Train trip from Milan to Monterosso and then back to Milan

There are frequent trains from Milan to Monterosso. Some runs are direct and some will require a train change at Genoa. Journey time is 3.0hrs-3.5hrs depending on the run each way. Once in the CT, there are about 20 trains a day that run between the towns.

Do you know anything about the cost of the trains? Is there a way to store some of our luggage in Milan?

John, you can easily see the train fares on www.trenitalia.com. English but you have to type in the station names in Italian. You want Milano Centrale and Monterosso. Use a date that is within 7 days from today so that the fares for the Regional trains will show. If you look farther out, they won't.

John, As Larry mentioned, it's very easy to get from Milan to Monterosso. If you take a direct train (no changes), the travel time is about 2H:52M. If there are one or more changes, the travel time will be longer. Use the Trenitalia website to research your rail journeys. Before booking a Hotel, you'll first have to decide which of the five towns you want to stay in. Each have their individual "charms". Once you've decided where you want to stay, the Italy Guidebook has lots of listings for reliable lodgings. Some are more conventional Hotels, while others are smaller B&B's. Once you've established a "home base" in that area, it's very easy to get between the five towns via the local trains or by boat (weather permitting). You can travel from the town you're staying in back to Milan very easily. Again, use the Trenitalia website. Happy travels!

John, I forgot to mention above that Milano Centrale does have a staffed left luggage area.

Thanks for all the info. If you think of anything else, please post it. Do I need to make advance reservations for the train or just buy tickets as we need them?

You can save some money on the IC train from Milan to Monterosso by buying in advance on Trenitalia. But it is OK to buy them there too if you want to keep it simple.