travelling from livorno to cinque terre

[joelmomma]

Is it possible to do a day trip by train from Livorno to Cinque Terre (we arrive in port at 7 am, depart at 6 pm)? How long will it take? We are sailing on the Quest Med Cruise and will be there August 8th. Although we also have a much longer port stop in La Spezia, which would be closer, we are using that time to visit Florence and Pisa.

[orchestrapal]

You may want to rethink this as the trip by train from Livorno is about an hour with a change in Pisa and only runs a couple of times a day wrhereas

in La Spezia you are only about 10 minutes by train from the closest town and the trains run several times an hour. I am guessing this is your first time in this area and would say, Flrence and Pisa in one day is somewhat like New York and Washington in one day. Save something for your next trip.:)

[crimsonbird]

You may want to rethink this as the trip by train from Livorno is about an hour with a change in Pisa and only runs a couple of times a day wrhereas

in La Spezia you are only about 10 minutes by train from the closest town and the trains run several times an hour. I am guessing this is your first time in this area and would say, Flrence and Pisa in one day is somewhat like New York and Washington in one day. Save something for your next trip.:)

 

Since you - (or any one else) - are familiar with the 5 towns....if you were to do an easy trip - without extensive walking/hiking - what would you recommend? We understand there is a ferry near where our ship will be docked - so that is just an option. Also, the train in La spezia. So - Where would you begin - and then what towns in what order? How would you organize your day? Thanks so much.

[orchestrapal]

The ferry will give you a view of each town and you can choose where you might like to walk. La Spezia is a lovely small town and very nice and easy walk in also.

[critterchick]

I agree that you should do the Cinque Terre from La Spezia. We just came off the Best of Italy cruise and it was full day for us, although we did a lot of hiking. IMHO, if you're going to see Florence, you should give it a full day and combine Pisa and the CT if you're determined to see all three.

 

The ferry boat is just steps from where the tender comes in, or you can stroll the main avenue of La Spezia and take the train. All of the towns are convenient to the train stations (we didn't take the boat) except for Corniglia, which is about 400 steps up from the station. Monterosso, the farthest town, has an old and a new section, both of which are easily accessible.

 

There are 4 trails connecting the towns, and the first two as you go north/west are the easiest to navigate - the first one is really easy, about 15 mintues and paved. The third one is tough and the fourth one is a killer, so you'd probably want to avoid those.

 

Depending on the train schedule, you could concievably go to Pisa (nonstop from La Spezia) and then come back and see one or two of the Cinque Terre towns. That would leave you the whole next day to see Florence.

 

Another thought is to plan to stay overnight off the ship, although you'd have to pack fresh clothes & a toothbrush. Do the CT in the morning, then take the train to Pisa, see the Leaning Tower, then head to Florence for the night (you'd have to book your own hotel, though). Then you can be up early to see the sights there without the long train ride into the city.

 

There are lots of options!:)

[joelmomma]

critterchick,

 

Thanks so much for the in-depth suggestions. We will definitely keep them in mind. As it now stands, we are most likely going to switch things around and see CT from our port stop in La Spezia, and see Florence from Livorno. I greatly appreciate everyone's input. :D

 

Jo