Cinque terre from Livorno

[trvlrs]

Has anyone done cinque terre from Livorno in a day? We will be in livorno from 7:00am to 7:00pm

We are thinking of taking the train from Livorno to La Spezia and then on to Cinque terre. Can anyone give us feedback if they've done this trip? Thank you

[JPR]

I doubt anyone will respond, You really need at least 3-5 hours to walk the towns. I don't know the train schedule but it's risky to rely on a single train to get back to the ship on time, so you will want to leave a train earlier. Seems to be cutting it very close.

[trvlrs]

Thank you JPR.... I checked the train schedule but it is only available until mid June. I am wondering if in July the trains are more frequent. I was hoping to visit cinque terre but I have a feeling we'll be spending more time traveling to and from.

[Travelcat2]

I went to the "Ports" section of Cruise Critic and searched Cinque Terre under Italy. Here is a link to the results http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=50193060 . Hope it helps!

[BBWC]

Should not be a problem at all. We have done this and our stop in Livorno was shorter. Walk to the Livorno train station (about 15 minutes) and take the train to the first Cinque Terre stop (it takes only 8 minutes). Then walk to the last town and take the train back. Taking the farthest train on the way back has the advantage that it is not already full when you try to get on which may happen if you get on at the last stop. Best thing to do is leave as early in the morning as possible as it gets crowded later.

 

At the Livorno train station, do not buy your ticket at the normal ticker counter. There is a small office right by the train track that sells the Cinque Terre national park tickets which will also give you access to the trails. You need those tickets since there are frequent checkpoints.

 

I think it took us about four hours to walk the whole trail in one direction. I think we took the 9:30 or 10:00 am train and were back not later than 4 pm.

[trvlrs]

Thank you BBWC…I am just confused about one thing. Livorno to Cinque Terre in 8 minutes? I think you mean La Spezia to Cinque Terre in 8 minutes. Would it then mean you docked near La Spezia? Could you clarify this for me.

I love the tip about taking the train from the furthest point…Makes a lot of sense, and where to buy the park tickets. Thank you

[trvlrs]

I went to the "Ports" section of Cruise Critic and searched Cinque Terre under Italy. Here is a link to the results http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=50193060 . Hope it helps!

 

Thank you Tavelcat2. I searched the link but I will take a closer look.

[BBWC]

So sorry, reading too fast. Yes, we started from La Spezia and obviously Livorno would be considerably longer. Have not done it from Livorno (but it takes a while to get to the train station there). Hopefully, at least the other tips were helpful.

[trvlrs]

Not too worry BBWC, it happens to the best of us....when you said 8 minutes my antennas went up. It's about 1 hour and a half from Livorno which isn't bad but I am a bit worried about how frequent and how reliable are the regional trains into and out of cinque terre. Thanks again...

[Hambagahle]

Livorno to la Spezia on an express train is just over an hour. La Spezia to, say, Monterosso (in the Cinque Terre) is 8 mins). One way cost starts at €11 or so.

You can get all train info on http://www.trenitalia.com Be careful to click on "Tutti treni" when you enter the info or you will be on the Frecchiarossa part of the site.

 

Local trains run at least once an hour along the coast. Just be sure to time you return to Livorno well in advance of sailing. the local trains can run late. The express trains normally don't...

 

You should have enough time to see at least one of the towns and maybe two. If you plan on two then go to the furthest away one first and then come back en route to la Spezia for the second stop.

[Blue Elephant]

I have caught the train from Livorno to the cinque terre. Trains were about hourly and I am pretty sure we had to change at la spezia.

 

last year we had a regional train that broke down, so don't leave it till the last train to get back to Livorno. The trains through the cinque terre will be quite full and also tend to run late(more than anywhere else in Italy).

[JPR]

My original caveats precisely...

[trvlrs]

Livorno to la Spezia on an express train is just over an hour. La Spezia to, say, Monterosso (in the Cinque Terre) is 8 mins). One way cost starts at €11 or so.

You can get all train info on http://www.trenitalia.com Be careful to click on "Tutti treni" when you enter the info or you will be on the Frecchiarossa part of the site.

 

Local trains run at least once an hour along the coast. Just be sure to time you return to Livorno well in advance of sailing. the local trains can run late. The express trains normally don't...

 

You should have enough time to see at least one of the towns and maybe two. If you plan on two then go to the furthest away one first and then come back en route to la Spezia for the second stop.

 

Thank you Hambagahle for the tips. If it was a swiss train, it would be a no brainer but with the italians….I remember once wanting to buy a train ticket from Zug to Venice with a 15minute stop over in Milan and they would not sell it to me. They said can't rely on the italian trains. You need at least an hour because italian trains are always late.

