This page explains how to buy train tickets from La Spezia or any of the Cinque Terre villages to other European cities at the cheapest prices, buying online direct from the operators, usually with print-at-home tickets. Click here to buy tickets starting in another city.
I want to go from
La Spezia or Cinque Terre to...
Before
you buy your tickets
Take a moment to read these important tips for buying European train tickets. It answers all the usual questions, "Do I need to book in advance or can I just buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or just buy a 35 point-to-point ticket online?". How far ahead can you buy train tickets?
Which
station in Cinque Terre?
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La Spezia is a main station south of Cinque Terre. All trains call here, including regional trains, the Livorno-Pisa-Genoa-Milan InterCity trains and the fast Rome-Pisa-La Spezia-Genoa-Milan Frecciabianca trains.
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Monterosso is the largest of the 5 villages that make up Cinque Terre. Most regional trains and the Livorno-Pisa-Genoa-Milan InterCity trains call here. However, the fast Rome-Pisa-La Spezia-Genoa-Milan Frecciabianca trains don't stop here.
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Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza are the other 4 villages, linked by regional trains running between La Spezia and Genoa, including some regional trains branded Cinque Terre Express. Express trains don't stop.
European
train travel FAQ
Cinque Terre to Pisa
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There are InterCity & Frecciabianca trains from La Spezia to Pisa every hour or two, some InterCity trains call at Monterosso in Cinque Terre. Starting from the other 4 Cinque Terre villages, you'll need to use a regional train to La Spezia, then a Frecciabianca or InterCity train to Pisa.
Tip: Pisa Centrale is the main station in Pisa, but local station Pisa S. Rossore is closer to the Leaning Tower, see map, although it's only served by local trains.
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Buy tickets from La Spezia or any of the 5 Cinque Terre villages to Pisa at one of these sites :
1. www.italiarail.com, easy to use, in plain English, in , £, $ & Aus$. Their small booking fee will be refunded if you email seat61@italiarail.com after you book. It can be cheaper than Trenitalia.com for 2 or more people travelling together as explained here.
2. www.thetrainline.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
3. www.raileurope.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
4. www.trenitalia.com, you'll need to uses Italian-language place names, it has a few quirks, see tips for using it.
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Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but this varies and some trains can be loaded before others.
Tickets for InterCity & Frecciabianca trains are only good for the specific train you book and come with a reserved seat. There are cheaper fares if you pre-book. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Tickets bought online for regional trains can be shown on your phone or printed out. But you must check-in online for a specific train before boarding, read more about how online tickets work for Italian regional trains. There are no seat reservations on regional trains, you sit where you like.
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For more information, see the Train travel in Italy page.
Cinque Terre to Florence or Siena
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Buy tickets from La Spezia or any of the 5 Cinque Terre villages to Florence or Siena at one of these sites :
1. www.italiarail.com, easy to use, in plain English, in , £, $ & Aus$. Their small booking fee will be refunded if you email seat61@italiarail.com after you book. It can be cheaper than Trenitalia.com for 2 or more people travelling together as explained here.
2. www.thetrainline.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
3. www.raileurope.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
4. www.trenitalia.com, you'll need to uses Italian-language place names, it has a few quirks, see tips for using it.
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Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but this varies and some trains can be loaded before others.
When looking through the search results, look for a journey with the fewest changes.
Tickets for InterCity trains & Frecciabianca trains are only good for the specific train you book and come with a reserved seat. There are cheaper fares if you pre-book. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Tickets bought online for regional trains can be shown on your phone or printed out. But you must check-in online for a specific train before boarding, read more about how online tickets work for Italian regional trains. There are no seat reservations on regional trains, you sit where you like.
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For more information, see the Train travel in Italy page.
Cinque Terre to Rome
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There are various trains from La Spezia to Rome Termini, either Frecciabianca trains (the fastest type) or InterCity trains (still comfortable). Coming from Monterosso or any of the other 5 Cinque Terre villages you usually need to make at least one simple change of train at La Spezia or Pisa.
