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Cinque Terre and Pisa Tour from Florence

  • 12 hoursDuration
  • 4.9 · 1,727Reviews on Viator
  • From $241.57per person
  • Free cancellation 24hCancellation
Quick answer The day in short

This Cinque Terre and Pisa tour from Florence costs $241.57 per person, runs 12 hours in a minivan of up to 8, and gives you about 1 hour in Pisa from around 4:30pm. Three villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza), train and boat tickets, hotel pickup in the centre and water are in the price. The tower climb, lunch and the Cinque Terre park tickets are not.

Key takeaways

Small-Group Cinque Terre and Pisa Day Trip from Florence by Minivan
4.9★1,727 reviews
$241.57per person
12 hoursduration
Freecancellation 24
Check Availability

Sold and operated by I Just Drive. Booked and paid through Viator. We may earn a commission if you book through our link, at no extra cost to you. Compare all Pisa tours from Florence

This Cinque Terre and Pisa tour from Florence runs twelve hours in a Mercedes minivan of eight people at most, with hotel pickup in central Florence and a driver who stays with the group all day. You visit three of the five Cinque Terre villages, Riomaggiore, Manarola and Vernazza, using the local train and a public boat, then reach Pisa around 4:30pm for about an hour at the Piazza dei Miracoli. The price is $241.57 per person on Viator, and it does not include the Leaning Tower climb: you book your own timed slot on the official site. This page breaks down what the money buys, the stop by stop day, who should pick a different trip and the tower rules that matter. For the full range, see our other Pisa tours from Florence.

About This Tour

I Just Drive runs this as a semi-private day for up to eight people in a black Mercedes minivan with air conditioning. The driver introduces the places on the road from a cultural, historical and artistic viewpoint but is not licensed to give explanations at the sights or guide inside churches and museums. You move between the villages by public boat and local train, and the tour covers three Cinque Terre villages plus Pisa in a single twelve-hour day.

In Pisa the minivan reaches the Leaning Tower around 4:30pm and you get about 1 hour of free time on the Piazza dei Miracoli, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987. During that hour the listing says you also see Piazza dei Cavalieri, home to the Scuola Normale Superiore. The tower climb is not in the price: the operator sends you to the official site to reserve your own slot and suggests the 4:45pm time.

Price
$241.57 per person. It covers the minivan, hotel pickup and drop-off in the pickup zone, the train and boat tickets between the villages, bottled water and one Wi-Fi hotspot per couple. It does not cover lunch, the Cinque Terre park tickets, tips or the tower ticket.
How you travel
Air-conditioned Mercedes minivan of up to 8, plus the public boat and local trains between the villages.
Length
12 hours door to door, back in Florence at the end of the day.
Where you meet
Direct pickup and drop-off at some hotels in the historic centre (A zone). Everyone else meets in front of Hotel Boccaccio-Tino Caffè, Via della Scala 57, Florence. Pickup outside the centre costs an extra fee on request.
Time in Pisa
About 1 hour, arriving around 4:30pm. The Leaning Tower climb is not included: book your own timed slot, the operator suggests 4:45pm.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund. The tour can also be cancelled if the weather is bad.

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Enter your date to see open slots for this small-group minivan day. Pickup times are confirmed with the local provider before departure.

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From $241.57 per person · 12 hours · 4.9★ (1,727 reviews)

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How the Day Runs

The itinerary below follows the operator's own listing from the Florence pickup to the return, with the times and figures the listing states.

Stop by Stop

The day is built around three Cinque Terre villages and one late hour in Pisa. You get about 1 hour in Pisa, arriving around 4:30pm, which is less than the 1.5 hours the City Wonders coach day gives, so the tower climb needs the 4:45pm slot the operator suggests. Between Riomaggiore and Manarola you can take the public boat or, weather permitting, hike Trail 531 on your own while the driver follows by boat: the trail is 1.470 km with 202 m of height difference, rated EE for expert hikers, and the tickets are not included. Public boats run from April until about the third week of October and always depend on the weather.

No departure clock time is printed in the listing, only the 4:30pm arrival in Pisa and the note that hotel pickups commence before a time the provider confirms with you. The exact return hour in Florence is not stated either, only that the day is 12 hours in total.

Phases below use the listing's own figures, with clock times only where the operator prints them.

  1. Pickup

    Hotel pickup in Florence

    The air-conditioned Mercedes minivan collects you at hotels in the historic centre (A zone). Everyone else meets in front of Hotel Boccaccio-Tino Caffè, Via della Scala 57. Contact the provider to confirm your exact pickup time.

  2. Drive

    Drive to Riomaggiore

    The driver introduces the coast and the villages on the road. Public boats operate from April until about the third week of October, always subject to weather.

  3. Riomaggiore

    Riomaggiore to Manarola

    Take the public boat to Manarola with the driver, or hike Trail 531 on your own: 1.470 km, 202 m of climb, rated for expert hikers, tickets not included and the path can close for weather or danger.

  4. Manarola

    Manarola, then train to Vernazza

    Meet the driver in Manarola, said to be the oldest of the villages with a church cornerstone dated 1338, then the local train to Vernazza.

