Cinque Terre day trip from Florence: train, boat & villages

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1/46

Duration13h 20m

GroupUp to 50

LanguagesEN · PT +2

Mobile ticketAccepted

Five villages in one day: you move between them by train, then see the coast from the water on the way back.

A full-day tour from Florence to Cinque Terre, a UNESCO-protected stretch of five villages clinging to the Ligurian coast, with a multilingual guide, train tickets between villages, and a ferry boat ride along the shoreline. You travel by bus from Florence in the early morning, spend free time in each village to eat and explore, and return to the city center by evening. Choose between a guided tour with street food tastings or a transfer-only option where you move through the villages at your own pace.

13h 20m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cinque Terre villages

Depart from Florence city centre
Travel to Cinque Terre by train
Visit Monterosso al Mare village
Visit Vernazza and Corniglia villages
Visit Manarola village and relax
Visit Riomaggiore village
Return to Florence city centre

The Experience

The bus leaves Florence city center in the early morning and drives toward the coast, arriving at Levanto—the gateway to Cinque Terre and the starting point if you pick the transfer-only option. From there, the guided tour moves you by train through Monterosso al Mare, the westernmost village anchored in a natural gulf; Vernazzo, tucked into a bay between steep cliffs; and Manarola and Riomaggiore, fishing villages whose original cores date back centuries, their houses stacked vertically above the water. The train connects all five, so you step off at each one with free time to wander the narrow streets, taste local dishes like pasta al pesto or focaccia, browse the shops, or swim in the Mediterranean if the season allows.

In the afternoon, you board a motorvessel that runs along the entire Cinque Terre coast—the view from the water shows you how the villages sit between the sea and the steep mountain range that rises behind them, a perspective you cannot get from land. The boat ride is included in the guided tour option; if you choose transfer only, you arrange your own return. The guide speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian depending on the option you select, and the group stays small enough that you hear them over the engine noise and the wind.

The street food option adds tastings of local specialties during the day, though this is not available from November through March, when the boat service also stops running. The transfer-only option gives you the bus ride and the freedom to explore the villages on your own schedule, without a guide or the train and boat tickets—you buy those separately if you want them, or you stay in Levanto and the surrounding area. Either way, you meet at the Sightseeing Experience Visitor Center inside Florence's Santa Maria Novella train station and return to the same spot by evening.

What’s included

Bus transport from Florence city center with Wi-Fi.
train tickets between the five villages.
ferry boat tickets along the Cinque Terre coast.
a multilingual guide (English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian).
free time in each village to explore, eat, and swim.
street food tastings if you choose that option at checkout.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Sightseeing Experience

Is this one for you?Book the guided tour if you want the villages explained and the timing arranged so you see all five in a single day without building the schedule yourself. Choose transfer only if you prefer to move through the villages at your own pace and decide which ones to linger in—you'll need to buy train tickets separately, but the freedom to skip stops or stay longer is yours.