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Buy tickets from La Spezia or any of the 5 Cinque Terre villages to Rome at one of these sites:
1. www.italiarail.com, easy to use, in plain English, in , £, $ & Aus$. Their small booking fee will be refunded if you email seat61@italiarail.com after you book. It can be cheaper than Trenitalia.com for 2 or more people travelling together as explained here.
2. www.thetrainline.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
3. www.raileurope.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
4. www.trenitalia.com, you'll need to uses Italian-language place names, it has a few quirks, see tips for using it.
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Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but this varies and some trains can be loaded before others.
When looking through the search results, look for a journey with fewest changes, and also check the journey times, some combos take ages using slow regional trains, others involve faster trains.
Tickets for InterCity trains & Frecciabianca trains are only good for the specific train you book and come with a reserved seat. There are cheaper fares if you pre-book. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Tickets bought online for regional trains can be shown on your phone or printed out. But you must check-in online for a specific train before boarding, read more about how online tickets work for Italian regional trains. There are no seat reservations on regional trains, you sit where you like.
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For more information see the Train travel in Italy page.
Cinque Terre to Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi, Capri
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Buy tickets from La Spezia or any of the 5 Cinque Terre villages to Naples Centrale at one of these sites:
1. www.italiarail.com, easy to use, in plain English, in , £, $ & Aus$. Their small booking fee will be refunded if you email seat61@italiarail.com after you book. It can be cheaper than Trenitalia.com for 2 or more people travelling together as explained here.
2. www.thetrainline.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
3. www.raileurope.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
4. www.trenitalia.com, you'll need to uses Italian-language place names, it has a few quirks, see tips for using it.
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Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but this varies and some trains can be loaded before others.
When looking through the search results, look for a journey with the fewest changes, and also check the journey times, as some combos take ages using slow regional trains, others involve faster trains.
Tickets for InterCity trains, Frecciabianca trains & Frecciarossa trains are only good for the specific train you book and come with a reserved seat. There are cheaper fares if you pre-book. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Tickets bought online for regional trains can be shown on your phone or printed out. But you must check-in online for a specific train before boarding, read more about how online tickets work for Italian regional trains. There are no seat reservations on regional trains, you sit where you like.
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To get from Naples Centrale to Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri & Amalfi see the Train travel in Italy page.
Cinque Terre to Venice
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Buy tickets from La Spezia or any of the 5 Cinque Terre villages to Venice at one of these sites :
1. www.italiarail.com, easy to use, in plain English, in , £, $ & Aus$. Their small booking fee will be refunded if you email seat61@italiarail.com after you book. It can be cheaper than Trenitalia.com for 2 or more people travelling together as explained here.
2. www.thetrainline.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
3. www.raileurope.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
4. www.trenitalia.com, you'll need to uses Italian-language place names, it has a few quirks, see tips for using it.
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Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but this varies and some trains can be loaded before others.
Look for a journey with the fewest changes, and also consider the journey time as some departures are quicker than others. A good option is La Spezia or Monterosso to Milan Centrale by InterCity or Frecciabianca, 1 easy change at the magnificent Milan Centrale (an attraction in its own right), then Milan Centrale to Venice Santa Lucia by Frecciarossa.
Tickets for InterCity trains, Frecciabianca trains & Frecciarossa trains are only good for the specific train you book and come with a reserved seat. There are cheaper fares if you pre-book. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Tickets bought online for regional trains can be shown on your phone or printed out. But you must check-in online for a specific train before boarding, read more about how online tickets work for Italian regional trains. There are no seat reservations on regional trains, you sit where you like.
Cinque Terre to Palermo, Catania, Siracuse & Sicily from 39.80
Option 1, by daytime train. La Spezia to Sicily in a day
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You can travel from Monterosso or La Spezia to Palermo, Catania or Siracuse by train in a single day, albeit with a very early pre-06:00 start and late evening arrival. But what a day!!