  5. Vernazza

    Vernazza: lunch and a swim

    Free time in Vernazza, the only natural port of the five villages, with the Castle of the Doria and the watchtowers. Lunch of pesto pasta and seafood is at your own cost, and the listing suggests bringing a swimsuit and towel for a swim in the sea.

  6. Around 4:30pm

    Pisa, about 1 hour

    The minivan reaches the Leaning Tower around 4:30pm. Free time on the Piazza dei Miracoli, the Baptistery and Piazza dei Cavalieri. If you reserved your own €20 ticket for 4:45pm, head to the tower 15 minutes before your slot.

  7. Return

    Back to Florence

    Back on the minivan for the return. The total day runs 12 hours and ends with drop-off at your hotel in the pickup zone.

Vernazza harbour and its castle tower seen from the cliff path

Vernazza harbour from the cliff path above. Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/150594450@N07/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What the Price Covers

The table below sets out what the $241.57 per person buys and what you pay or arrange yourself, taken line by line from the I Just Drive listing on Viator.

Included, Optional and Extra

The minivan seat, hotel pickup and drop-off inside the pickup zone, the train and boat tickets between the villages, bottled water and one unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot per couple are all in the price. Lunch is not: the listing suggests pesto pasta and seafood in Vernazza, bought on the day. The Cinque Terre park tickets are excluded too, so if you plan the optional 1-hour hike on Trail 531 between Riomaggiore and Manarola you buy your own ticket and check the trail status on the park site. The Leaning Tower ticket is the biggest self-booking job: €20 with no reduced rate, and the operator points you to the official booking page and suggests choosing the 4:45pm slot to match the 4:30pm arrival.

One caution: your driver is not a licensed guide at the sights, so there is no guided walk of the Piazza dei Miracoli and no guiding inside churches or museums. If a licensed guide on the Piazza matters to you, the half-day Pisa tours from Florence by coach include that option.

LineIn the priceNotes
TransportYesMercedes minivan up to 8, plus train and boat tickets between villages
DriverYesEnglish-speaking driver for the whole day, not licensed to guide at the sights
Piazza dei Miracoli visitYes, free timeAbout 1 hour from around 4:30pm, plus Piazza dei Cavalieri, no guided visit
Leaning Tower climbNo€20 per person, book your own timed slot, operator suggests 4:45pm
CathedralNot statedThe listing does not name the Cathedral, any monument ticket includes a free Cathedral pass
LunchNoOwn purchase in Vernazza, pesto pasta and seafood suggested
Hotel pickupYesHotels in the historic centre (A zone), otherwise Via della Scala 57, outside the centre for an extra fee
Other stopsYesRiomaggiore, boat to Manarola, Vernazza for lunch and a swim
Colourful houses of Riomaggiore seen from the sea

Riomaggiore climbs the hillside above the water. Photo: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Book It If, Skip It If

Book it if

  • you want hotel pickup and drop-off in central Florence and a Mercedes minivan of up to 8 people
  • you want the train and boat tickets between the three villages included in the $241.57 price
  • you want late afternoon light at the tower around 4:30pm and will book your own €20 slot for 4:45pm

Skip it if

  • you are travelling with children, since every child including infants pays the full $241.57 and under-8s cannot climb the tower
  • you use a wheelchair or want a licensed guide at the sights, which the driver cannot provide
  • you want the park ticket and 1.5 hours in Pisa in the price, which the coach-based Cinque Terre and Pisa Day Trip delivers

Who This Tour Rules Out

The listing states several hard limits. If one of them is yours, there is a better fit elsewhere on this site.

Check These Before You Book

Every infant or child must reserve a seat and pay the full amount. For the tower itself, the official rule bars children who have not turned 8 by the end of the year. Wheelchair users are not suited to this trip, and the listing asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness.

The dress code bites if you want to enter the Cathedral during your Pisa hour: shoulders and knees must be covered as it is a place of worship. Then there is the shape of the day itself: twelve hours with roughly an hour in Pisa, no tower ticket in the price and no licensed guiding at the sights. If any of that puts you off, the coach-based Cinque Terre and Pisa Day Trip puts the park ticket in the price and gives 1.5 hours in Pisa, while the budget Cinque Terre Day Trip with Pisa Option travels with an English guide at a fraction of the cost. Compare all of them in tours to Pisa from Florence.

  • Families: every child pays the full $241.57, and under-8s cannot climb the tower
  • Wheelchair users: the tour is not suitable for you
  • Hikers: Trail 531 tickets and the park entry are your own cost, and the trail can close for weather
  • Anyone wanting a licensed guide at the sights: the driver cannot guide inside churches or museums
  • Tower climbers: book your own €20 slot for 4:45pm or you will only see the tower from outside
Manarola on its rock above a smooth sea at dusk

Manarola sits on a rocky point above the sea. Photo: Anyul Rivas, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What Works and What Does Not

An honest read of the listing, with the fixes attached.

