Cinque Terre and Pisa Tower Tour from Florence Semi Private
Description
Semi-Private Small-Group (up to 8 people) Cinque Terre and Pisa leaning tower tour in a Black Mercedes Minivan. Only in a small group, it becomes possible to visit the Cinque Terre and experience all the true magic of this enchanted coastline. We will visit 3 of the 5 villages on Cinque terre, using trains and boat. Usually the towns we visit are Riomaggiore, Manarola and Vernazza. You can hike, it you wish to, from Riomaggiore to Manarola. 1 hour hike (this is subject to availability based on weather/danger). The driver will follow you by boat/train. Public boats also operate subject to weather conditions and along the Cinque Terre from April until about the 3rd week of October.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Cinque Terre are five coastal villages in eastern Liguria that make up a UNESCO World Heritage site! Here, a train links the five different villages together. A small group tour with a max of 8 people is the perfect solution for those who want to keep the costs down and at the same time touch as many destinations as possible without being in a 54-seat bus. Your driver will be with you for the entire day. He will escort you on the boat and train. - Public boats operate subject to weather conditions and along the Cinque Terre from April until about the 3rd week of October.
Arrive at Riomaggiore by black Mercedes Minivan. The town climbs up along the ridges overlooking the sea and it is characterized from the typical stone houses with coloured façades and slate-roofs. From Riomaggiore we will take the Public boat to Manarola. Public boats operate subject to weather conditions and along the Cinque Terre from April until about the 3rd week of October. If you wish to hike you can take the Trail 531 Riomaggiore to Manarola. Our driver will follow the group by boat.
Optional -If you wish to hike you can take this trail on your own or instead you can follow the driver on the boat/train. The tickets are not included. Check in the real-time practicability of the path network at this link: http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php#/ You will meet back our driver in Manarola. Forward time: 1 hour Difficulty Level: EE - For expert hikers Length: 1.470 km Difference in height: 202m. Follow the path signposted along the vegetable gardens until the small bridge from which begins the long flight of steps that leads through cultivated and fallow fields, with a panoramic view, to the ridge of Costa Corniolo. From there you can admire the tip of Montenero eastward, Manarola and the coastline of Cinque Terre westward. From the ridge of Costa Corniolo, the descent to Manarola begins on the left with the ancient flight of steps. It runs down the hill with spectacular views all the way to the village
Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name "Manarola" is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, "magna rota". In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to "magna roea" which means "large wheel", in reference to the mill wheel in the town. Then train from Manarola to Vernazza
Vernazza is the only natural port of the five villages. Being the wealthiest village its architecture is most elaborate. See the Castle of the Doria, look at the watchtowers, and do not miss the Romanesque sanctuary of Our Lady of Reggio. You will be amazed by its simplicity and yet fascinated by its architecture. In Vernazza we can have a cooling swim in the sea, a nice shower and we can enjoy a delicious lunch made of authentic Pesto Pasta and fresh Mediterrean seafood (not included in the price). Train from Vernazza to Riomaggiore back on the Black Mercedes minivan on the way to Pisa to see the Leaning tower.
Continue to Pisa. Free time to see the Leaning Tower and walk around Piazza dei Miracoli to see its other celebrated monuments: Pisa Baptistery, Pisa Duomo. During the hour-long visit, you’ll also discover Piazza dei Cavalieri, home to the historic university Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. The tour will reach the Pisa tower at around 16:30. Usually it is enough to look at it from the outside, it is beautiful. However if you want to reserve your own tickets to climb it, you can do it choosing 16:45 as the time. Entrance Leaning tower's tickets are not not included. Back on our black Mercedes Minivan on the way to Florence.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Departure Point: Direct pick up and drop off from some hotels locates in the historic center (A zone). For all other locations private residences and B&B the meeting point is in front of Hotel Boccaccio-Tino Caffè, Via della Scala 57 Florence
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- If you're planning on going hiking, you need to be prepared – although the path is open to everyone, remember that the ground can be slippery, uneven, and in places steep and narrow
- Please wear suitable walking shoes, don't forget your swimsuit and towel if you want to take a swim
- The driver/guide will thoroughly introduce the places being visited, from a cultural, historical and artistic viewpoint while driving to and from them, but is not licensed to give explanations at sights or guide inside churches, or museums.You will have free time in the villages
- The link to book the Pisa Leaning tower tickets is this https://www.opapisa.it/en/tickets/buy/.
- Infant or Child need to reserve seat and have to pay the full amount
- Public boats also operate subject to weather conditions and along the Cinque Terre from April until about the 3rd week of October
Reviews(1,605)
Our driver and guide Claudius was fun and enthusiastic . We learned a lot about the Cinque Terre region, its history, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, a nice soak in the water, and some local food.
We had a fabulous day exploring Cinque Terre and our guide, Marco, was very attentive and informative. Would recommend.
