Local English-speaking tour leader
Food and drinks
I liked the places we visited and the guide was very nice. I preferred to have mire time in each village (even if it means visiting fewer towns). The trainsare crazy you have to literally run, and make lots of combinations but we surely would not be able to do it without Emma, our italian guide.
Start your day at Santa Maria Novella train station where you get a brief intro from your tour leader and you'll board a train to Pisa. Follow your tour leader to Piazza dei Miracoli, home to the Leaning Tower, Baptistery, and Duomo. Enjoy 1.5 hours of free time to explore. Pose for photos by the Leaning Tower, join a guided tour (own expense), visit the Duomo (own expense), or explore the Baptistery (own expense). For Leaning Tower tickets, the 10:00 am entrance is recommended.
Meet the group again and take a 1-hour train to La Spezia, the gateway to Cinque Terre which can only be seen by local trains so expect some crowds and possible delays. Reach Vernazza where you can explore the pastel buildings and cobbled streets and learn about the village's pirate defenses. Spend your free time enjoying the beach, swimming, or exploring the elegant houses and romantic restaurants. Finally, visit Manarola, perched on a cliff overlooking the Ligurian Sea. Spend an hour exploring the harbor and taking photos.
The journey back to Florence takes around 2.5 hours.
