La Spezia to Cinque Terre On Your Own

Hi everyone,

We will be docking (not tendering) for the first time at La Spezia (as opposed to Livorno the last few times) and are thinking about visiting Cinque Terre since we have been to Florence, Pisa and Tuscany already.

For those who docked at La Spezia recently, where exactly do you dock and how far is the walk from the dock to the train station? Also, is the train station easy to find? If anyone has any good maps on where you dock and where the train station is, that would be greatly appreciated!

I heard there is a CT pass for 10 euros that covers the walking tracks along with rail travel between La Spezia and all 5 villages. If we choose not use the walking tracks, is it cheaper to buy tickets from the separate rail stations in each town? For 5 people which would be most cost efficient?

Lastly, since there are 5 towns, it will be near impossible to see them all in one visit. Which towns would you prioritize seeing over others? Any good restaurant recommendations in any of the towns would be welcomed as well. :)

Any info you can provide would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

There is also the choice of a ho-ho ferry, that does make it more possible to visit 4 of the towns. (Carniglia doesn't have water access.) The fare for a full day ho-ho ticket is 17 euros per person.

Was just there two weeks ago. Not all of the trails are open, so do some serious research before you start walking. I would suggest cab to train station, jump on the train, go to Monterosso (the furthest north town), which will take about 25 minutes on the train. The train costs 5-6 euros person. Take the ho-ho ferry back. A one way ferry will be about 10 euros per person.

Monterosso is the largest of the towns, and has the most places to eat. There is a wide range. Vernazza is the smallest, and thus fewer eating choices. Riomaggiore and Manarola are medium sized (which is small). There will be a few cafes and restaurants to choose from in each town.

From La Spezia you can go back and forth between the towns on the ferry. It's easy. Monterossa is the farthest from La Spezia and is flat and boring. Yes- there are restaurants but it lacks the charm of the other villages. If you have to skip one- that would be the one I'd avoid. It isn't really like the other villages. More of a beach town. Not impressive. If there is a way to get up to Corniglia- the view from there looks incredible. We didn't do that one because you can't reach it from the ferry.

Here are some of the restaurants in the Cinque Terre. This area is known for it's olive oil, pesto and white (not red) wine. We had bread, olive oil, some kind of pasta with pesto sauce and wine and it was fantastic!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g187817-Cinque_Terre_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

Trofie is the pasta that goes with Ligurian pesto.

Vulnetia is a nice spot in Vernazza for lunch. Right on the harbor.

If they are open, Il Pirata up at the top of Vernazza past the train station. Excellent pastries from the brothers who own/operate the place.

There was a very good bakery on the main walkway in town that made a tasty focaccia - we would pick some up everyday to have as part of our dinner (also got tomatoes and lettuce at the grocery and cheese and salumi from the deli). I don't know if these reopened post-mudslides, though.

Yes, I love Vernazza!! Spent a few lovely days and night there.

We were there last week. We took at taxi for 7 euro from the port to the train station where we bought the CT cards (the office to buy them is out on the platform to your far right .... a lot of people were searching for it the day we were there).

Using the trains was easy. Just be sure to watch the timetable because not every train stops at each village.

I had trofie all pesto in Vernazza at a sea side cafe and it was wonderful ... sorry I do not recall the name. But do try this dish :)

Vernazza and Manarola were easily my favorites. Just lovely.

Oh ... the Lovers Walk was still closed as of last Tuesday, just FYI.

Have fun! Wonderful port day.

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Because so few one day visitors make the effort to go there, Corniglia is unspoiled and the people are very welcoming. The view from there is spectacular and there is a wonderful restaurant on a terrace overlooking the vineyards and the water. The food was fresh and fabulous: flash fried fresh 'sardines', pasta with local pesto and of course the local white wine.

You can take the ferry between the other four towns, take the train to the base of Corniglia and look for the shuttle van to take you up, or take the zigzag walk up through the vineyard as we did.

Vernazza is my next favorite.

Hi everyone,

 

We will be docking (not tendering) for the first time at La Spezia (as opposed to Livorno the last few times) and are thinking about visiting Cinque Terre since we have been to Florence, Pisa and Tuscany already.

 

For those who docked at La Spezia recently, where exactly do you dock and how far is the walk from the dock to the train station? Also, is the train station easy to find? If anyone has any good maps on where you dock and where the train station is, that would be greatly appreciated!

