La Spezia and Taormina

[joan24]

Has anyone been on a cruise that stops in La Spezia for Cinque Terre? We usually do our own tours, but I can't figure out how far from the port La Spezia is. How far from La Spezia, if we really dock or tender there, is the start of Cinque Terre. I looked at ships tours and half of them went to Florence.

How far from Taormina do we dock? It's really hard to find this out.

If anyone has used guides in either place or taken ships tours, please post. We're not going until May 15, Venice to Rome on Insignia. If I need guides I'd like to arrange for them. Thanks for any information.

Joan

[TERRIER1]

Hi Joan. We went to the Med in April on the Regatta Rome to Venice.

 

I forgot already if the ship tendered in La Spezia ( I think it did). The port to the train station is a pleasant 15 to 20 minute walk through La Spezia which has a pedestrian walkway for part of the town. We purchased a Cinque Terre ticket at the train station which included the train and hiking trail access. The train runs very frequently maybe every 20 to 30 minutes. We took the train from La Spezia to Monterrosso which is the farthest of the 5 Cinque Terre towns. We walked around Monterosso and hopped back on the train to the next village. We did this for the 4 towns (skipped Corniglia) and had lunch in Manarola. We then walked the Via Dell'Amore which is the shortest of the trails betweens the towns which left us off in Riomaggiore the last village. We hopped back on the train to La Spezia and took a leaisurely walk back to the ship. This is very easy and since we did not hike the entire trail we had lots of time. There were many people who took the tour from the cruise ship which used the ferry to get between several villages. Due to the weather that day the ferry could not port. We ended up seeing all the villages and cruise tour did not. If the sea is choppy the ferries cannot run. Thes villages are at the base of very steep rock cliffs and are at the mercy of the sea. They are lovely and the scenery is beautiful.

 

Again I cannot remember if we tendered in for Taormina. You port in a town called Giarda di Naxos which is at the base of Taormina and a little down the coast. You can see Taormina from the ship. We landed on a Sunday and although there is a bus that runs from the tender port to Taormina we didn't see it. This could be because it was Sunday. We didn't bother with Taormina and just roamed around in Giardi de Naxos and sat on the beach. Other cruisers took taxis and tours up to Taormina and out to the crater. Perhaps they can give you some better information regarding Taormina.

 

Have fun because we certainly did.

 

Jean

[joan24]

Thanks for the information, Jean. We're really looking forward to the cruise. It's our first 16 day cruise with O although we've done three other cruises with them.

Joan

[CalSisters]

When we went on our cruise last year we tendered in at La Spezia. What we had decided was that we would take the ferry (not the tour from the ship) up to Vernazza and then work our way back. If the sea was to rough then we would take the train option.

 

The ferry dock was just up from where we tendered. We enjoyed seeing all of the sights from the water. We got off in Vernazza and walked aroung town. We then took the ferry back. I think we could have taken the train, if we had just bought a ticket to Vernazza and then bought a train ticket back, but we bought a day pass for the ferry.

[CruiseLiz]

I would also like to add that if you take the trains on the Cinque Terre pass, be sure to get on the platform in plenty of time before your train arrives.

We stayed in Vernazza 2 years ago and the trains weren't crowded EXCEPT for one day. There were several tours waiting on the platform and it was "every man for himself." If we weren't on the platform when we were, we wouldn't have been able to squish on that train with the rest of the sardines :)

We were there in April, but I'm sure it will be a little more active in May. Enjoy your trip, the Cinque Terre is a beautiful place.

[dkbustr]

Hello Joan,

 

We were also on the April Rome to Venice cruise, and did get the first ferrry out of La Spezia to Monterosso. The seas were rough but bearable for the ferry and it was nice to see the Cinque from the sea. We hiked the first loop from Monterosso, but I must say unless you are in good shape, it would not be the hike to do. The views though were spectacular between the two villages, and my DW continues to remind me how much she loved the hike:eek: . We then got a train pass and rode between the remaining villages and then back to La Spezia. It really was spectacular, and I would recommend the ferry out and train back if you can make that happen.

 

You do tender in Taormina, and a reasonably priced cab is available for the trip to Taormina. I would NOT MISS Taormina, it was our second time there and we can't wait to return. The views from the Greek theater to Mt Etna are beautiful. You can also take a taxi to Castemola, a small town sitting above Taormina, but a day in Taormina will be a highlight to your cruise

 

Mike (and Janice aka "if you EVER take me on that hike again.....)

[ridolphi]

Agree about Taromina. We just got off RSSC Voyager and we tendered in Naxos. Got a cab with another couple and its about 30 minutes up to Taromina, beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And the views are stunning. We did hike up to the Greco Roman Theater, but did not go to Castemola, but many did and said it was quaint, although not much there. We loved Taromina. Some others on our cruise hired a car and drove to Mt. Etna.