What we genuinely like

  • Eight people at most in one Mercedes minivan, against coach groups of up to 50
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in the historic centre, so no early walk to Piazzale Montelungo
  • Train and boat tickets between the villages are already in the price
  • Three villages plus Pisa in one twelve-hour day, with a swim and an optional hike
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
  • Late afternoon light at the tower around 4:30pm

The honest downsides

  • The Leaning Tower climb is not in the price: book your own €20 slot for 4:45pm or you only see it from outside
  • About 1 hour in Pisa is less than the 1.5 hours the City Wonders coach day gives
  • Lunch, the Cinque Terre park tickets, tips and pickup outside the centre all cost extra
  • The driver is not licensed to guide at the sights or inside churches and museums
  • Every child, including infants, pays the full $241.57
  • The day asks for moderate fitness: village steps, an optional steep hike and a 12-hour length

Who it's NOT for: Not for families with young children, wheelchair users, or anyone who wants a licensed guide and the tower climb handled by the operator, who should look at the coach alternative instead.

Before You Go: Tower Tickets, Rules and What to Bring

The tower rules below come from the Opera della Primaziale Pisana, the body that runs the monuments, applied to this tour's 4:30pm arrival.

Booking Your Own Tower Slot

The climb costs €20 with no reduced rate, and tickets are for fixed times in limited numbers, valid only on the date and time printed. The operator suggests the 4:45pm slot to match the arrival around 4:30pm. The visit is 251 steps on an uneven, slippery floor and lasts about 30 minutes. Arrive 15 minutes before your time, because late arrivals are refused and not refunded. You can change the time, not the date, or cancel up to 2 hours before the slot. If 4:45pm is sold out online, the official advice is to try a later time or buy at the on-site ticket offices.

Children who will not have turned 8 by the end of the year cannot climb at all. Visitors under 18 must be with an adult and may be asked for ID. Hand bags go in the free cloakroom before the climb, though small bags or backpacks up to 20x30x38 cm are accepted.

Rule or ticketWhat it saysFor this trip
Tower ticket€20, no reduced rate, fixed timed slotBook your own 4:45pm slot on the official site before the day
ArrivalBe there 15 minutes before your slot timeYou reach the Piazza around 4:30pm, so head straight to the tower
AgeChildren not yet 8 by the end of the year are not admitted, under 18s need an accompanying adult and ID may be askedFamilies with young children skip the climb and see the tower from outside
BagsBags go in the free cloakroom, small bags up to 20x30x38 cm acceptedTravel light to the tower
CathedralAny ticket includes a free Cathedral pass, no fixed time, dress appropriately as a place of worshipCover shoulders and knees if you want to step inside during your hour
Other monumentsThe Baptistery, Camposanto and two museums share the square, begun between 1152 and 1277, UNESCO listed since 1987The listing says looking at the tower from outside is usually enough in about 1 hour
HoursEntry allowed up to 30 minutes before closing, and from 17 June to 31 August the Tower stays open until 10:00 pmThe late afternoon arrival falls well inside the summer opening hours
What to bringWalking shoes for uneven ground, swimsuit and towel for the Vernazza swimModerate fitness is required for the village steps and the optional hike

Sources: Opera della Primaziale Pisana, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Visit Pisa.

Cinque Terre Day Tour from Florence with Sightseeing Experience Italy

A Cinque Terre day tour leaving from Florence. Third-party video by City Sightseeing Italy & Sightseeing Experience. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.

Cinque Terre and Pisa Tour Questions

Is there a full day tour from Florence that includes Cinque Terre and Pisa?

Yes, this one runs 12 hours from Florence to Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, for up to 8 people. For the coach version with the park ticket in the price, see the Cinque Terre and Pisa Day Trip.

Can you do Pisa and Cinque Terre in one day from Florence?

You can, and this tour does it with about 1 hour in Pisa arriving around 4:30pm after three villages. The trade-off is that one hour, so check how long each trip gives you in Pisa before you commit.

Is the Leaning Tower climb included in this tour?

No, the climb is not in the price: the operator tells you to reserve your own €20 timed slot on the official site and suggests 4:45pm to match the arrival. The full tower ticket, slot and age rules are worth reading before you book.

Is a day trip to Cinque Terre worth it from Florence?

It is a long day of about 12 hours for three villages, and this listing asks for moderate fitness and charges full price for every child. If budget matters more than group size, the guided Cinque Terre Day Trip with Pisa Option costs far less.

How close is Pisa to Cinque Terre?

This tour reaches Pisa by minivan from the coast in time for a 4:30pm arrival, but the listing does not print a distance or drive time. On the rail side, regional trains from Florence reach Pisa Centrale in about 1 h 22 min according to the RFI station boards. See how long each trip gives you in Pisa.

Can you do this trip by train from Florence instead?

You can reach Pisa by regional train in about 1 h 22 min from Santa Maria Novella and continue to the Cinque Terre by your own rail legs. For Pisa alone, the Pisa by Train with Tower Tickets day puts the climb and Cathedral in the price.

What should I bring on this tour?

The listing asks for suitable walking shoes, a swimsuit and towel for the Vernazza swim, and at least a moderate level of fitness. Bring shoulders and knees you can cover too, in case you enter the Cathedral during your Pisa hour, and check what to see on the Piazza dei Miracoli to plan your one hour.

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