Garie Beach

Florence to Mediterranean or an Italian Riviera Seaside?

I will be in Florence in May, 2009..and for 2 nights would like to visit a seaside area that has a good night life, beautiful beach & towns. I don't know where to begin. I have definitely heard Portofino, Vernazza...but I am not sure how long it would take to get there? Anyone have any suggestions on if these two are the best choices or anymore?! Please help!

Public Comments

1. A good option would be to go to Viareggio if you want a good beach - there are direct trains from Florence. http://goitaly.about.com/od/viareggio/p/viareggio.htm You can find train schedules and prices here: http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3fdbe14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD Vernazza is one of the five towns of Cinque Terre (all of them are worth seeing) - an excellent choice for spending a couple of days. More of the trains stop at Monterosso, you'll probably need to connect through La Spezia to get there. When you get to La Spezia, you can get day tickets that are good for the trains that run between the 5 towns. There are also paths between the towns or boats. Depending on the connections, it's 2.5 to almost 4 hours by train from Florence to Monterosso. Monterosso has a small, but nice beach area. The other towns don't really have beaches although there are places to swim. Portofino is further up the coast from Cinque Terre. There isn't a train station there. You could take the train as far as Santa Margherita Ligure and then catch the #82 bus from the station to Portofino: http://www.tigulliotrasporti.it/cartina2.php?sez=TOc&comune=2 From Florence, you could also consider going the other direction and visiting Rimini, Riccione, or Gabbice Mare on the Adriatic coast for beach areas. Rimini will have the most night life.