Cinque Terre Excursion

[JBare]

La Spezia is increasingly being used as a port stop by cruise lines for Florence not just Cinque Terre . If you've not seen either then I would suggest Florence is a must, not only is it photogenic but the history is amazing and once there its easily manageable on foot. I've spent holidays there and been on cruises many times and its always a delight.

We recently did Cinque Terre in May and thats easily done on your own, a lovely 30 minute walk to the station and trains are very frequent. If you want to do it, do it, dont be put off by talk of crowds  (not in May anyway) busy but not crowded. We got off our ship early and went straight to the station and bought the day pass. Trains were busy but not overcrowded and the villages were not that busy early on, getting busy in the afternoon.

We only did three, went only as far as Vernazza, Monterosso we didnt feel was worth it and is the furthest. we then worked our way back missing Corniglia as its small on top of a hill and time consuming for little reward, and stopped at Manarola and Riomaggiore about midday and none of the three were that crowded.  We were the only ship in port which is often the case at La Spezia and many passengers went to Florence, I suspect we were in Vernazza before some of the tour buses had left port.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by JBare

[lamb616]

I will be taking my first (and probably only) trip to the Mediterranean next summer and have a stop at LaSpezia as well.  I do feel like I SHOULD go to Florence on that day.......but to be honest, it doesn't interest me that much, and I am REALLY excited at the thought of visiting Cinque Terre.  For years I have seen the pictures of CT circulating around Facebook and I always loved them but had no idea where it even was. When I realized I could go there on my cruise, it was a no-brainer for me.

[slidergirl]

9 hours ago, lamb616 said:

I will be taking my first (and probably only) trip to the Mediterranean next summer and have a stop at LaSpezia as well.  I do feel like I SHOULD go to Florence on that day.......but to be honest, it doesn't interest me that much, and I am REALLY excited at the thought of visiting Cinque Terre.  For years I have seen the pictures of CT circulating around Facebook and I always loved them but had no idea where it even was. When I realized I could go there on my cruise, it was a no-brainer for me.

then, do it!!!  We're not trying to tell you what to do.  Just alerting that it is far more crowded than it used to.  It's a place where you really do not need to pay for an excursion to visit.   

I'd be torn both ways.  I love Florence and can never spend enough tom there. I love CT - the 5 days I spend with 2 of my best friends in Vernazza and hiking around CT were some of my best vacation memories.  Two totally different experiences.  The villages of CT are the experience - the colors, the small villages, the harbors, the views.  It's not like going to Florence and setting up to visit the museums, the cathedrals, the shopping stalls.   

 

The classic photos I seem to see are the ones of  Manarolo, looking in from the tiny harbor, and Vernazza, from the overlook on the hiking trail to Montrosso al Mare.   I have the one that I took of Vernazza hanging in my living room (I had it made into a 24x36 canvas print).  

[southernbreezes]

On 9/24/2019 at 9:11 AM, marazul said:

Let your friends go to CT and you go to Florence.  If you never go back you would have missed your only chance to see one of the artistic and architectural jewels of the world.  Landscapes and the pretty villages of CT are nice, but there is no comparison.  You will be seeing plenty of pretty views during your cruise, but there is only one Florence. 

Thank you everyone for your input we are going to do a private tour and see Florence and Pisa. We booked with Italy Tours EU a 8-9 hour tour with driver and guide for 119 euros. Just can not pass up seeing Florence and Pisa for our first time.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We did Cinque Terre from La Spezia two days ago and it was less crowded than Florence had been in 2011.  We didn't do the ship's excursion – it is easy enough DIY.  We got a cab from the port to La Spezia Centrale train station, bought the 16 Euro train plus national park combo tickets, and got on a train that was about to leave [which meant we had to stand for 10 minutes until the first stop].  We went to Corniglia, which wasn't crowded, then hiked the very steep trail up to Volastra [neither trail nor Volastra had many people at all] and the free shuttle bus down to Manarola [which was crowded but not crazy-crowded].  We still had enough time to take the train further to Vernazza, but instead chose to return to La Spezia and walk around there.  All in all a very satisfying day with the full flavor of Cinque Terre.

[lamb616]

13 hours ago, slidergirl said:

then, do it!!!  We're not trying to tell you what to do.  Just alerting that it is far more crowded than it used to.  It's a place where you really do not need to pay for an excursion to visit.   

I'd be torn both ways.  I love Florence and can never spend enough tom there. I love CT - the 5 days I spend with 2 of my best friends in Vernazza and hiking around CT were some of my best vacation memories.  Two totally different experie

 

 

oh I am definitely doing CT, I was just saying I understand the feeling that I "SHOULD" do Florence instead. I just can't pass CT up. 🙂

 

We visited a LOT of cathedrals, palaces and museums in St. Petersburg and Denmark this summer, so I think we're all "museum and cathedral'd" out for a while.  

[Knolmom]

We did Cinqe Terra on Sunday Sept 30 with Bellaitalia from the Livorno Cruise Port. We drove Levanto and we had to take the train because the ferries were not running. We were able to stop in 3 Villages and walk the waterfront in two of them.people also went to the old town in one. We had a nice lunch on the water and a snack in another. It was a long ride from Livorno to Levanto but the ride was much shorter on our return from the LE SpeZia train station.

We did not find it crowded at all.

