Cinque Terre..

[Mexfolkart]

Any suggestions on what to see and where to eat would be appreciated. We will get there in the morning and have most of the day to go from town to town..Thank you, Sherry

[Hlitner]

As you probably know, Cinque Terre is simply 5 villages along a relatively compact part of the coast. Unfortunately, the region was hit with terrible rain storms in October that severely damaged two of the villages (with some loss of life). Currently, we believe that the village of Vernazza is still closed to all visitors as the authorities remove millions of tons of mud (the town was pretty much destroyed by mud slides). Part of Monterosso also suffered severe damage. The other towns are apparently functioning as normal so if you are going to access the villages from the south (Riomaggiore) you will still be able to use the train and boats to access 4 of the villages. As to what to do, this is an area to just walk around, enjoy the shops, cafes and restaurants, and give some moral support to the residents who have suffered due to the October disaster and the resulting decline in tourism (they love tourst Euros). You would certainly want to hike the so-called Lovers Walk that links Riomaggiore and Manarola and if you really enjoy hiking you might want to walk even further along the trail. As to having lunch we usually follow our norm of looking at various daily specials (posted on chalk boards or printed paper) and following our instincts.

 

Hank

[Langoustine]

You would certainly want to hike the so-called Lovers Walk that links Riomaggiore and Manarola and if you really enjoy hiking you might want to walk even further along the trail.

 

I believe the trails are currently closed due to landslides that accompanied the storms. Anyone have any updated information?

[kuldalai]

If you have one day take the train to Riomaggiore walk the Lovers Walk to Manarola (20 minutes) have lunch at Manarola at Waterfront restaurant (they are all good . ) The coastal path continues for around 5 minutes beyond Manarola towards Corniglia, but is then closed off , since a landslide some 2 years ago . Catch the train back from Manarola to your starting point .

 

Riomaggiore is accessed by a long pedestrian tunnel on the inland side of the station . At the end of this tunnel turn left and uphill for part of village, and right and down stairs to the Waterfront . The lovers Walk to Manarola starts at some steps at the station on the inland side .

 

Manarola - the village here is at the end of a pedestrian tunnel leading from the inland side of the train station . At the end of this tunnel turn left for the waterfront (up some stairs and then down), and right and uphill for inland Manarola. The Lovers Walk to Riomaggiore starts up a ramp on the inland side of Manarola station .

[maryann ns]

One place for a great lunch with a view is in Corniglia which is high up on a point overlooking the water. There is a place as you enter the village with a terrace overlooking the vineyards and the water. You can take the train to the Corniglia stop and hike up the hill (not too difficult.)

 

You can take the train to Monterroso. It goes through Vernazza, but right now it does not stop. That may change by summer.

[kuldalai]

If you go to Corniglia you can avoid the long hike up the stairs or road from Corniglia station . A shuttle bus operated by the CT Parks people departs from the inland side of the station at : 0710 0800 0950 1010 1045 1100 1120 1145 1200 1225 1255 1315 1410 1450 1515 1605 1625 1645 1715 1735 1810 1910 1945 (Buses basically meet arriving trains) .

 

If you have a daily CT Card it covers your access to the paths, the National Park, train travel within the CT towns plus use of the Corniglia shuttle bus .

 

The best way back down is to walk the zig zag stairway the start is off the roadway a little way down from the village .

[SConnolly]

Has anyone taken the ships daily tour of this area, specifically. RCCL. If so any feedback.

 

Thanks

[Hlitner]

Has anyone taken the ships daily tour of this area, specifically. RCCL. If so any feedback.

 

Thanks

 

Most of the ship's tours are similar since they tend to use the same shore-based tour companies. Since it takes over an hour to drive from Livorno to Riomaggiore (the closest Cinque Terre village) a ship or private excursion is a pretty good option for those wanting to go to Cinque Terre. As an alternative, we have rented cars and simply driven to Riomaggiore (but that is because we are very "tour adverse"). If you enjoy being part of a large group and following somebody carrying a little sign (its why I say most tours are like a "cattle drive") you will probably be very pleased.

 

Hank

[Texed]

We toured these by taking the water taxi between each town, staying as long as we wanted, and take another water taxi to the next town. We had a driver drop us off at the start, and pick us up at the last village. Wonderful! :)

[SellaVee]

What a great idea. Are the water taxis readily available?

