Excursion to Cinque Terre from Florence

An excursion to Cinque Terre, Italy comprises trips to five coastal villages located in the province of La Spezia in Liguria. The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is protected as a National Park.

The tour covers Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, the five villages of Cinque Terre. These villages are connected by local trains that have quick and frequent services from La Spezia to Genoa. Through the excursion, travelers can enjoy the train journey which passes mostly through a tunnel and get an occasional glimpse of the Mediterranean. Or they can also take the passenger ferry along the coastline of each village from Genoa’s Old Harbor and La Spezia, Portovenere or Lerici. In this tour, you can walk along the ‘Lovers’ Walk,’ which is another interesting way of experiencing the traditional and colorful villages.

The driver can drop you at the first village from where you can start your trip by choosing any of the above ways to explore all the villages. You can meet the driver at the last village and he will drive you back.

The villages of Cinque Terre, Italy are built between the hills and the beaches, in between the rocks. Make your holiday more interesting and exciting through these tours and by indulging in swimming, hiking, watching the blazing Sunsets in the Mediterranean, drinking some red wine and walking through these villages.

Each village in Cinque Terre, Italy is unique and has its own characteristics. The westernmost of these is the village of Monterosso. It is covered by hills that have vineyards and olive groves, and some beautiful vegetation all around, which are pleasant to see during your vacation trip. The beautiful beaches and the steep cliffs remain imprinted in the memory of all visitors. Some places worth seeing during this day tour are the medieval tower ‘Aurora’ and the church of Saint Francis.

Vernazza was founded in the 1st century. The village exhibits some really breathtaking views along the Mediterranean with vineyards and fields that are worth seeing in this pleasure trip. Monuments of excellent architecture like the loggias and arcades that imply high standards of living can be found here.

Corniglia is more an agricultural village. One of the beautiful Gothic style monument found in this village is the parish church of Saint Peter or 'San Pietro' that was built on the ruins of an old chapel belonging to the 11th century, in 1334. The churchyard also has a stone building with Gothic arches believed to be the seat of the Fieschi family.

Manarola is an ancient village. A church built in Gothic style in about 1338 stands in the middle of the village. There is also a winding footpath known as the Lovers’Walk along the coast of this village. There is a small harbor tucked in between two rocky lands of the village, yet another interesting aspect of this tour.

A beautiful footpath, the Lovers’ Walk, La Via dell'Amore leads you to Riomaggiore from Manarola. Riomaggiore is the easternmost point of Cinque Terre. It is located in the narrow valley of ‘Rio Maior.’ The urban layout and easy access from La Spezia, have made this a very important tourist spot in the recent times. The houses are built on steep floors of the mountains and have tower-like features. Interesting places to visit during the tour are the Gothic-style church of Saint John the Baptist, Oratory of the Disciplined and ruins of a 15th/16th century castle.

Lunch in one of these villages will be an amazing experience in this excursion. Dish like ‘Troffie’ is a specialty of this region. Another recipe is the 'Cotoletta di acciuga, ' which has anchovies stuffed with a breadcrumb based filling and then fried. The 'fritelle di bianchetti', fritters made from tiny newborn anchovies or sardines are also favorites. The seamen's gastronomic traditions also include stewed cuttlefish, stuffed calamari and spiced octopus. Quality wine and olive oil are produced in these regions. Stop by and taste the wines if you desire to! Many shops line the ‘Cinque Terre’ and one can also find artisans working on various materials like wood, making either fishing nets of carving out beautiful photo frames.

Cinque Terre, Italy is well known for its products like the dry white wine that is simply known as 'Cinque Terre' and the 'Sciacchetrà', an expensive dessert wine that is made from dry grapes that has been thoroughly dried to the point of having only a few drops of its juice. Limoncino is another colorful dessert wine belonging to the Cinque Terre products. Made from lemon peels, alcohol, sugar and water after undergoing various processes and finally form fragrant and fresh liquor similar to the wine of Amalfi - Limoncello.

You sure will like this special train travel or walk through the “Lovers Lane” and enjoy the treasures of Cinque Terre, Italy throughout this tour. Please contact us to receive an itinerary on our Day Trips or Packaged Tours in Tuscany.

** Please note that all prices below are quoted considering a pick up and drop off in Florence. We can organise for the driver to come to your villa or accommodation in other areas of Tuscany and prices will be quoted seperately upon request
** Does not include the boat or ferry tickets or lunch.
**A tourist guide of the area can be arranged at an additional cost.

Cost of the full day tour:

2 persons: € 245 per person
4 persons: € 150 per person
6 persons: € 130 per person
8 persons: € 110 per person
16 persons: € 60 per person

We would be glad to draft a customized itinerary for other tours in Tuscany for our customers. We are just an email away and would love to hear your feedback.