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
There is a direct bus from SMN station to Florence airport twice per hour, but if it's not ready to leave, you can take a taxi for about 25 euros.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32206 posts
rj,
Yes, it's absolutely feasible to travel by train to Florence, and that will be the quickest and easiest method. You can research all the details on the TRENITALIA website.
I'd probably use a departure from Manarola at 07:20, arriving Firenze S.M. Novella at 10:00 (time 2H:40M, 2 changes, all trains Regionale so DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding on the day of travel). While that's quite early for an afternoon flight, I've found that it's often a good idea to leave a "cushion" in case of train delays (which is always possible in Italy). You could also use the departures from Manarola at 08:06 or 08:19 (both arriving at 11:32). The latest time you'd be able to leave Manarola is the 08:56 departure (arriving 12:00). I'd suggest checking with your hotel when you arrive in Manarola, to see if there are any Scioperi (rail strikes) scheduled for your deparure day.
After arrival in Florence, you have enough time that you can use the airport shuttle that Laura mentioned, or just take a Cab.