Train to Florence from Cinque Terra

No problem, you don't need to book anything. Just go to Florence S.M.Novella station and tell you want to go to xxx in the Cinque Terre, you'll be on the next train. They go almost every hour, and it will take a couple of changes, but they are mostly Regionale trains. Price is always the same and there are no reservations. It is as close to a city bus as you can get. Get bonus points if you can buy the tickets out of a vending machine and not have to stand in line at the ticket window.

The schedule will get reshuffled about on June 10, but they usually don't change much, so look at them now at http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

Or the reverse to what Sam said - lol. We did just what you describe - train from CT to Florence and Duomo climb that afternoon. Easy

Which of the five Cinque Terre towns are you staying in?

As the others have mentioned, you don't need to book advance tickets for that route, as many of the trains are Regionale so the price is always the same. It's possible that one segment of the journey could be via an express train (Freccia or Intercity) but the price difference between an advance ticket and base fare probably won't be that much.

You will have to deal with at least two train changes, possibly at La Spezia Centrale and Pisa Centrale, depending on which departure you choose.

Thanks but change of plans. Think it might be better to do Pisa on the way to Florence. Can we put cases somewhere? How long should we spend just want to see the tower unless there is something else really worth it...we have never been to Italy before...What type of ticket do I get from Cinque Terra if we intend to stop at Pisa. Any suggestions greatly apreciated...

Oops, misunderstood that you are going to Florence from CT. Buy separate tickets to Pisa. There is a luggage deposit at Pisa Centrale station. Then you can buy tickets when you are ready to go to Florence after you collect your luggage. Probably 3 hours in Pisa should do it.

There are 3 trains every hour in the afternoon. Some are express trains (Regionale Veloce) that make fewer stops, so faster. Cost is 8.40 EUR per person. Takes anywhere from 48 to 83 minutes depending on which train you get.

As you've never been to Italy before, a few important points to mention. If you're using locally purchased tickets for Regionale trains, it's essential to validate (time & date stamp) your tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel. Failure to do so can result in hefty fines, which are collected on the spot! The same applies to using Metro, buses and other forms of public transit. The validation machines are located either on the platform or perhaps in the transfer tunnel, and they look like these - https://goo.gl/images/c6m2q6 .

If you need to change from one platform to another, this usually involves going down to a transfer tunnel (Sottopassagio) and then back up to the new platform. The electronic schedule boards will indicate which track / platform (Binario) your next train is departing from. You may find this helpful - https://www.tripsavvy.com/italy-train-travel-1547531 .

Tickets for the express trains (Freccia, Intercity) do not have to be validated, as these tickets come with compulsory seat reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time. The ticket is valid only for the train listed on the ticket. If you board another train by mistake, again fines collected on the spot!

You can leave your luggage in the Deposito Bagagli at Pisa Centrale, but be sure to allow enough time for dropping & retrieving (there can be queues). Here's more information on that - http://www.depositobagaglipisa.it/servizi/deposito-bagagli-stazione-pisa-cle .

Buon Viaggio!