[jfb128]

Hi Joan

 

When we went to Taormina we took a private "Godfather" tour to Savoca. We saw "Bar Vitelli" and the church where Appolonia married Michael Corleone. The whole area is very picturesque. We then ventured to Castemola and Taormina. Taormina is as others have described it-very interesting. Lots of action compared with the other areas we visited. The tour took approximately 6 hours. Hello to Bob.

 

Jim

[joan24]

Thanks everyone for the information. Hi, Jim. Who did you use for a guide for the "Godfather" tour? Our best to Carole.

Joan

[PA Nana]

We stayed in LaSpezia last September, and that was the town we did the Cinque Terre from. Took bus transport from that town up into the hills, walked down into Manarola (where we bought bottled water for 42 or 43 cents - can you believe it - thought we should buy lots and take them on the train with us to sell.) Took train from Manarola to Monterosso - one of the best meals of the whole trip was in Monterosso, and then got on the ferry and stopped at each town on the way back to Portovenere. But we had a picture perfect day and the water was calm as bath water. I can only imagine trying to get into those little towns with raging seas - it just would not happen. You know how bad John wanted to hike between but the ankle problem was there already so we resorted to rail and water.

I'll dig up the picture of the little restaurant in Monterosso and send it to you so you'll know the name. Absolutely wonderful...everything about the Cinque Terre was wonderful. Boo-hoo, I want to go, too! Linda:D

[joan24]

Come with us, Linda. Then you can make sure that Bob and I don't get on the wrong train. I think that we're the only ones on the ship. I guess that most people don't start roll calls as early as we do, but it's only 10 1/2 months away. It seems as if on our first cruise with O, everyone was posting and trying to get groups together. I've reserved Macello from See Sorrento for a full day out of Sorrento. Thanks for the pictures.

Joan

[jfb128]

Joan-we used Sicily Life at sicilylife.com. We had 3 couples. Send me an email at jfb128@aol.com and I will send you a link to pictures from that tour.

 

Jim

[Mimi21]

What was the name of the rest. ? We are leaving on the Insignia , October 19, and I am praying for a picture perfect Day in the Cinque Terra!

[PA Nana]

If you are asking about the restaurant in Monterosso, the name is CIAK.

It was wonderful, but then we never met a meal we didn't like in Italy, with the exception of when our husbands got squid in Venice, and we had to look at it on the table. YUK!

 

The beauty of the Cinque Terre is so magnificent, it's a place you have to see to appreciate it. Have a wonderful trip.

[tiny_traveler_15]

We just got back a couple days ago from the Oceania Rome to Athens cruise. As you may have read on here, it was less than perfect as we missed 5 of 11 ports.

We were able to dock in Naxos. Naxos was a pleasant little place with a very busy beach. We did take a cab up to Taormina to see the Greek Theatre.

I would like to warn you about the cabs in Naxos. There were very few cabs around when we got off the ship. As with all things when there is little supply and great demand, the cost was more than we had been told to expect. Fortunately we were able to split it with others. The driver dropped us off at the top of the hill at the bank and said the Greek Theater was just down the next street on our right. Nothing could've been further from the truth! It was a very long walk on a very HOT day amid all the shops. We didn't find much in the way of signage pointing to the Greek Theatre and only found it after bumping into others from our ship.

 

The Greek Theatre was quite nice, not as spectacular as other sights you will see but still worth the admission price. Be sure to climb up to the top and take in the view at the back of the mountain that it sits on - gorgeous!

 

We were able to get a cab at the taxi stand (much closer to the Theatre than we had been dropped off!). For 6 of us, the driver wanted 40E! We didn't have much choice so we agreed to pay it. He drove us down the hill and dropped us off in the middle of the town. He was very sneaky as he stopped behind a large building so we couldn't see where we were. He said it's a 2 minute walk to the ship - NOT! It took us more than 30 minutes to walk back to the dock. We're 50 and in good shape so we were a very long way from the ship. When you get there you'll see a large building with a cone shaped roof on it - that's where he dropped us off. So we (4 of us) told him that we didn't agree to being dropped off in Naxos and only paid him half. Unfortunately the other couple from Germany made up the difference to 40E -reinforcing his bad behaviour.

That was a very disappointing experience but hopefully you'll forewarned when you go.

When we were in Italy (Florence, Amalfi and Sorrento) we used italylimousine to arrange some private tours. The tours went quite well and we would use them again. Let me know if you want more info...

Hope you have a great cruise!