[Hlitner]

On 10/7/2019 at 8:52 PM, Knolmom said:

We did Cinqe Terra on Sunday Sept 30 with Bellaitalia from the Livorno Cruise Port. We drove Levanto and we had to take the train because the ferries were not running. We were able to stop in 3 Villages and walk the waterfront in two of them.people also went to the old town in one. We had a nice lunch on the water and a snack in another. It was a long ride from Livorno to Levanto but the ride was much shorter on our return from the LE SpeZia train station.

We did not find it crowded at all.

Your post really caught my attention :).  The reason?  We are curious why  you drove all the way to Levanto to access Cinque Terre?  I am also wondering what we have been missing by never stopping in Levanto.  

 

Hank

[Host Jazzbeau]

We did Cinque Terre as a DIY from La Spezia earlier this month.  Here's a review of the day with lots of pictures:

https://jazzbeauxmediterraneancruise2019.wordpress.com/2019/10/22/tuesday-october-1-2019-la-spezia-and-cinque-terre/

[bennybear]

We have stayed twice in the Cinque Terre, and while it is beautiful it cannot compete with Florence IMO.   The landslides of several years ago destroyed much of the pathways and some are still not usable.   There are many stunning places in Italy without the crowds.   It is magic when you find places without the hordes.  

[Desert Cruizers]

On 10/23/2019 at 6:00 PM, bennybear said:

We have stayed twice in the Cinque Terre, and while it is beautiful it cannot compete with Florence IMO.   The landslides of several years ago destroyed much of the pathways and some are still not usable.   There are many stunning places in Italy without the crowds.   It is magic when you find places without the hordes.  

 

On 10/23/2019 at 6:00 PM, bennybear said:

We have stayed twice in the Cinque Terre, and while it is beautiful it cannot compete with Florence IMO.   The landslides of several years ago destroyed much of the pathways and some are still not usable.   There are many stunning places in Italy without the crowds.   It is magic when you find places without the hordes.  

The daughter & myself will be visiting Florence next year among other Ports, Rome, Naples and it will be our first visit. Would you recommend we spend the day in Florence.  

[mapleleaves]

3 minutes ago, Desert Cruizers said:

 

The daughter & myself will be visiting Florence next year among other Ports, Rome, Naples and it will be our first visit. Would you recommend we spend the day in Florence.  

 

I suggest borrowing some Italy travel books from your library to learn about each destination and determine what sights YOU want to see.  We were on a cruise so I bought Rick Steves book "Mediterranean cruise ports" and found it very helpful, esp since we went DIY. 

Personally I didn't care for Florence, but then again I'm not into museums and art.  Not a place I would return to. But we all have different interests so it's best to do your research and figure out what YOU want to see and do. 

We also made a quick stop in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.  My 2nd visit but just as impressive to see.

[bennybear]

9 minutes ago, Desert Cruizers said:

 

The daughter & myself will be visiting Florence next year among other Ports, Rome, Naples and it will be our first visit. Would you recommend we spend the day in Florence.  

 

IMO Florence is beautiful and seeing David in real life and some of  Michelangelo’s other sculptures in the Accademia  is amazing. Visiting the Duomo and Santa Croce and having a gelato, so much to see and do.   If you haven’t  been that is what I would do. 

 

But to be clear the the pictures I posted are of Sicily. Just want people to get off the over beaten path.  

[Desert Cruizers]

Thank you, we are not into  museums or art as much, but more interested in the architecture & beauty of the location we will be visiting. 

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

 

Personally I didn't care for Florence, but then again I'm not into museums and art.  Not a place I would return to. But we all have different interests so it's best to do your research and figure out what YOU want to see and do. 

We also made a quick stop in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.  My 2nd visit but just as impressive to see.

 

The thing is, when traveling, one is never quite sure what will grab one.  A couple of years ago I took my son to Venice and Florence on a holiday. He had always wanted to visit Venice, and as an engineering student he was interested in the the city structure as well as the novelty of traveling everywhere on water. I wanted to include Florence also since a) I hadn't been there in a while and b) I thought he should see it. (I'd already been to Rome with him.)

 

He's also not very interested in museums or art, but he ended up enjoying Florence more than Venice. Turned out he'd recently watched a series on Netflix on the Medici, and he liked connecting all the places in Florence associated with them. He also enjoyed the Da Vinci museum, and of course we both enjoyed the food.... One of my favorite memories from the trip is standing in the Palazzo Vecchio in the Hall of the 500 looking for the hidden "Cerca Trova" in the large fresco -- and finding it.  

 

He also enjoyed the afternoon we spent in Pisa.  It was my second visit and have to say it still does nothing for me. 

 

 

8 hours ago, bennybear said:

 

But to be clear the the pictures I posted are of Sicily. Just want people to get off the over beaten path.  

 

Have you read the latest book by Frances Mayes on getting off the beaten path in Italy? She profiles so many wonderful places that are off the normal tourist's radar throughout the entire country, from north to south. It is going to be a great reference in planning upcoming visits to Italy.

[bennybear]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

The thing is, when traveling, one is never quite sure what will grab one.  

 

Have you read the latest book by Frances Mayes on getting off the beaten path in Italy? She profiles so many wonderful places that are off the normal tourist's radar throughout the entire country, from north to south. It is going to be a great reference in planning upcoming visits to Italy.

So true!   I love it when you find a magical place. Deep South Italy has me enthralled!  

 

Yes, I have that book.   Just visited the Umbrian town of Citta del Pieve and was blown away by the Duomo paintings.   I have to look it up!  

Edited October 27, 2019 by bennybear