Venice to Cinque Terre by Train

Start at www.trenitalia.com You could also go the "long way" Milan-Monterosso-Vernazza. That way you have 2 reserved seat trains followed by a short Regionale. Trenitalia will show you those options and the price and time differences.

When you go on the trenitalia website, you will need to choose the train stations in Italian such as
follows:

Venice = Venezia Santa Lucia
Florence = Firenze S. M. Novella
La Spezia = same
Monterosso = same
Pisa = Pisa Centrale
Rome= Roma Termni
Milan = Milano Centrale
Naples = Napoli Centrale

You may also want to refer to this link to see if you can take advantage of any offers such as; family discounts, children under 15 travel free with an adult, 2x1 Saturday (2 travel for the price of one on Saturdays), etc:http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en/Offers

Have a wonderful trip!

This may be your best option (without knowing exact date) ...

1) FR 9419
Dep 10:25 VENEZIA S. LUCIA (Italy)
Arr 12:30 FIRENZE S.M.N. (Italy)

2) RE 23359
Dep 12:53 FIRENZE S.M.N. (Italy)
Arr 14:56 SARZANA (Italy)

3) RE 24466
Dep 15:07 SARZANA (Italy)
Arr 15:46 VERNAZZA (Italy)

Although most people on the forum recommend the "3 stop" way through Florence which is about 45 minutes shorter time-wise, we went the "2 stop" way through Milan, and enjoyed the ride. We passed through Verona and Padua, then had a glimpse of the Dolomites. We had time for a sandwich at Milano Centrale, and passed through more mountains and a lot of tunnels, on the way to Genoa, then travelled along the coast to Monterosso. Maybe it depends on where you are staying in the Cinque Terre, but since we were staying in Monterosso, it made sense to us.

Mary,

The route that David suggested is about the quickest trip between Venice and Vernazza, considering both places are on opposite sides of the country. Which day next month will you be travelling?

Regarding tickets, the suggestion mentioned earlier uses a Freccia high speed train on the first segment, and two Regionale trains after that. You can easily book tickets for the Freccia train either on the Trenitalia website or at www.capitainetrain.com. Those trains have compulsory seat reservations, and whether you'll be able to get seats together will depend on what's available at the time of booking. The seat reservations are specific to train, date and departure time, so the tickets are only good for the one train listed on the ticket. There may still be some discounted Super Economy or Economy tickets left for sale, but without knowing the date there's no way to tell.

The tickets for the two Regionale segments are best purchased in Italy, either at a staffed ticket window or a Kiosk at the station. There are no discounts for these tickets, and no reserved seats. One important point to note about Regionale tickets purchased locally is that these MUST be validated prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot.

Thank you so much for all the information and advice! We intend to travel on Wednesday, September 23rd - if that makes a difference. While the quicker route seems appealing (since we are traveling with two young children), I am also intrigued by the Venice-->Milan-->CT route since it sounds beautiful and possibly one less transfer.

We currently have rooms reserved in Vernazza (at Gianni Franzi) - but, am looking into the possibility of changing the reservation to stay in Monterosso based on another thread from yesterday. They both sound lovely!

For the Regionale train segments - would booking/reserving on the actual day of travel (in Italy) be advised - or, should we try to book those a few days in advance?

If you buy a through ticket from Trenitalia that includes a Freccia segment, the Regionale connections will be included and there is no need to validate them. When you book, just indicate start point as "Venezia S. Lucia" and the end point as "Vernazza". The website will give you all the connections and include them in the ticket.

Mary,

"I am also intrigued by the Venice-->Milan-->CT route since it sounds beautiful and possibly one less transfer."

IMO, the scenery on the southward route from Milan isn't that much more spectacular so I wouldn't use that as a factor in deciding which route to take. As Sam mentioned, you can buy advance tickets for the entire route, but the Regionale tickets will have restrictions.

I just checked that route again, and it appears there are three changes listed for the 10:25 departure on 23 September. If you decide to stay in Monterosso and want to minimize changes, one of the easiest trips will be a departure from Venezia S.L. at 08:50, arriving Monterosso at 15:03 (time 6H:13m, one change at Milano Centrale, Freccia and InterCity trains which both require reservations). Unfortunately it appears there are only Base fare tickets available on that date, so pre-purchase will not provide any discounts. However it would still be a good idea to buy the tickets as soon as you've finalized your Itinerary, as that may allow all of your group to be seated in the same Coach.

FWIW, I usually choose trains based on shortest travel time and fewest changes. I like to get from one place to another as quickly as possible rather than wasting time in travel, and scenery is not usually a concern.

One point to consider in deciding whether to stay in Vernazza or Monterosso is that many of the small rooms in Vernazza don't provide breakfast. If that's important to you, a more "conventional" hotel in Monterosso might be a better choice. I always like to have a good meal at the start of the day before going out touring.

traveling with two young children

If you are traveling with young children I think the number of changes is more important than the number of hours. I shudder to think of hurrying from one platform to another with luggage and two kids.