Cinque Terre

[biffybear]

Has anyone been on the organised Thomson excursion to the Cinque Terre. Just wondering how much time is spent on the tourist boat and how much time is spent ashore.

[kruzseeka]

Has anyone been on the organised Thomson excursion to the Cinque Terre. Just wondering how much time is spent on the tourist boat and how much time is spent ashore.

 

No, but if you're docking at La Spezia I can give you instructins for DiY - easy and cheap and you can decide which of the villages to visit. We've done it three times independently, (it's that good) visiting a different combo of villages on each trip and learning from experience which we liked best.

 

I'll have a look and see if I can find a report I've done previously.

[kruzseeka]

Hi again biffybear, here is the report I did a few years ago. We've been since and done the train to Vernazza, ferry to Riomaggiore (great views from the sea) walk to Manarola along the via Dell'Amore then train back to La Spezia and easy downhill walk back to the tender.

 

 

La spezia is a tender port. From the place you are dropped off, you need to walk into and through the main street of the town (a bit up hill) to the railway station which will take you about 15 minutes (the first time we did it we shared a taxi with another couple but it's not far to walk.) I guess you will have a map from the ship to help.

 

Go into the main entrance and once inside the station there is a little office on your right where you can purchase the 'Cinque Terre Card' for the train and also gives you entry to the path the Via dell'Amore between the first and second towns (Riomaggiore and Manarola). Ask for a return and also a timetable of the trains - they'll give you a small photocopy of the times - best to get an up to date one from them on your day of travel - you want to be sure to get back ok!

 

Make sure you validate your ticket before getting on the train.

 

It only takes about 10 minutes for the train to take you through the mountain to the first town (Riomaggiore) and then at about five minute intervals it stops at all the other four towns. Your ticket allows you to hop on and off all day.

 

Stops are: #1 Riomaggiore, #2 Manarola, #3 Corniglia, #4 Vernazza, #5 Monterosso

 

We visited on two separate occasions and have been to all the towns.

 

1st time: train from La Spezia to #1 walked from #1 to #2 and then #3 then caught the train back to La Spezia

 

2nd time: train to #5, then train to #4 then ferry to #2 then walk to #1 then train to La Spezia

 

#3 is at the top of a hill so if you get off at the station there you have to climb a lot of steps to get to the town.

The walking along the Via dell'Amore between #1 and #2 is flagstones, easy going, level, there's a cafe along the way for a drink if you want and I'd say is a 'must' to do. Takes about 30-45 minutes walking.

The walking between the villages gets progressively more strenouous and more rugged as you go from 2 to 3 and probably not worth the effort - or time as that takes more like an hour and a quarter.

 

My suggestion to maximise your time and see the best bits would be:

 

(Don't bother with #5 - it's quite nice but takes time away from more interesting ones - my DH has just said 'it's a bit bland compared with the others - more of a normal kind of place' - the others aren't - they're very unusual and distinctive - and charming!)

 

Train from La Spezia to #4 Vernazza (the most attractive of them all, bigger, more of a cafe culture and with most to offer in terms of spending some time there - plan to spend most time here - the others are smaller places - pretty but not as impressive as Vernazza)

Check the ferry times as soon as you get there (there's a break midday of a couple of hours so you would probably want to get one before that)

Get the ferry to #2 Manarola (it doesn't stop at #3 because that's on top of the hill)

Have a look round here - there's a little harbour but it's not too big so you'll soon have seen everything

Walk along the Via dell'Amore to Riomaggiore

Quick look round here (not too interesting compared with the others) then catch the train back to La Spezia. (You may need the station pointing out to you at #1 and #2 - I think they're through a kind of tunnel - you can't get lost but the entrances aren't obvious as I remember.)

 

We found the trains reliable and quite frequent but you will have to plan your time carefully to coordinate the ferry/train times. But it is really easy once you've sorted your timings out. I think it cost us 10.80E return for the train which included access to the Via dell'Amore (that might have been for us both! But it was about three years ago). We paid extra for the ferry - but I think you can buy a Cinque Terre Card which allows ferry journeys too - you'd have to weigh up the costs of buying an all-in-one and paying separately for the ferry.

 

http://www.cinqueterre.com/eng/information/card/

 

Or you may decide to just hop around the towns using the train but the plan I've suggested gives you visits to the best of the towns plus the glorious walk on the path cut into the cliffs along the sea (Via dell'Amore) and a ferry trip which allows you to see the towns from the sea where you get the best views of the towns.

 

Here's the train timetable - as you can see they are pretty frequent.

 

http://5terre.itgo.com/timetab.htm

 

And the ferry times scroll down to the bottom for the schedules from 16th April 2011 (prices in the section just above that):

 

http://s4.computernopanic.com/USER_C...pdf_eng_21.pdf

 

Hope this isn't all very confusing!!!!!!!! It sounds much more complicated than it is once you get going! This is one of our all-time favourite days out! Enjoy - it's absolutely fabulous!

 

Here are some pics - so you can see why we love it so much!

 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Cin...w=1280&bih=610

[biffybear]

Hi Kruzeeka

 

Fabulous information, have printed it out to study. We are quite confident of venturing out on our own so will definately plan a trip around your suggestions. Not till next year mind you so plenty time to mull it over. We are off to Ibiza for a week in July but are cruising with friends on the Majesty in September. The weather here has been lovely and I am definately getting the holiday spirit.

[kruzseeka]

Hi Kruzeeka

 

Fabulous information, have printed it out to study. We are quite confident of venturing out on our own so will definately plan a trip around your suggestions. Not till next year mind you so plenty time to mull it over. We are off to Ibiza for a week in July but are cruising with friends on the Majesty in September. The weather here has been lovely and I am definately getting the holiday spirit.

 

You're welcome. :) Hope you enjoy the Cinque Terre as much as we did. It's one of our all time favourite places in the Med and we liked the idea of spending as much or little time at each village rather than being tied to a group and the tour schedule. The train literally takes less than quarter of an hour to get to the first village (through the mountain tunnel) so it's really not far from La Spezia - not as risky as doing fairly distant places from port, like Florence, on your own.

 

Just check out the up to date train and ferry timetables and I've a funny feeling the train ticket (it's like a Hoho) now doesn't include the fee to walk the Via dell'Amore but I'm sure you'll research that nearer the time and I feel confident you won't be disappointed in the Cinque Terre! ;)

 

Have a wonderful time - and enjoy Ibiza and the Majesty in the meantime too. :)