This guide on how to get to Cinque Terre from Florence It will help you prepare your visit one of the most beautiful areas of Italy in the world.
This beautiful corner of the Liguria region will make you fall in love with its five colorful façade villages, the surroundings of vineyards and steep cliffs, the beaches bathed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the delicious dishes of the excellent Italian cuisine.
To get to know this area well, we recommend spending between 3 and 4 days landing at one of the closest airports such as Pisa, Genoa or Florence and the most recommended time to enjoy this region to the fullest is to travel outside July and August, months in which a large amount of tourism is concentrated in these relatively small towns.
Based on the experience of our trip to Cinque Terre, we show you the best options on how to get from Florence to Cinque Terre, so you can choose your favorite. We start!
How to get to Cinque Terre from Florence by train
For go from Florence to Cinque Terre, located 170 kilometers away, you can take the train that leaves from Santa María Novella Station and leaves you at La Spezia in just over two hours for 14 euros.
There are direct trains every two hours to La Spezia, gateway to Cinque Terre, and others that change at the Pisa Central Station. You can check the schedules and make reservations in advance from this page.
Once in La Spezia, located about 10 kilometers from Cinque Terre, you can take a regional train that takes about 10 minutes to reach Riomaggiore and about 20 to Monterosso, the largest town with the most affordable hotels in this area.
The price of the train, which runs from 05h to 01h, is 4 euros per journey and has a frequency of 20 minutes. If you are going to make more than 4 trips a day you can find it profitable to buy the Cinque Terre Card that costs 16 euros a day or 29 euros for two days and that includes the entrance to the hiking trails.
Another option for go from La Spezia to Cinque Terre It is to take the boat that runs from April to October and stops in the 4 villages of the coast (Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore and Monterroso), since Corniglia is inland. The price of the boat is 30 euros and you can go down and up in any of the villages for a whole day.
Although the frequency of the boat (every hour) is lower than that of the train, it is worth doing at least one of the journeys by sea to have the best perspectives of these fairytale villages.
Another option to move around the villages is to rent a car or motorcycle, although it is not highly recommended because the roads are full of curves and the parking lots are far from the center of the villages.
Riomaggiore
How to get from Florence to Cinque Terre by bus
Other cheap option to go from Florence to Cinque Terre (La Spezia) It is to take a bus from Piazzale Montelungo, located a few meters from Santa María Novella, which takes about two hours and costs between 10 and 20 euros.
If you prefer comfort and have a guide in Spanish that explains the history of all these villages we recommend you book this excursion to Cinque Terre from Florence by bus, considered one of the best excursions in Florence.
Boat trip through Cinque Terre
Tips for traveling to Cinque Terre
Once you are clear how to get to Cinque Terre from Florence, we advise you to find an accommodation with the maximum months in advance so as not to run out of place or have to pay exorbitant prices, especially the months of July and August.
We stayed at the Hotel Souvenir, a charming hotel in Monterroso, located 5 minutes from the beach and with a fantastic breakfast.
To prepare to organize your routes through the 5 villages of Cinque Terre, find good restaurants, bathe in the best beaches and make good trekking routes, we recommend following this guide of places to see in Cinque Terre essential.
If you know another way to go from Florence to Cinque Terre, you can share it with us in the comments.
