La Spezia to Riomaggiore

Barbara, Have you already purchased a ticket from Florence to La Spezia Centrale? If you're going to be buying a P-P ticket in Florence, simply specify Riomaggiore as your destination and you won't have to buy any extra tickets. If you've already purchased your ticket from Florence to La Spezia, simply buy a P-P ticket from La Spezia to Riomaggiore when you arrive in Florence. The cost will be minimal. There are numerous trains on that route every day, so even if you waited and bought a ticket when you arrive in La Spezia, you'd only have a short wait for the next train. As you noted, the ride to Riomaggiore is only 7 - 8 minutes. Depending on which car you're in, the train may stop in a tunnel. If 8 minutes has elapsed and the train has stopped, get off! Be sure to note the mechanism to release the doors, as there are a few variations (push button or lever). Happy travels!

When we arrived at La Spezia from the Pisa station last July 1, the station was so crowded it was difficult to move around. I didn't check the lines at the ticket machines or window, as we already had our tickets, but the lines at Pisa, where we bought those tickets, were 20 minutes long. Be ready to jump off the train when it stops for riomaggiore, even if you are at the back of the train and in the tunnel. some of the people on our train missed that stop and had to get off in Manarola and wait for a train going back. They could have walked the easy path, but they had too much luggage.

Depending on the time you have to change trains, it could be an issue. You could buy the ticket at any train station a day or so before. Just be sure you validate the ticket in the machine before you board the train.

I've taken that route before...from La Spezia to Manarola. Even if you're pre-buying the first leg from Florence to La Spezia, you aren't going to have an issue buying a point-to-point ticket at La Spezia for this trip to Riomaggiore...there's no need to buy anything in advance. There are lots of trains on that route...the schedule is something like 1 right after top of hour then another 45 minutes later and another 10 minutes later and another 60 minutes later and another 8 minutes later...anyway, that's about right. A second class ticket is just under 2€...trip length is 12 km (8-10 minutes). Check Tren Italia's site for details. In Italy, I always just purchased point to point tickets at the stations as I travelled and never had a problem getting the next train out...that was in peak season in July. Fast trains and Italian Eurostar can be different, though, and you might need to buy in advance. BTW, if you have to wait a bit for the next train at La Spezia, you can leave the small station and walk across the street to a little kiosk selling snacks and drinks (beer, wine, water, whatever). There are a few tables and some trees...a nice way to kill 45 minutes.

You really can't buy a ticket in advance for the Regionale trains that serve the CT. What I suggest doing is buying a ticket in Florence to Riomaggiore. Don't do this on RailEurope just because you want a ticket in advance. Almost all trains to the CT from Florence are Regionale trains. No seat reservations permitted. You will change trains 1-2 times on the way at Pisa or La Spezia. You will receive a separate train ticket for each train you are on. This means 2-3 separate tickets. Regionale tickets are good for 60 days. You can get on any train making the run shown on your ticket within the 60 days. It's an open ticket. Once you validate the ticket in the little yellow machine, the ticket is good for 6 hours. Don't worry about full trains. For Regionale trains, you get on and find a seat. If no seats, you can stand. Just buy all of your tickets once you arrive in Florence. They are a lot cheaper than RailEurope.

THANK YOU EVERYONE - you have all been so helpful, and I truly appreciate the time you took to reply!