I will have to study the livorno/cinque terre carefully. We will be there on a Friday in July

[trvlrs]

I have caught the train from Livorno to the cinque terre. Trains were about hourly and I am pretty sure we had to change at la spezia.

 

last year we had a regional train that broke down, so don't leave it till the last train to get back to Livorno. The trains through the cinque terre will be quite full and also tend to run late(more than anywhere else in Italy).

 

Thank you Blue Elephant. That is my worry... but such a shame to be so close and not to see it especially that we've been to Tuscany so many times

[trvlrs]

My original caveats precisely...

 

I hear you ;)

[Hambagahle]

Thank you Hambagahle for the tips. If it was a swiss train, it would be a no brainer but with the italians….I remember once wanting to buy a train ticket from Zug to Venice with a 15minute stop over in Milan and they would not sell it to me. They said can't rely on the italian trains. You need at least an hour because italian trains are always late.

I will have to study the livorno/cinque terre carefully. We will be there on a Friday in July

 

When you bought your ticket from Zug to Venice the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) were correct that 15mins is not enough time to change trains in Milano Centrale because almost all incoming trains from the north are somewhat late. Congestion on the lines I think. Doesn't seem to apply to the Frecchirossa coming from the south and east though.

 

That said I think that in Italy it is always a good idea to leave some leeway for connections. But I have not found the coastal line to be particularly any worse or better than others. (I have friends near Sestri, on the same line, and it works OK). I would plan my return to Livorno probably for one or two trains before I really need to be there - meaning that an earlier train from Monterosso to la Spezia and the possibility of two onward connections to Livorno with the last in good time to make it to the ship before they pull up the gangplank is a good idea! either you will get to Livorno very early OR arrive in time.

[trvlrs]

When you bought your ticket from Zug to Venice the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) were correct that 15mins is not enough time to change trains in Milano Centrale because almost all incoming trains from the north are somewhat late. Congestion on the lines I think. Doesn't seem to apply to the Frecchirossa coming from the south and east though.

 

That said I think that in Italy it is always a good idea to leave some leeway for connections. But I have not found the coastal line to be particularly any worse or better than others. (I have friends near Sestri, on the same line, and it works OK). I would plan my return to Livorno probably for one or two trains before I really need to be there - meaning that an earlier train from Monterosso to la Spezia and the possibility of two onward connections to Livorno with the last in good time to make it to the ship before they pull up the gangplank is a good idea! either you will get to Livorno very early OR arrive in time.

 

Thank you for all the info. I checked all the trains and so far I don't think it's going to work. All I can find is a 6:30am and a 12:45pm departure from Livorno and nothing in between (almost on the hour in the afternoon). I wonder if it is done on purpose to control the flow of tourists.:confused:

Question: the difference between intercity and frecciabianca? Is the frecciabianca a regional train? It is faster than the intercity.

If all fails, we'll spend the day in Lucca not a bad alternative:)

[swsandra1128]

Thank you Hambagahle for the tips. If it was a swiss train, it would be a no brainer but with the italians….I remember once wanting to buy a train ticket from Zug to Venice with a 15minute stop over in Milan and they would not sell it to me. They said can't rely on the italian trains. You need at least an hour because italian trains are always late.

I will have to study the livorno/cinque terre carefully. We will be there on a Friday in July

 

 

I also come to Livorno on a cruise on a Friday in July (Jul 11, 2014), 8:00a.m. to 8:00p.m.

 

Also quite worry about the trip to Cinque Terre because of the time limitation and the train schedule is not very frequent, as well as the hot weather.

 

I want to organise a private tour but I cannot find enough people to join, so now plan to go on my own.

 

I tried to search the train from Livorno to La Spezia and then change to Monterosso. The schedule came out but not allow us to purchase unless you are a member, and you need a Italy address in order to register to become a member.

 

Any idea ...is it easy to buy ticket at Livorno station (possible to sell out?) and more expensive ?

 

 

Samson

[trvlrs]

I also come to Livorno on a cruise on a Friday in July (Jul 11, 2014), 8:00a.m. to 8:00p.m.

 

Also quite worry about the trip to Cinque Terre because of the time limitation and the train schedule is not very frequent, as well as the hot weather.

 

I want to organise a private tour but I cannot find enough people to join, so now plan to go on my own.

 

I tried to search the train from Livorno to La Spezia and then change to Monterosso. The schedule came out but not allow us to purchase unless you are a member, and you need a Italy address in order to register to become a member.

 

Any idea ...is it easy to buy ticket at Livorno station (possible to sell out?) and more expensive ?

 

 

Samson

 

With a departure of 8:00pm, the train schedule is in your favor as opposed to our 7:00pm departure. I would keep checking daily if you can purchase a ticket online, otherwise you should be ok at the Livorno train station. It will probably cost you more on the express trains but I doubt the regional trains change fare. You might want to ask the question on tripadvisor. Have fun...