Many visitors to Florence take a day trip to Cinque Terre, a string of five villages in Italy’s Liguria region.
Although Cinque Terre — and Liguria itself, for that matter — are worthy of a visit, I believe that trying to tackle this as a day trip from Florence is pure foolishness. I’ve found that even the fastest journeys from Florence take about two hours by train or car.
Then, you’re trying to rush through five villages, each full of beaches, hikes, cliffs, and great restaurants.
It’s simply too much for a day, so if you want to visit Cinque Terre, choose one or two villages and spend some proper time there, instead.