You take a comfortable InterCity train from La Spezia to Naples, then the afternoon InterCity train from Naples to Sicily. The journey takes you along the coast past cliffs and beaches to the toe of Italy, then the Naples-Palermo/Catania/Siracuse train gets shunted onto a ferry to cross the Straits of Messina, a unique experience, have your camera ready. There's no restaurant car, so bring your own picnic and bottle of wine or beer. More about trains to Sicily.
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Fares start at just 39.80 in 2nd class or 59.80 in 1st class.
Book ahead for Trenitalia's cheap Super-Economy and Economy prices.
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Buy tickets at one of these sites:
1. www.italiarail.com, easy to use, in plain English, in , £, $ & Aus$. Their small booking fee will be refunded if you email seat61@italiarail.com after you book. It can be cheaper than Trenitalia.com for 2 or more people travelling together as explained here.
2. www.thetrainline.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
3. www.raileurope.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
4. www.trenitalia.com, you'll need to uses Italian-language place names, it has a few quirks, see tips for using it.
All these sites sell the same tickets, all offer ticketless travel for Italian intercity & high-speed trains, you print your booking reference or show it on your phone. Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but this varies and some trains can be loaded before others.
Option 2, by sleeper train.
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Take a train to Rome, then an Intercity Notte sleeper train from Rome direct to Messina, Cefalω, Palermo, Catania, Taormina or Siracuse on Sicily. These trains are shunted onto a ferry to cross the Straits of Messina, a unique experience.
The Intercity Notte has Comfort couchettes with 4-berth compartments, ideal for families. They have a sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin. The couchettes convert to seats for daytime use, the sleepers convert to a private sitting room with sofa. There's no restaurant car, so bring your own picnic and bottle of wine or beer. More about Intercity Notte trains. More about trains to Sicily.
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Monterosso to Rome starts at 19.90 in 2nd class or 29.90 in 1st class.
Rome to Sicily starts at 39.90 in a couchette, 79.90 with a bed in a cosy 2-bed sleeper or 87 in a single-bed sleeper.
Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Buy tickets at one of these sites:
1. www.italiarail.com, easy to use, in plain English, in , £, $ & Aus$. Their small booking fee will be refunded if you email seat61@italiarail.com after you book. It can be cheaper than Trenitalia.com for 2 or more people travelling together as explained here.
2. www.thetrainline.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
3. www.raileurope.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
4. www.trenitalia.com, you'll need to uses Italian-language place names, it has a few quirks, see tips for using it. You will need to understand Italian to book sleepers as the site does not translate sleeper types, if you're not happy with this, stick with www.thetrainline.com, www.raileurope.com or Italiarail.com.
I recommend booking in two stages: First book the sleeper from Rome to Sicily, then book a train from Monterosso or another of the 5 villages to Rome that gives you at least an hour between trains in case of delay.
All these sites sell the same tickets and all offer ticketless travel, you print your booking reference or show it on your phone. Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but this varies, trains to Sicily can open for sale later than this, sleepers especially so.
Cinque Terre to all other Italian destinations
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Just run your journey through one of these websites:
1. www.italiarail.com, easy to use, in plain English, in , £, $ & Aus$. Their small booking fee will be refunded if you email seat61@italiarail.com after you book. It can be cheaper than Trenitalia.com for 2 or more people travelling together as explained here.
2. www.thetrainline.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
3. www.raileurope.com, also easy to use, in , £ or $, small booking fee. Also sells tickets for Italo and for other countries.
4. www.trenitalia.com, you'll need to uses Italian-language place names, it has a few quirks, see tips for using it.
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Booking opens up to 4 months ahead, but this varies, some trains can be loaded before others.
When looking through the search results, generally look for a journey with the fewest changes.
