Cinque Terre and Pisa Tower Small-Group Day Trip from Florence

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.