 

I heard there is a CT pass for 10 euros that covers the walking tracks along with rail travel between La Spezia and all 5 villages. If we choose not use the walking tracks, is it cheaper to buy tickets from the separate rail stations in each town? For 5 people which would be most cost efficient?

 

Lastly, since there are 5 towns, it will be near impossible to see them all in one visit. Which towns would you prioritize seeing over others? Any good restaurant recommendations in any of the towns would be welcomed as well. :)

 

Any info you can provide would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

When we docked at LS last October I walked down to the ferry (about 7 minutes) but caught the train back and the walk from the station to the ship took 25 minutes, as it is just under 2 miles. It is very easy to find and it's all level ground. This was our day out - the rain forced us back earlier than I would have liked but it was still a very good day out. All the best, Tony

[YOUTUBE]MPZfm28F_lc[/YOUTUBE]

Just wanted to correct myself. The cab from the port to the train station was 12 euro. Very quick ride with a set price.

We did see all the ferry boats and I thought the view must have been spectacular .... but the people were packed on all of them. The trains were not crowded at all, which was an advantage for me personally. But I would have loved the scenery!

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We were there last week. We took at taxi for 7 euro from the port to the train station where we bought the CT cards (the office to buy them is out on the platform to your far right .... a lot of people were searching for it the day we were there).

 

Using the trains was easy. Just be sure to watch the timetable because not every train stops at each village.

 

I had trofie all pesto in Vernazza at a sea side cafe and it was wonderful ... sorry I do not recall the name. But do try this dish :)

 

Vernazza and Manarola were easily my favorites. Just lovely.

 

Oh ... the Lovers Walk was still closed as of last Tuesday, just FYI.

 

Have fun! Wonderful port day.

 

Sent from my LT28at using Forums mobile app

Does the CT card still cost 10e and still cover walking trails along with unlimited travel between La Spezia and all 5 villages?

When we docked at LS last October I walked down to the ferry (about 7 minutes) but caught the train back and the walk from the station to the ship took 25 minutes, as it is just under 2 miles. It is very easy to find and it's all level ground. This was our day out - the rain forced us back earlier than I would have liked but it was still a very good day out. All the best, Tony

MPZfm28F_lc

The ferry sounds like a great option as well. How much does it cost per person and how do you get to it from the dock? Also, does the ferry stop at all 5 villages? In other words, can you use it to get from one village to the next by buying a HOHO ticket (if there is such a thing)? Great video BTW. Makes me want to consider taking the ferry now.

Thanks for the info so far everyone.

The ferry tickets are a daily ticket. It's 28 Euros on weekends and 25 Euros on weekdays. The ticket is good for the entire day. The timetable is difficult to figure out but basically the ferries run from about 9AM- 7PM. Having done the ferry- I really enjoyed it because you look up at the terraced villages from the sea and it is worth doing from this perspective.

http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/boat-excursions

There is an additional cost if you do the Cinque Terre Card Train, which covers the unlimited train, bus and hiking use for the day. It is 12 Euros pp or 31.5 Euros for a family. Someone recommended doing the train back. This is a good plan because you can hit Corniglia on the way back. I believe if you got on the train in Vernazza- the next stop would be Corniglia. When you get off the train there- you have to take a bus to the town itself, which is included in your fare.

http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card

Does the CT card still cost 10e and still cover walking trails along with unlimited travel between La Spezia and all 5 villages?

 

 

 

 

The ferry sounds like a great option as well. How much does it cost per person and how do you get to it from the dock? Also, does the ferry stop at all 5 villages? In other words, can you use it to get from one village to the next by buying a HOHO ticket (if there is such a thing)? Great video BTW. Makes me want to consider taking the ferry now.

 

Thanks for the info so far everyone.

You buy the ferry ticket at the departure point, which is a short straight road walk following the coast. You can't miss it. The ferry stops at everywhere except Corniglia, which is high up on the cliffs. You can't really use it to go from village to village as a method of seeing the 4 sea-level villages as it runs relatively infrequently (compared to trains). The trains are very cheap (and much quicker) if you want to do that, once you have got to say Vernazza by ferry. (The video shows us getting off at Manorola, where we spent 30 minutes. By chance the next ferry came by and we took that to Vernazza, and came home by train).