Tickets for InterCity trains, Frecciabianca trains & Frecciarossa trains are only good for the specific train you book and come with a reserved seat. There are cheaper fares if you pre-book. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Tickets bought online for regional trains can be shown on your phone or printed out. You must check-in online for a specific train before boarding, read about how online tickets work for Italian regional trains. There are no seat reservations on regional trains, you sit where you like.
Cinque Terre to Paris from 48.90
Option 1, by daytime train - The scenic option
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Step 1, travel from La Spezia or Cinque Terre to Turin Porta Susa.
Book this at www.raileurope.com, making sure you arrive in Turin at least 1 hour before your chosen onward trains leaves. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Turin is a great city, one of Italy's most under-rated, so personally I'd plan a stopover, even of just a few hours. Luggage lockers are available.
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Step 2, travel from Turin Porta Susa to Paris Gare de Lyon on one of 3 daily direct TGV high-speed trains taking 5h40, see the timetable here.
If you want to go from Cinque Terre to Paris all in the same day you'll need the afternoon TGV leaving Turin Porta Susa just after 16:00. Though an overnight stop in Turin then a morning TGV to Paris is worth considering!
You'll travel from Italy into France through the Alps via Modane. There's great scenery, mostly enjoyed at low speed - only the last 2 hours of the Turin-Paris journey is made on a high-speed line. See the train photos, scenery photos, travel tips & video here.
Fares start at 29 in 2nd class or 44 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Book this at www.raileurope.com. Booking opens up to 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.
Cinque Terre to Monaco, Nice, Cannes & South of France
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Step 1, travel from La Spezia or Monterosso to Genoa Piazza Principe by Frecciabianca or InterCity train. La Spezia to Genoa only takes an hour.
Fares start at 9.90 in 2nd class or 19.90 in 1st class. Book ahead for the cheapest prices.
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Step 2, travel from Genoa Piazza Principe to Ventimiglia on the French border in as little as 1h56 by fast InterCity train or slower regional train. It's a lovely journey along the Ligurian coast.
Fares start at 9.90 in 2nd class or 19.90 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Step 3, travel from Ventimiglia to Menton, Monte Carlo, Nice or Cannes by TER local train, these run twice an hour, Ventimiglia to Nice takes 60 minutes, no reservation necessary or possible.
The fare is a fixed-price 9.20, promotional fares of 7.50 or 5 are sometimes offered.
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Buy tickets from La Spezia or Monterosso to Monte Carlo, Nice, Antibes, Cannes or Marseille at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Booking usually opens up to 4 months ahead. Look in the search results for a 2-change journey.
If you have any problems, book from La Spezia or Monterosso to Ventimiglia, then add a local ticket Ventimiglia to Monte Carlo, Nice or Cannes separately, or even just buy that ticket at the station when you get to Ventimiglia. More about the journey from Genoa to Nice.
Trenitalia intercity & Frecciabianca trains are ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone. For Trenitalia regional trains you print your own ticket. For French TER trains you either print your own ticket or select a mobile ticket to show on your phone.
Cinque Terre to Switzerland from 48.90
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Step 1, travel from La Spezia or Cinque Terre to Milan Centrale by InterCity train.
Fares start at 19.90 in 2nd class or 29.90 in 1st class.
Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Step 2, travel from Milan Centrale to Montreux, Lausanne, Geneva, Lugano, Basel or Zurich by fast & comfortable EuroCity train. Milan to Zurich takes just 3h17 through some great scenery, see the Milan to Zurich video here.
Fares start at 29 in 2nd class or 49 in 1st class.
Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Book from La Spezia or any of the Cinque Terre villages to Switzerland at www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com.
Booking usually opens 4 months ahead. it's ticketless, you print your booking reference or show it on your phone.
Tip: You may have problems booking journeys with a change of train within Switzerland, involving a Swiss domestic element.
