Cinque Terre — Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore — sits on the Ligurian coast, colourful houses stacked into cliffs above the sea. It's genuinely one of Italy's most beautiful coastlines, and also the longest and most demanding of the day trips commonly done from Florence — worth going in with realistic expectations.
Getting there
There's no direct train; the typical route involves a train from Florence to La Spezia (with a change, commonly at Pisa), then the short regional "Cinque Terre Express" train that connects all five villages along the coast. Total travel time each way is roughly 2.5–3 hours, meaning a day trip involves 5–6 hours on trains alone.
Is a day trip actually worth it?
It's possible and plenty of visitors do it, but the maths is demanding: with an early start and late return, you're realistically looking at 4–5 hours actually in Cinque Terre after accounting for travel and village-to-village train connections. That's enough to see two or three villages properly, not all five. If your schedule allows it, one night in the area transforms the experience — you get an evening and a morning without the day-trip clock ticking.
If you only have one day
Pick two or three villages rather than attempting all five. Vernazza and Manarola are consistently rated the most photogenic and are well connected by both train and the coastal walking trail (trail conditions and closures vary — check current status before planning a hike). Riomaggiore is a good pairing with Manarola via the shorter trail sections.