You buy the ferry ticket at the departure point, which is a short straight road walk following the coast. You can't miss it. The ferry stops at everywhere except Corniglia, which is high up on the cliffs. You can't really use it to go from village to village as a method of seeing the 4 sea-level villages as it runs relatively infrequently (compared to trains). The trains are very cheap (and much quicker) if you want to do that, once you have got to say Vernazza by ferry. (The video shows us getting off at Manorola, where we spent 30 minutes. By chance the next ferry came by and we took that to Vernazza, and came home by train).

On the the Cinque Terre website I pulled up the boat timetable and there does not appear to be any boats that leave out of La Spezia. They all leave out of Portovenere at 10, 11, 12 etc., unless I am not reading something correctly.

http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/images/stories/Cinque-Terre-timetable-boats-2014.pdf

The 10 euros covers unlimited train between all villages and La Spezia and all trails that are open (several are closed still).

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On the the Cinque Terre website I pulled up the boat timetable and there does not appear to be any boats that leave out of La Spezia. They all leave out of Portovenere at 10, 11, 12 etc., unless I am not reading something correctly.

 

http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/images/stories/Cinque-Terre-timetable-boats-2014.pdf

That time table is confusing but I did the ferry out of La Spezia- so I know it exists. This is the one from 2013 and I'm sure this is the same timetable for 2014 http://cinqueterre-travel.com/getting_around/boat/

Here is the link to the schedule from la spezia. We will be there in 2 weeks

http://www.apathtolunch.com/2014/06/complete-cinque-terre-portovenere-la.html

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Thanks for posting the ferry schedules everyone -- much appreciated. Does the ferry accept credit cards?

Also, do you have to have a CT card to access the walking trails or can you pay for each track individually? We plan on using Lovers walk from Manarola to Riomaggiore. If so, what is cost pp to use only this track?

The Cinque Terre Cards include unlimited trails. The Cinque Terre Card Train includes unlimited use of trains, shuttle buses and trails.

The Via Dell Amore (Riomaggiore- Manarola) is closed. It may not be open this season- keep checking their site

http://www.parco****onale5terre.it/sentieri_parco.asp

That time table is confusing but I did the ferry out of La Spezia- so I know it exists. This is the one from 2013 and I'm sure this is the same timetable for 2014 http://cinqueterre-travel.com/getting_around/boat/

Thanks for the info. Since you did the ferry, do you know if they accept credit cards or not?

I did a tour that included the ferry- so don't remember if they do. Take Euros to be on the safe side.

Both train station and ferry can be walkable? I read some thread to take bus to portovenere first, then to catch the ferry to the villeage. It confuses me when I read the boat schedule from Laspeiza , the early one is 915am.

The station is a little far from the port we took a taxi to it. We wanted to take the boat but it was shut down secondary to the rough seas

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When we went a few years ago before the big mudslide...we did a combo of walking the trails and trains on the way thru the villages to Monterossa and then took the ferry back. Great to CT from both perspectives land and sea. Absolutely wonderul day. One of our favorites. Enjoy!

Both train station and ferry can be walkable? I read some thread to take bus to Portovenere first, then to catch the ferry to the village. It confuses me when I read the boat schedule from La Spezia , the early one is 915am.

If you read the schedules either for Summer or Reduced till early November they do make sense .

Some ferries start in La Spezia then travel via Portovenere to the Cinque Terre and v.v. whereas others start or finish at Portovenere . If the ferry starts or terminates in Portovenere then take bus P from stop P in La Spezia (In Corso Cavour near intersection of Via Garabaldi.) Bus P departures from La Spezia are at 25 and 55 minutes past the hour, trip time to Portovenere is 30 minutes .

Ferries call at Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and finally at Monterosso .

Trip time 60 minutes Portovenere to Monterosso . If your ferry originates in La Spezia then the La Spezia - Portovenere leg takes an additional 45 minutes.

In Monterosso ferries arrive in the old town, and trains at the station in the new town . The two halves of Monterosso are linked by a shared use pedestrian / road tunnel .

Walking the coastal paths ; only the section between Vernazza and Monterosso is currently open . 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Lots of steps and precipitous drops. For experienced hikers only .

I read the schedule again and it makes sense now, I still can take the boat from Laspeiza since I plan to take train back.