How to reach seaside destinations from Florence
Welcome to our Forum Ben!
I’m happy to give some help.
Florence is indeed the perfect place for a romantic vacation
The nearest coastal towns to Florence, easy to reach with public transportation, are Viareggio and Livorno. Both towns are very nice and are at about 1 hour and half train ride from Florence’s Santa Maria Novella train station. You can check train timetables
at this link.
I particularly recommend to visit
the city of Livorno, where you can admire the ancient and imposing bastions of the Medicean Fortress at the old port, or where you could make a romantic walk up to the beautiful Mascagni Terrace right facing the vast blue sea, and finally take a boat tour on the
fossi, that remind the typical canals of Venice.
From Livorno, you can then get to other popular seaside destinations, like Castiglioncello, Rosignano, and Cecina, all easily reachable by train.
Of course all the Tuscan coast is beautiful, but you’ll find the most beautiful places to the south of Tuscany, in the area known as the Maremma, the wildest region of all Tuscany, characterized by uncontaminated nature and full of wonderful beaches with crystal clear waters, where you will enjoy swimming! You will find this
post about the top beaches in Tuscany very interesting
However, I have to admit that the best way to visit Tuscany is by
renting a car. I highly recommend it, being the best solution to move freely and explore also the charming villages spread all over the beautiful Tuscan countryside!
As to my suggestions for a
romantic restaurant in Florence, I recommend the
Trattoria i 4 Leoni, a typical Florentine Osteria, located in the charming and characteristic Oltrarno quarter in Florence’s city center.
Another possibility would be to get to the wonderful Piazzale Michelangelo and enjoy a very romantic dinner at the
Ristorante la Loggia, with an amazing panoramic terrace boasting stunning views all over the city of Florence. The panorama is fantastic especially at sunset
Finally, you can conveniently reach the
Cinque Terre from Florence using public transportation.
The train ride from Florence will take around 2 hours and half; first you need to reach the Sarzana or La Spezia train stations and then switch to a train heading to Monterosso.
The day trip is absolutely possible in one day, but you should consider that it can be quite tiring. Maybe you might spend a night there as well for a very romantic escape!
I suggest you read
this useful thread on how to reach the Cinque Terre by train, and
this interesting post about spending a weekend there.
Do not hesitate to contact us again for any other suggestion you may need,
Have a great stay in Tuscany!
Ciao from the beautiful Florence!