Liberty in La Spezia

[bigeck]

We had a busy day out - left the ship about 8.45, took the port bus then walked 15 mins to station. Think we got a train about 9.50 to Monterosso, the furthest town in the Cinque Terre (check tren Italia website for definite times). Before we left the station we purchased the 10€ Cinque Terre passes which gave us the right to hike the paths. These were inspected on footpath 2. The train should have taken about 25 mins but took nearly an hour as there we so many people getting on/off at each stop. At this time lots of the hiking trails are still closed so we chose to walk from Monterosso to Vernazza and back rather than trying to scratch the surface of all five towns. The coastal path was hard going and at times a little scary but amazing hiking. We are both fit and walked the first stretch at pace so it took just under 1.5 hours from Monterosso to Vernazza. After a very nice lunch in a trattoria in Vernazza the return took slightly longer.

[ATTACH]270458[/ATTACH] Vernazza

[ATTACH]270460[/ATTACH] Monterosso

[ATTACH]270461[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]270463[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]270464[/ATTACH]

 

Thanks for that. We were thinking about taking the ferry to Monterosso and walking part of the way and getting the train back the rest. All depends on the weather. Should be ok in October

[FreezingInMichigan]

Thanks Sheryl, was it a free bus and where did it drop you off ??

 

The Liberty staff told us there would be a charge of $1 each way. The driver never indicated there would be any charge. Everyone simply got on and off. I think the staff were learning the ropes of this port.

 

The shuttle drove us from the ship to the entrance of the port area. From the drop point, it was a 5 - 10 minute walk to the ferry system or the TI office. Others have posted it's a 15 - 20 walk to the train station. It took us about 30 minutes from the TI office and it's all up hill. We are old and out of shape... lol

 

~ Sheryl

[FreezingInMichigan]

Thanks for info. Hope it wasn't freezinginlaspezia

 

By the time we hit La Spezia the sun was out it was in 70... LOL!

 

~ Sheryl

[FreezingInMichigan]

We had a busy day out - left the ship about 8.45, took the port bus then walked 15 mins to station. Think we got a train about 9.50 to Monterosso, the furthest town in the Cinque Terre (check tren Italia website for definite times). Before we left the station we purchased the 10€ Cinque Terre passes which gave us the right to hike the paths. These were inspected on footpath 2. The train should have taken about 25 mins but took nearly an hour as there we so many people getting on/off at each stop. At this time lots of the hiking trails are still closed so we chose to walk from Monterosso to Vernazza and back rather than trying to scratch the surface of all five towns. The coastal path was hard going and at times a little scary but amazing hiking. We are both fit and walked the first stretch at pace so it took just under 1.5 hours from Monterosso to Vernazza. After a very nice lunch in a trattoria in Vernazza the return took slightly longer.

[ATTACH]270458[/ATTACH] Vernazza

[ATTACH]270460[/ATTACH] Monterosso

[ATTACH]270461[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]270463[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]270464[/ATTACH]

 

We had a similar experience, although I wish I had known about the bus to the train station... :o

 

Once we found the train station, we managed to stand in two different lines that we didn't belong in. Tourists. :rolleyes: lol There is a separate office to buy the Cinque Terre Train Card that includes the hiking trails as Cshgrand indicated. We paid 10 euro per person. They're located right next to the McDonald's at the train station. First we went inside to the regular ticketing area, stood in line at the customer service window, and were directed to the main ticketing window, who told us Nice Try But No Cigar - go to the Cinque Terre office.

 

When you buy your ticket, you'll need to print your name on the back. You'll also need to validate the ticket at the machine right outside the CT office. The staff were incredibly helpful in making sure we did all of this correctly. There are pretty stiff fines if you're caught without a signed, validated ticket. With that said, we never saw a single train station employee on any of the trains we traveled. We were never asked to show the tickets we purchased.

 

From there we were directed to Railway 2. Your ticket (or your stop at the TI) will net you a train schedule. One side is for departures from La Spezia. The other side is for returns. There are multiple columns showing special schedules for weekends and holidays. Make sure you pick from a column that applies to your trip. There are trains that stop at all five villages and others that skip some or all.

 

Most of the train station platforms are only a car or two long. However. the trains are much, much longer. It's not unusual to get out in a tunnel and walk to the main platform.

 

Be prepared to act quickly. With the exception of La Spezia, our trains waited a max of five minutes at each stop. You will learn the art of pushing your way to where you need to be without feeling like a rude tourist. It's just how it's done... not an easy adjustment for me.

 

You may or may not have a seat to sit in. We were there during a local school holiday and I think every student in Italy was on our train. Think jam-packed sardines, standing room only, sweaty kids. We took pictures to prove just how packed we were and the kids were having fun posing for us.

 

One of the things I noticed was the handling of safety. There were definitely no capacity limits... lol The tracks had a yellow line that meant don't go past here or you'll get run over. No guard rails or the typical U.S. dozen legal disclaimer signs. They simply expected you to pay attention and watch out for yourself.

 

We had originally planned on visiting all five villages. Naive overachievers. We rode the train out to Monterossa (the farthest away), then back to Vernazza (second farthest). Those two villages ate up most of our day. We elected to skip the other three and explore La Spezia a bit. The walk along the Mediterranean is beautiful.

 

It was hands down one of our favorite days.

 

~ Sheryl

[Wriggler]

Thank you FreezingInMichigan and Cshgrand for your first-hand experiences :)

 

I'll be printing off your comments/info and using them to make sure we're in the correct line ;) and make the most of our day

[bigeck]

By the time we hit La Spezia the sun was out it was in 70... LOL!

 

~ Sheryl

That's a nice temp. Thanks for all the info. Have to try and get off the ship early or try the ferry around the coast if it's busy. 2 years ago we tried to go, but it was closed due to landslides.

[bigeck]

That's a nice temp. Thanks for all the info. Have to try and get off the ship early or try the ferry around the coast if it's busy. 2 years ago we tried to go, but it was closed due to landslides.[/QU

[Danish]

I was at the same cruise. It was very difficult to find the station, but we managed. We did not get the Cinque Terre pas, but a trainticket, that would be valid for 6 hours, and then we could hop on and off the train as we wanted. I think the price was 6 EUR each (please do not blame me, if I am wrong).

We first went to Riomaggiore - the path of love was not open, so we just walked around, and then tooked the train further on to Vernazza. We had lunch in Vernazza, and it was our plan to go further on to Monterosso, but we were tired, and just tooked the train back to La Spezia. There were plenty of people in the trains, but all of them stand at the platform in the middle of the train - we did not have any problems about getting a seat.

 

Cinquerre Terre was very beautifuel. Can only recommend it.

 

/Bente