For example, Italy to Zermatt involves a Brig to Zermatt Swiss domestic sector. Italy to Interlaken involves a Spiez to Interlaken Swiss domestic sector. Another example, Italy to Lucerne is easy to book if the chosen journey uses one of the few direct Milan-Lucerne trains, but other departures involve a change at Arth-Goldau which means a Swiss domestic Arth-Goldau to Lucerne sector is involved. The Italian ticketing system cannot access fares or tickets for Swiss domestic journeys, Raileurope.com can source Swiss tickets through its connection to the French system, but these won't be print-at-home so need to be posted and can't be posted to non-UK addresses.
The solution is to split the booking! Book Pisa to the interchange point in Switzerland (in these examples, Pisa to Brig, or Pisa to Arth Goldau) then buy the Swiss domestic element at either www.thetrainline.com (keeping all your bookings in one place, small booking fee) or the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch which gives print-your-own tickets. Not rocket science, once you know what the issue is!
Cinque Terre to all other destinations
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For Spain & Portugal, Toulouse, Montpellier & Bordeaux
Step 1, travel from La Spezia or any of the Cinque Terre villages to Marseille as shown above.
Stay overnight in Marseille. See suggested hotels with good reviews near the station.
Step 2, travel from Marseille to Barcelona & Spain by as shown on the Trains from Marseille page.
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For Slovenia
Step 1, travel from La Spezia or any of the Cinque Terre villages to Venice as shown above.
Step 2, travel from Venice via Trieste to Ljubljana as shown on the Venice to Ljubljana page.
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For all other destinations including Germany, Austria, Brussels, Amsterdam, Budapest, Prague, Scandinavia
Option 1, using the Nightjet sleeper train from La Spezia to Munich, Salzburg & Vienna
Step 1, a Nightjet sleeper train leaves La Spezia at 17:10, with a portion arriving Salzburg 06:49 & Munich Hbf 09:22 and a portion arriving Vienna Hbf 09:04.
This option is ideal as it's direct from La Spezia to Germany & Austria. You can take a regional train from any of the Cinque Terre villages to La Spezia to connect with the sleeper, but allow at least an hour in La Spezia, don't risk any tight connections.
Each portion of this comfortable Austrian Nightjet train has a Comfortline sleeping-car with nine 1, 2 & 3-berth standard compartments with washbasin and three 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet. There are toilets & a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers. The sleeping-car attendant can serve drinks, snacks & light meals from a room service menu. The train has couchette cars with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats. A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment. See the Nightjet page for a guide to on-board accommodation.
Fares start at 49.90 in 6-berth couchettes, 59.90 in 4-berth couchettes, 69.90 in a 3-bed sleeper, 89.90 in a 2-bed sleeper or 139.90 in a single-bed sleeper, all per person per berth. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (in , £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at (in , same prices). Booking opens up to 6 months ahead and you print your own ticket.
Tip: When using www.oebb.at, if you don't see a direct train from La Spezia in the search results, click Set more filters and tick Only direct trains and one may appear.
Step 2, travel from Munich or Vienna to your final destination.
For destinations in Germany, Benelux or Scandinavia, take the Nightjet from La Spezia to Munich. Allow at least 1 hour, ideally more, between trains in Munich. Look up journeys from Munich to all these destinations at the German Railways website int.bahn.de and/or use the advice on the Trains from Munich page.
For Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Warsaw, Krakow, take the Nightjet from La Spezia to Vienna. Allow at least 1 hour, ideally more, between trains in Vienna. Then take a train from Vienna to Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Warsaw or Krakow, you can book these at www.thetrainline.com or www.oebb.at and/or use the advice on the Trains from Vienna page.
Option 2, if that option doesn't work for you, here's a general solution
Step 1, take a train from La Spezia or any of the Cinque Terre villages to Milan Centrale, checking times and buying tickets at either www.raileurope.com, www.italiarail.com or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.
Step 2, see the Trains from Milan page for train times, fares & how to buy ticket from Florence SMN to key cities throughout Europe.