We had a wonderful time on this trip. Claudius was excellent. We really enjoyed his wit and one liners. He made everyone laugh, including other guides. I would book this again. We recommend swimming at the last stop! Don’t forget to buy some goggles to see some fish. Seeing Pisa was a nice touch, could almost spend another hour there but the day flies by so fast in Cinque Terre that overall your day is so jam packed that you don’t have time for everything. That said, this is the best way to see Cinque Terre from Florence. Hopefully your guide will be Emperor Claudius for hilarious commentary and good vibes.
Claudius was a fantastic tour guide! Everything about our day went smoothly. It was nice to take a day where you didn’t have to worry about logistics and you could just sit back and enjoy yourself. Claudius made the tour very enjoyable and he was extremely knowledgeable, funny and accommodating. We never felt rushed and we had plenty of time to swim, eat and shop. This was definitely worth the money!
“Be spoiled like a guest. Travel like a local” is their creed and they absolutely delivered! Our personal guide on our adventure to Cinque Terre was Nedo, who truly went above and beyond to ensure that we had an amazing experience. Nedo was not only very intelligent and knowledgeable, but he was also very professional, courteous, patient, compassionate, and had a wonderful sense of humor. To say that he catered to our every need would be an understatement. In fact, two of my daughters became ill during our excursion and Nedo offered many options, developed a game plan, and consistently checked on us. Nedo also recommended a restaurant in Vernazza (Gianni Franzi) that had two of the best pasta dishes I have ever tasted- the pasta with pesto sauce and pasta al pomodoro. Overall, it was an amazing experience and we owe it all to Nedo. So, if you are unsure whether to spend the extra money for the private or semi-private tour, please trust me- it is worth it!!!!
Yes, it was a long hot day, but Diana, our tour guide and driver was superb. Our three stops in Cinque Terre were truly fabulous and we had a lovely lunch (at our expense). It was a wonderful trip. As for the Tower of Pisa, I found it less interesting and very commercial with a lot of hawkers.
Excellent!! Phenomenal! Unforgettable! best money I’ve ever spent! Lapo was so kind and professional. Guided us throughout the whole tour. Clean and comfortable luxurious van I can’t wait to go back! Thank you Lapo for making the tour so enjoyable!
Very disappointing. The tour guide’s first words to us after we were seated in the van were “You will have to excuse my voice since I have a cold”. This when we were to spend the next 12 hours with him. He coughed regularly throughout the day. He gave us very little information while we were on the trip, either about the area we were traveling through or about the areas we visited. The listening devices we were provided were useless, even if he had been speaking, because they were full of static and interference. The promised boat tour did not happen, presumably because of sea conditions. We spent far too much time waiting for trains to take the place of the boat tour but the only explanation we got was “the boat is not available”. When we got to Pisa, the guide parked the van and told us to meet him there in 45 minutes. No information about the attractions, history, tickets, etc was given. We felt like we got a ride to the towns and almost nothing else of value. When we complained to the company, they gave us a partial refund of the cost of the tour. We could have found a less expensive way to get transportation or have found a guided tour that provided information as well as transportation. My advice: don’t waste your time and money on this tour.
Dear Douglas, thank you for sharing your feedback — even when critical, reviews like yours help us reflect and improve. We are sorry your day did not meet your expectations. As we discussed with you directly, our guide unfortunately woke up unwell that morning. With an early departure, a last-minute replacement was not possible — something we acknowledged openly and for which we offered a sincere apology. Regarding the ferry: the boat service at Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Vernazza operates from small exposed rock landings — not proper harbors. When sea conditions cause wave motion, the navigation company suspends boarding at those stops for passenger safety. This is entirely outside our control and is clearly disclosed on our booking page. The train connection is the standard alternative and was used as intended. We take your feedback about commentary quality and the audio devices seriously — these are areas where we hold ourselves to a high standard, and on this occasion that standard was not fully met. We addressed your concerns directly through our customer service channels and worked with you to find a resolution. We are proud of the hundreds of guests who travel with us each year and return home with wonderful memories of Tuscany and the Cinque Terre. We remain committed to delivering the experience we promise — informative, personal, and memorable. The Truescany Team
David was really nice, but he was under the weather and completely lost his voice by the end of the day. He distributed radio devices and headsets so we could hear him better, but the quality was really static-y, and we couldn’t hear him well through that, either. It was nice to have the tour company take care of the logistics of getting from Florence to Cinque Terre and between each of the towns, but we often felt rushed at each stop. That could have also been because our tour started late because there was a mixup with the van, and they had to go get a different one. I wish we would’ve been able to learn more about the towns and what we were seeing along the way, but David seemed to be less effective because of his illness. While I appreciate that he worked despite less than ideal circumstances, the company probably should’ve substituted drivers for the day because I feel we didn’t get the full experience we paid for — and I’m concerned we may also end up with the same sickness from being in an enclosed space with a guide who was coughing all day.
Lapo was a very good tour guide. He was knowledgeable and very friendly. The scenery was breathtaking and there was plenty of time at each location. Lapo also assisted with setting up a lunch reservation - one less thing to worry about.
