Are you landing in Florence?
If you are going to fly into Florence and you have in mind to reach Monterosso al Mare in Cinque Terre by train, these following info might be of help.
Here is a little guide to make it easier for you to get from Florence to Monterosso.
One recommendation: if you travel from Spring to Early Autumn do not reach the village without booking your accommodation. The demand for the Cinque Terre is extremely high so better planning your stay in the Cinque Terre Riviera well in advance.
Your Trip
The main train station in Florence is Santa Maria Novella (SMN) train station.
To get to the train terminal from the airport, you can take a 15 minute taxi ride or take a bus that will take you to SMN train station.
The shuttle buses run every half hour.
Almost all of the trains to Monterosso will require you to get off and transfer at two stations. The most common transfer train stations are Pisa Centrale and La Spezia Centrale. Then , you may also have La Spezia Migliarina but not many trains stop there and have connections to the Cinque Terre.
Your Ticket
Then you have to buy the Cinque Terre Express ticket from La Spezia to Monterosso.
Tickets Machines
There are automated ticket vending machines (payable by credit card) in Florence train station, which you can use to purchase your tickets. You can buy the tickets online, too
Once you purchase your train tickets, remember to VALIDATE your train tickets before you board. This is not required if you bought you train tickets online and they bear the QR code.
Any time you take a train in Italy you need to validate your ticket bought at the ticket office.
There are stamping machines on the platforms and around the train station. They are usually grey and green oval boxes.
Slide the ticket into the machine, you’ll hear it get stamped and then take the ticket with you onto the board.
When in Monterosso
Once you reach Monterosso train station, take the stairs down to the main street. One of the tracks (usually used buy trains from Genoa) has been provided by an elevator.
You will see the magnificent panorama of the village beaches in front of you and a promenade running along the beaches. The sea will be in front of you and, if Spring – Summer Time, lots of colorful umbrellas.
So depending on where you are staying, you are either going to walk to the RIGHT towards Fegina area if you have to reach Villa Montale, La Torre dei Merli, La Pavona, La Casa del Gigante. You have to take LEFT, towards the Centro Storico (the old village) if you have to reach Levre de Cuppi and Villa Tanca.
Always remember to let us know arrival time to your booked property and to notify eventual delays!
We invite all guests who need to reach Monterosso by car to read carefully our info page on car parkings.
