Cinque Terre on your own

[mkmommy]

Since everyone has so many great ideas and tips for Villefranche own your own, how about a similar thread for Cinque Terre on your own.

I have read lots but it sounds like the hardest part is finding the train station in La Spezia, anyone have tips they care to share?

 

[amackay]

Since everyone has so many great ideas and tips for Villefranche own your own, how about a similar thread for Cinque Terre on your own.

I have read lots but it sounds like the hardest part is finding the train station in La Spezia, anyone have tips they care to share?

Agreed, the hardest part is finding the train station. Once you disembark there are local tourist information staff with free maps who will give directions.

Also, don't believe the station staff when they give you a platform number for the Cinque Terre train service. They gave us the platform for a Pisa service.

You will love Cinque Terre, Monterosso & Vernazza are the 2 I absolutely would not miss. I'd recommend trying the Cinque Terre wine, it's very good and reasonably priced.

 

[Anal Annie]

Oh count me in for ideas too!! We are planning to use romeinlimo for Rome & Naples but they really want a lot more euro for this port so I am torn about doing Cinque Terre or Pisa / Lucca.

 

[DisneyGirl421]

Cinque Terre is gorgeous, I would definitely recommend trying to see it.

I hiked to 4 out of 5 towns. The last one is the hardest, and me and my friends didn't feel up to that. But its totally worth it. The views along the hiking paths are spectacluar and amazing. I would also recommend eating there, as that region is known for their pesto sauce. Delicious!!

 

[gatzsd]

The train station is a bit of a walk - but it isn't too hard to find. You can always take a cab to save a little time. Once we got there we just missed the train and had to wait an hour for the next one - so that really ate into our time as well - but the walk there is nice . Rick Steves has a guide book on Cinque Terre and found that to be quite helpful. Wish we had several days to spend there not just a short day- didn't get to spend near enough time there.

 

[mickymania]

Someone told me that you can take a boat, instead of the train. Has anyone ever tried or heard of that option?

 

[woody73]

. . . Rick Steves has a guide book on Cinque Terre and found that to be quite helpful. Wish we had several days to spend there not just a short day- didn't get to spend near enough time there.

We spent several days in the Cinque Terre, and loved it.

I recommend Rick Steves guidebook on the Cinque Terre no matter how long the stay. It was in our copy of Rick Steves "Italy".

Woody

 

[kakop]

We had planned to use a combination of boats and trains for the cinque terre, but the day we were there the seas were too rough so the boats weren't running. We took the train to Monterosso (the furthest town from La Spezia) and worked our way back, hiking some routes and using the train for others. It was a great day, and I'd love to do it again. The hiking trails weren't as difficult as I thought they'd be and the views were spectacular!

 

[Anal Annie]

We had planned to use a combination of boats and trains for the cinque terre, but the day we were there the seas were too rough so the boats weren't running. We took the train to Monterosso (the furthest town from La Spezia) and worked our way back, hiking some routes and using the train for others. It was a great day, and I'd love to do it again. The hiking trails weren't as difficult as I thought they'd be and the views were spectacular!

How long of a day is it to do it this way??? Did you head out super early? Did you have plenty of time left at the end of the day to get back to the ship with time to spare before all aboard??

 

[Travelbee]

Someone told me that you can take a boat, instead of the train. Has anyone ever tried or heard of that option?

How long of a day is it to do it this way??? Did you head out super early? Did you have plenty of time left at the end of the day to get back to the ship with time to spare before all aboard??

La Spezia was by far our favorite port. We walked to the train station by following the map a local gave us at the port. It is a good half an hour walk. The train runs much more frequently than the boat so if you're planning to see more than 2 towns, I'd recommend doing it by train. It took us 6 hours to do all 5 towns but we had to keep close tabs on the train schedule. We took the 11 am train to Monterroso and made our way back. Vernazza was our favorite! We got back around 5 and took the taxi back to the port because there was a LOT of walking and everyone was exhausted.

 

[NancyIL]

We spent several days in the Cinque Terre, and loved it.

I recommend Rick Steves guidebook on the Cinque Terre no matter how long the stay. It was in our copy of Rick Steves "Italy".

Woody

I second the recommendation for Rick Steves' Italy. I always have one or more of his guidebooks with me when I visit Europe. http://www.ricksteves.com//books/update/update_menu.htm

 

[kakop]

I don't remember what time we started out, but I'm guessing it was early. We walked both to and from the train station in La Spezia. We had plenty of time as the stop in port was a long one. The most important thing is noting the train schedules so you can plan your time in each village. We loved Vernazza too, and also vote for Rick Steves' guide. He spells out the "how-to's" in great, easy-to-follow detail.

 

[Anal Annie]

OK, so I just looked at our itinerary & see we have from 7:30-7:30 for this port. I am assuming there are trains that start running earlier than 11:00?! And if we WANTED to we could take longer than 6 hours?! How much does the train and / or boat cost to do it on your own? Anybody remember? Looks like from last years prices still on the website that DCL charges $129 pp (adult) for a boat tour (that would be switched to a bus tour if they can't operate the boats) and it says 4.5 - 5 hours duration. I don't see an option for the train thru DCL...

