Where to spend a night when travelling by train from Sorrento to Cinqueterra?

What does your larger itinerary look like? Otherwise, people may recommend locations that are already in the plan, such as Rome. As well, what should this stop offer for things which interest you?

That said, fast trains from Napoli Central arrive in Florence (Firenze SM Novella) in as little as 3 hours, no train changes. You do have to add time for transport from Sorrento> Naples Centrale. Ferries cover distance between Sorrento port > Naples port in 40 minutes, and you could take a short cab ride from there to the Centrale.

Editing to add per Nigel below: Yes, you could go all the way to the CT in a day.
Editing to add per Becky below: I'll agree that Florence needs more time...unless you're going there after the CT? As well, I'll agree that both Sorrento and the CT is sort of coastal overkill of two VERY busy places. IMHO, I'd do one or the other but it's your trip so...

it is an easy trip in a day. Do you need to break such a short journey? What do you want to do or see at your night part way?

From what I saw on Rome2Rio, the trip involves 3 different trains and takes atleast 6.hours. Florence is a logical stopping place, but Florence deserves much more than a night. If you want the experience of seeing scenic towns on steep hillsides, why not just explore the Amalfi Coast? Unfortunately, both Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast will be very crowded in August.

Sorrento to Napoli is easy. Then, Trenitalia IC 822 is an express train from Napoli Centrale direct to Monterosso al Mare in the CT. It's still about an 8-hour ride. You could stop at Rome as an intermediate stop, or continue on to Monterosso with scheduled arrival about midnight. Bottom line: you can get there with only one change of trains, but it's a slow and probably tiring trip.

BTW, it would be helpful to know where in the Cinque Terre the OP will be staying. Of the five villages, Monterosso has the most frequent train service.

Not sure why you would need to break up such a comparatively short trip. And if you did, wouldn't you want to stop at an en route connection point and not detour so as to add a lot of extra travel time?

It's far too early to book anything yet, but you can check the schedules on Trenitalia for dates within the next couple of months to see what train connections there are. But first you will need to decide how you want to get from Sorrento to Napoli Centrale Station. Private car/driver, Circumvesuviana commuter train, or ferry/taxi. After that, you will need to change trains probably 2 or 3 times. Which isn't as daunting as it may sound.

Hello fipaul, and welcome to the forum,

The problem is that the fast train doesn't stop many places so if you take the fast train between Naples and Florence then your choices are Florence or someplace between Florence and La Spezia. As you noted someplace like Siena is not on this route and would require backtracking to Florence adding time to your onward journey.

The obvious choices are Florence since you will change trains here anyway or someplace you will pass through anyway like Pisa or maybe someplace on the coast like Viareggio. Florence is a great but does deserve more time than an overnight. If you get a really early start you could be in Florence by early afternoon and you might be able to see some of the city before moving on. Pisa is a moderately sized city and while you might arrive to late to walk The Tower you could do the tourist shuffle and see it and other buildings in the Field of Miracles. Viareggio is a blue collar beach resort town with the rows of resorts with the rows of umbrellas and seaside attractions.

All of these places should be booked in advance in August.

You didn't offer any criteria for what you were looking for in a stop over town but these would be my recommendations covering several different interests.

If you want a really off piste suggestion there is also the more coastal train that offers several potential cities but most of them are not touristy. You could look into someplace like Grosseto which a historic, interesting, less touristed town with some really interesting museums. It would be a couple of hours from Rome to Grosseto and then 2.5 hours onward to La Spezia the next day. Livorno also fits into this path but it a bigger city but there are also smaller coastal towns if you want to find your own spot.

Hope that helps, have a great trip,
=Tod

Thank you for all responses. Very much appreciated. Our Italian trip is Sorrento/Capri - 7 nights, Manorola - 3 nights, Varenna (Lake Como) - 4 nights. Before flying out of Milan back to Australia. Celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. As youngsters, we have both visited Rome, Florence, Venice, and although that was a long time ago, we thought we'd visit the smaller (but more touristy!) areas we hear so much about, and keep away form the larger cities. I take note that AC and CT might be quite similar! Never really thought of that! They have just been "dream"destinations! And I'm not sure WHY the travel agent that we initially saw (but did not use) suggested to break the trip! Seems a waste now! But all accom now booked except for that 1 night in ? . I am thinking that if we take an early Circumvesuvia from Sorrento to Naples. (or private car) We could get a fast train at 1040am to Florence, and then another train to Siena, it seems to indicate that we could be in Siena at 340! Not as bad as I thought! Will keep investigating! And looking at train timetables! Appreciate the comment that 'it isn't as daunting as it may sound!'

Hello fipaul -

We were not traveling as far as you plan in going from Sorrento to somewhere in the Cinque Terre, but I thought I'd add a recommendation for the Monetti taxi from Sorrento direct into the Naples train station.

Circumvesuviana is fine and all - be sure to book the "luxury" air conditioned version - but we found that it just did not have good departure times to catch an early train out of Napoli.

We opted for the recommended Monetti taxi, and had zero regrets. Yes, it was a splurge - but time is your most important commodity on vacation and this was a place that we were glad we had booked the drive.

Also, you didn't ask but the full day Capri boat tour that I found looking on this forum was glorious. I can't remember the booking company but it was really a highlight of the trip. Small craft, up to 12 guests, and the skipper was great. I booked online in advance and was glad that we did.

Will just add that if you were not planning to otherwise go into Naples, that might be perfect for the one-night stop, giving you time to see the stuff from Pompeii if you are interested in visiting Pompeii.
I'd also consider just adding the night to Manarola if possible. An extra night appeals to me more than a one-night stopover, but it does offer an opportunity to see something different. congrats on your anniversary!