How to Plan a Cinque Terre Day Trip (+ a Stop in Pisa)

Imagine visiting the beautiful, colorful, picturesque villages of Cinque Terre…but on the way, making a quick stop at the historic Leaning Tower of Pisa. This can all be done in one magical day. Obviously, the most ideal situation is spending forever and ever in the beautiful oasis that is Cinque Terre. But more than likely, you only have one day to take it all in. And trust me, it will be the highlight of your Italy trip!

One of the biggest questions asked is, “can you really experience Cinque Terre in one day trip?” The answer is, YES! There are a lot things to consider, however, before immediately planning this trip. You need to think about where you’re traveling from…how long it will take roundtrip to reach Cinque Terre…which villages you want to see…how late you want to return home…whether or not to squeeze Pisa in…and more.

It can be overwhelming at first, but this truly is a day trip that everyone should experience. If you want more of a relaxing day, you might want to skip Pisa and just focus on Cinque Terre. Before I share our exact itinerary, here are a few things you should know or ask yourself…

What to know about Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre, or Cinque Terre National Park, is made up of five *extremely colorful* fishing villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Each village is perched high on the Italian Riviera, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The villages receive millions of visitors per year, and it’s easy to see why. Cinque Terre is absolutely breathtaking.

Which city are you traveling from?

A “Day Trip” means that you are staying in one place, but taking one day to venture to another destination. The major city that you will be traveling from plays a big role in how easy this day trip to Cinque Terre will be…especially if you plan on adding in a fun stop at Pisa.

The closest major cities are Milan, Florence, Genoa, Pisa, and Lucca. Each of these places are between 1-3 hours away from Cinque Terre via train or car. These cities are ideal for a day trip. Turin and Siena are also nearby at about 3 1/2 hours away.

Other major places – like Rome or Venice – are at least 4+ hours away. You would be spending most of the day in a train or car. If you’re traveling from those cities, I suggest spending a night or two in Cinque Terre to make the long distance worth it!

Will you be in Florence? Check out 8 Florence Activities You Cannot Miss

How to get to Cinque Terre

If you haven’t guessed it already, the easiest way to reach Cinque Terre is by train. We booked our train tickets through ItaliaRail because they displayed the time slots that I was looking for. I have zero complaints about ItaliaRail and highly suggest starting there first! We enjoyed looking out the window and admiring all of the Tuscan villages along the journey.

You can also reach Cinque Terre by car, but parking is very limited. Driving to Cinque Terre is similar to driving to Venice. You have to park far away and then take public transportation to actually reach your destination. Why not save your stress & energy and just travel by train the whole time?

If you REALLY want to treat yourself and not worry about driving or navigating public transportation, consider booking one of these tours…

Alright…here’s what we did!

As I started brainstorming a day trip to Cinque Terre, I felt obligated to make a quick stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We were SO close. Pisa is literally on the way. Why would we not try to visit the world-famous tower?

I also wanted to see as many villages as possible at Cinque Terre. I quickly realized that if I wanted to factor in a stop at Pisa, I would need to give up some of the villages. While it is possible to squeeze in the 5 villages into one day, it’s pretty rushed. Now, adding in Pisa WITH all 5 villages? Not possible in a day trip.

I had to choose which of the villages were must-sees. Ultimately, I decided on Manarola and Vernazza. These villages had my favorite photography viewpoints. After all, my main goal was to photograph the iconic, postcard pictures of Cinque Terre. You know, something like this:

This was our train schedule and day-trip itinerary…

Florence to Pisa

Florence (Santa Maria Novella Station) to Pisa (Pisa Centrale Station)
Departure 7:00am; Arrival 7:49am

Once you arrive in the city of Pisa, the easiest and quickest way to get to the Leaning Tower is by taxi. From Pisa Centrale, it was a 7-8 minute scenic drive for only 10 euros. We were on a schedule, so this was a great option.

Since we arrived so early, we were able to witness the Leaning Tower at sunrise. It was magical! The tower is actually located in a public square called “Field of Miracles.” It is free to walk around the area and view the tower. Which means yes, taking touristy photos with the tower is free. You have to pay to climb up the tower, but we didn’t care to do that anyways.

We had about 2 hours total to enjoy Pisa before catching the train towards Cinque Terre. After adding up our taxi rides and train tickets (plus walking around the tower, but that was free), the total cost for two people to visit Pisa on the way to Cinque Terre was about $40. Not too bad!

You might also enjoy reading: Is the Leaning Tower of Pisa Worth It?

Pisa to La Spezia – the connecting train to Cinque Terre

Pisa (Pisa Centrale Station) to La Spezia (La Spezia Centrale Station)
Departure 9:56am; Arrival 10:44am

There are no direct trains to Cinque Terre, so you will most likely arrive in La Spezia – a small town just south of Cinque Terre. From La Spezia, you can take a smaller train (that travels along the cliffs) to any of the villages in Cinque Terre. Our first stop was charming Vernazza.

La Spezia to Vernazza – arriving at the first village

We arrived in Vernazza around 11:20am and spent 3ish hours exploring. Vernazza is one of the most popular villages in Cinque Terre. Even in the winter months, you will have a great time. For example, we got lucky in early December. Blue skies, warmer weather, and less crowds! Traveling in the off-season is always a smart idea.

Our first activity was hiking up to a viewpoint, which produced the beautiful scenery at the very top of this post. Afterwards, we grabbed a delicious lunch at La Botega del Fritto. If you enjoy fish & chips, this is the place to go. We ate down by the harbor and sat against that red building in the middle of the image below.

After lunch, we hiked up to our second and final viewpoint in Vernazza. The incline wasn’t too bad, but it helped to have such breathtaking scenery all around! Now, it was time to take the train and head to Manarola – the village I was looking forward to the most.

Vernazza to Manarola – traveling to the second village

Our final stop before heading back to Florence was the village of Manarola. This is the place known for the iconic postcard photo that you’ve seen all over. When I realized how simple and effortless it was to reach the viewpoint, it was a no-brainer to add Manarola to the itinerary.

Watching the sunset was the perfect end to our memorable day. Literally, we sat and watched the sunset for almost 2 hours! It was so peaceful and relaxing. From a photography side of things, I loved this because I got to photograph Manarola during the day, during the sunset, and at night/blue hour.

Our train back to Florence departed at 6:32pm. After the sunset around 5pm, we had just enough time to explore the rest of the village, eat dinner to-go, and do a bit of souvenir shopping.

Manarola back to Florence

Cinque Terre (Manarola Station) to La Spezia (La Spezia Centrale Station)
Depart 6:32pm; Arrival 6:45pm

La Spezia (La Spezia Centrale Station) to Florence (Santa Maria Novella Station)
Depart 7:09pm; Arrival 9:45pm

We had to connect at La Spezia again before catching the final train to Florence. This ride was longer than the others, but that’s okay. After a busy day, we were thankful for the break!

Final thoughts…

If you have multiple days to explore Cinque Terre or Pisa, then obviously your itinerary will look a bit different. You will LOVE seeing everything at a very casual pace. If you’re like me, and only had one day to see these sites, it can be done. You could either see all 5 villages in one day, or see a few villages with a stop at Pisa.

Is it a busy day with lots of trains? Definitely. If you space out the train times enough to enjoy the sites, you’ll have a great time. Otherwise, you can always book a private tour! Check out these great options below.

Is Cinque Terre on your bucket list yet?

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