 

[amackay]

OK, so I just looked at our itinerary & see we have from 7:30-7:30 for this port. I am assuming there are trains that start running earlier than 11:00?! And if we WANTED to we could take longer than 6 hours?! How much does the train and / or boat cost to do it on your own? Anybody remember? Looks like from last years prices still on the website that DCL charges $129 pp (adult) for a boat tour (that would be switched to a bus tour if they can't operate the boats) and it says 4.5 - 5 hours duration. I don't see an option for the train thru DCL...

If you are doing the train on your own it's €8,50 per person for the Cinque Terre Card with train travel or €19,50 per person with Boat & train travel

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

 

[Travelbee]

FYI. Taxi was 10 Euros including tips from the train station back to the port.

 

[lexlaw69]

I did a post on doing it on your own with some tips. For the other ports I usually had a limo (which is the great secret here as when more than 2 or 3 travel the limo is a better deal). However, for La Spezia we just went and got a taxi at the port - most people's thought of a taxi is some crappy car with a dirty angry driver. Most of the cars were brand new, spotlessly clean and the drivers (while they did not speak english) were extremely friendly.

We paid about 250 euro - 300 buckaroo's for it and it was worth every penny. We left an hour and a half later than the tour buses passed them on the way in and left an hour after them and passed them where they were broken down (beating the bus back by about 2 hours?).

Just remember when you do it on your own you need to plan for contingencies - if you are late on the bus the boat will hold if you are late on the taxi - they'll see you in the next port. Always carry your passport and a credit card.

 

[Anal Annie]

If you are doing the train on your own it's €8,50 per person for the Cinque Terre Card with train travel or €19,50 per person with Boat & train travel

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

Bumping this thread back up to the front of the line for more scoop!

Sooo I watched a couple of videos thru this link...and was pleased to hear the proper prounciation of Cinque Terre too! Anyway, has anybody ever stopped for a bit on the little beach in Monterosso al Mare? Is it public? It certainly was colorful...

 

[Oregon Traveler]

Sooo I watched a couple of videos thru this link...and was pleased to hear the proper prounciation of Cinque Terre too! Anyway, has anybody ever stopped for a bit on the little beach in Monterosso al Mare? Is it public? It certainly was colorful...

I lived over there for a couple years and we've been to the Cinque Terre quite a few times (my wife loves Vernazza and begs me constantly to move there). The beach at Monterosso al Mare is public, but the chairs and umbrellas are private (you'll have to rent them, I don't recall the fee being too bad). It's the best sandy beach in the Cinque Terre and there are plenty of restaurants on the road just behind the beach. Grab some gelato and relax.

For those that enjoy hiking, the best views (our opinion) are between Vernazza and Monterosso. The hike seems a bit easier starting in Vernazza and going to Monterosso rather than vice versa. If hiking is not your thing, but you still want to take an easy, pretty stroll, then do the Via dell'Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola. It will give you some great views without the challenging hike. You can then catch the train to the other towns.

 

[Anal Annie]

I lived over there for a couple years and we've been to the Cinque Terre quite a few times (my wife loves Vernazza and begs me constantly to move there). The beach at Monterosso al Mare is public, but the chairs and umbrellas are private (you'll have to rent them, I don't recall the fee being too bad). It's the best sandy beach in the Cinque Terre and there are plenty of restaurants on the road just behind the beach. Grab some gelato and relax.

For those that enjoy hiking, the best views (our opinion) are between Vernazza and Monterosso. The hike seems a bit easier starting in Vernazza and going to Monterosso rather than vice versa. If hiking is not your thing, but you still want to take an easy, pretty stroll, then do the Via dell'Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola. It will give you some great views without the challenging hike. You can then catch the train to the other towns.

Oh you may be my new best friend!! I need to find a map of this area so I know what order the towns are in. Do most people go to the furthest town & work their way back or do you start at the first & work your way to the last? Since I haven't seen a map yet I don't know which way you mean when you say do Vernazza then Monterosso.

OK, so how often is it too rough for the ferry to run?? I mean is that like 2 or 3 times a week or every day after 2:00 or 3 times a month _________?? It seems I have read about that being a pretty big problem. We're not kikers in the hiking boot sense...it's not THAT kind of hiking is it?? It's like walking a hilly path, right? Something we should do in tennis shoes, not sandals?

Now, about that beach...since it's public are there bathrooms etc? Do you think it's worth trying to go out EARLY to start this adventure so we can have some TIME for the beach? We were thinking about trying to do a beach at Villefranche but are having trouble finding a good beach to go to there (they all look either really small and crowded or really rocky and not really very beach-like). DH wants to be sure we build in some time to chill on a Mediterranean beach somewhere. Should we try to head out by like 8:30 or 9:00 if we want to hit all 5 towns AND allow an hour or two to stop & chill? I am interested in the beach idea but won't want to lug too much stuff with us if we're doing a lot of walking. Hummmm. Maybe that's NOT a good plan.

Watch...after all my investigating DH will decide he'd rather go to Pisa! Now I am just talking out loud to myself!

 

[mkmommy]

I would like to use google maps to get walking directions
From the port to the train station. Does anyone have the name of the port or an address? I gather I want the Central train station to get to Cinque Terre.