Liguria from Florence
A Florence day trip to Cinque Terre is a 12 to 13 hour day: a coach to the coast, the local train between the villages, and a boat along the shore when the sea allows, April to October. Four trips on our list make the run, at $55 to $100 per person. Here is what each price covers, which villages you see, and how to tell apart the two trips that share one name.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a first Florence day trip to Cinque Terre, book the Cinque Terre and Pisa trip at $100 per person: two villages at your own pace, then Pisa, rated 4.7 from 3,327 reviews. Want all five villages and the option to hike? The hiking trip costs $62 per person and holds the highest rating here, 4.9 from 6,255 reviews.
Four trips, side by side
Base prices per person. Most listings sell options, so check what yours includes.
| Trip | Price | What the price covers | Villages | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinque Terre and Pisa | $100 per person | Coach, local train, a guide in English, Pisa | Vernazza, Monterosso | 12 – 12.5 hours |
| Five villages, hike optional | $62 per person | Coach, train, a guide; the boat in season | All five, or three plus Pisa | 12 – 13 hours |
| Street food optional, 12 hours | $66 per person | Coach, train, the boat in season; street food extra | Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore | 12 hours |
| Street food optional, 13 hours | $55 per person | The coach; train, ferry and guide are options | Manarola, Riomaggiore, Vernazza, Monterosso | 13 hours |
How the day works
Whichever Cinque Terre day trip from Florence you pick, it starts with a coach out of central Florence. On the two listings that spell out the route, the ride to La Spezia takes about two hours, and the local train takes over from there. Each Florence day trip to Cinque Terre on our list runs 12 to 13 hours.
The Cinque Terre sits in Liguria, on the Ligurian Sea, not in Tuscany.
Read the boat part carefully. On the three trips that include it, it sails from April to October and only when the sea allows. From November to March the train does the job, so a Florence day trip to Cinque Terre in winter is a train day.
The coast
The beach, the rocks, a village harbour and the painted houses.
Several reviewers swam at the last stop, so pack swimwear.
Blue water through a stone arch.
Coloured houses, a church tower and small boats by the water.
Orange, pink and yellow fronts with green shutters, built on the rock.
Our top pick
The Cinque Terre and Pisa trip is our top pick for a first Florence day trip to Cinque Terre: $100 per person, 12 to 12.5 hours, rated 4.7 from 3,327 reviews. It meets at Piazzale Montelungo, drives about two hours to La Spezia and takes the local train to Vernazza for about an hour and a half on your own. Then on to Monterosso for about two and a half hours, with lunch at your own cost and Fegina Beach in front of you.
On the way back the coach stops in Pisa for about an hour and a half on Piazza dei Miracoli. The guide speaks English; the shuttle from the coach park to the Leaning Tower is not in the price. If you want Pisa on the same ticket, this is the Cinque Terre day tour from Florence to pick. Susan from the United Kingdom: «Fantastic day. Very well organised & plenty of time in each location.»
One name, two trips
Two listings for a day trip from Florence to Cinque Terre share the title “Cinque Terre Day Trip with Optional Street Food”, from different operators on different routes. Tell them apart by price and length.
Rated 4.5 from 3,453 reviews. This trip meets a 5 to 10 minute walk from Santa Maria Novella: two hours in Monterosso, the boat to Vernazza (1 April to 31 October, if the sea allows), then Manarola and Riomaggiore. Focaccia and seafood are extra. Maureen from the United States: «It felt rushed».
Rated 4.6 from 1,637 reviews. This trip leaves Santa Maria Novella at 06:50: Manarola, Riomaggiore, the boat to Vernazza, then Monterosso. The base price can be the coach alone; train, ferry and guide are options. No boat or street food from November to March. Alison from Australia: «the small group of 15 was a good size».
Five villages, or three and Pisa
The hiking trip costs $62 per person for 12 to 13 hours and holds the highest rating on our list, 4.9 from 6,255 reviews. For a Florence day trip to Cinque Terre that takes in all five villages, this is the one: with the walk from Corniglia to Vernazza, or without. Haley from the United States: «we got to see all of Cinque Terre in a day.»
The boat runs when the weather allows; from 1 November to 31 March the train replaces it. Kamelia from the United Kingdom called the boat «100% worth it» but paid extra for it, so check your option. A second version swaps the hike for three villages plus Pisa, and you may bring luggage if you are staying on the coast.
Before you book
A few minutes now saves a rushed morning before any Florence Cinque Terre day trip.
Both street food trips ask for each traveller’s full name and date of birth.
Piazzale Montelungo for the Pisa trip, Santa Maria Novella for the street food trips, central Florence for the hiking trip.
April to October, and only when the sea allows.
At your own cost on the Pisa trip; an option on the street food trips.
Alison: «Don’t forget to pack bathers as the last stop is longer than you think!»
Our verdict
Book the Cinque Terre and Pisa trip at $100 per person if you want two villages at an easy pace and Pisa on the way home. Want the whole coast? The hiking trip, a day tour from Florence to Cinque Terre through all five villages, costs $62 per person. Lowest base price? The 13-hour street food trip is $55 per person; check what your option includes.
Book direct
Four trips, all priced per person. Our top pick comes first.
★ 4.7 · 3,327 reviews
★ 4.9 · 6,255 reviews
★ 4.5 · 3,453 reviews
★ 4.6 · 1,637 reviews
Other day trips
Our top pick across the whole site is this same Cinque Terre and Pisa trip, $100 per person. If the coast is too long a day, our full list of day trips sets all twelve side by side, from half a day in Pisa to Siena, San Gimignano and Chianti. The most reviewed of them visits Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano; our Siena and San Gimignano guide compares it.
Common questions
Yes. The Cinque Terre and Pisa trip, $100 per person, gives you Vernazza and Monterosso, then about an hour and a half on Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa. The hiking trip, $62 per person, also sells a version with three villages and Pisa, without the hike.
About two hours by coach to La Spezia, where the local train takes over. With the villages and the ride back, a Florence day trip to Cinque Terre runs 12 to 13 hours on the four listings here.
It depends on the month, the sea and your option. The boat runs from April to October when the sea allows; from November to March the train replaces it. On the 13-hour trip, ferry tickets are an option, and one reviewer on the hiking trip paid extra for the boat.
Not on the Cinque Terre and Pisa trip: lunch in Monterosso is at your own cost. On both street food trips the food is an option you add. Read what your option covers before you book.
The Pisa trip meets at Piazzale Montelungo. The 12-hour street food trip meets a 5 to 10 minute walk from Santa Maria Novella; the 13-hour one, in the station ticket hall 20 minutes before its 06:50 departure. The hiking trip meets in the centre of Florence; the exact spot is on the listing.
Go deeper
Half-day and full-day trips from Florence to Pisa and the Leaning Tower, with the Lucca option: length and price.
Siena and San GimignanoDay trips from Florence to Siena and San Gimignano compared: time in each town, lunch, wine and price.
Chianti wine toursHalf-day Chianti wine tours from Florence compared: wineries, tastings, food and price.
Val d'Orcia and MontepulcianoDay trips from Florence to the Val d'Orcia, Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano: stops, tastings and price.
Assisi and PerugiaAssisi and Perugia in one day, leaving from Florence: stops, the basilica, length and price.
Florence from RomeDay trips from Rome to Florence and Pisa compared: time in each city, length and price.
From Florence: Cinque Terre & Pisa Day Trip
★ 4.7 · 3,327 reviews · 12 - 12.5 hours