 

We'd be starting from La Spezia, rather than Livorno. Has anyone any idea what transport is like from there? Although we've holidayed in Italy before, this is an unknown region to me.

[theman1]

We are group of 8. And we would like to see Cinque Terre. I looked at the train timetable and noticed that it takes 1,5 to 2 hours to get there from Livorno. It is a lot of time. Could somebody recommend some privat tours company? Or maybe other possibility to get there?

[Texed]

What a great idea. Are the water taxis readily available?

 

They were when we were there a few years ago. The schedules are posted on the dock.

[Texed]

We are group of 8. Could somebody recommend some privat tours company? Or maybe other possibility to get there?

 

We used BenvenutoLimos.

[Carolyn R]

The latest news on savevernazza.com is that the village is now open to tourists. There is not much open yet, pharmacy, one restaurant, one bar, but they expect to have more open soon. Please do stop in this lovely village that was almost completely obliterated by the floods and mudslides in October. Any contribution to restoring commerce and tourism will help them recover.

[SConnolly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SConnolly

Has anyone taken the ships daily tour of this area, specifically. RCCL. If so any feedback.

 

Thanks

Most of the ship's tours are similar since they tend to use the same shore-based tour companies. Since it takes over an hour to drive from Livorno to Riomaggiore (the closest Cinque Terre village) a ship or private excursion is a pretty good option for those wanting to go to Cinque Terre. As an alternative, we have rented cars and simply driven to Riomaggiore (but that is because we are very "tour adverse"). If you enjoy being part of a large group and following somebody carrying a little sign (its why I say most tours are like a "cattle drive") you will probably be very pleased.

 

Hank

 

 

Thank you Hank, I have taken yur advice in the past and did a combo of ship, private and independent tours when in Europe. I drive too much during the week and it's the last thing I want to do on vaca...So we may opt for follow the leader.

[kuldalai]

From La Spezia your options to get to the towns of the CT are by train:

http://www.cinqueterre.com/eng/information/cinque_terre/where_train.php

this is the fastest option 10 mins to nearest town Riomaggiore and 20 to the furthest Monterosso .

 

You can also get there by a combination of bus and ferry . Take bus P to Portovenere departing from Stop P in Central La Spezia (in Via Garibaldi, near Corso Cavour) . Departs at 25 & 55 mins past the hour and takes 30 minutes to get there .

 

The ferry from Portovenere to the Cinque Terre departs in Summer only

(April to late October) at 1000, 1100 & 12 Noon .

http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/home.asp?lang=eng

The ferry serves in order Portovenere, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso . (Corniglia is up on a hill and not served by sea.)

 

Visitors to Monterosso by train arrive in the new village, and arrivals by sea in the old village . The two halves of Monterosso are linked by a dual use pedestrian road tunnel . Many visitors miss the charming old village altogether .

 

For those staying in La Spezia don,t miss the exquisite hand made pasta at Roma Restaurant oppositte Hotel Firenze & Continentale just down from the railway station.

 

Most spectacular dining location on the CT is at Vernazza on the waterfront up high in what looks like a bluestone castle overlooking the harbour. Accessed by steep stairs from the harbour .

[Hlitner]

Reading the prior post got me to thinking (dangerous). Keep in mind that most cruise ships (and all RCI ships) use Livorno as their closest port to Cinque Terre. LaSpezia is much more convenient (although it is a tender port) but is used by very few ships during the summer 2012 season. Celebrity offers one cruise that stops at LaSpezia which is also visited ocassionally by Oceania and Regent.

 

Hank

[SellaVee]

Thanks, Texed and kuldalai, for the information.

[mstwigg]

Great information and exactly what I was looking for, thanks everyone!

[rlse9]

If you enjoy hiking, the section between Monterosso and Vernazza offers absolutely stunning views, it's a little challenging but well worth it. Hopefully the towns and trails recover quickly, it's such a beautiful area.

[maryann ns]

I doubt if the hike between Monterosso and Vernazza will be open this year. The restoration efforts include a lot of landslide prevention work in the surrounding hillsides.

 

We were in Vernazza overnight in early October. We parked above the town and walked down the road along the (almost dry) stream into the lower town. It is so had to think of what happened just a couple weeks later.

 

We ate in the restaurant mentioned above

Most spectacular dining location on the CT is at Vernazza on the waterfront up high in what looks like a bluestone castle overlooking the harbour. Accessed by steep stairs from the harbour .

It is a spectacular setting and the food was excellent. In October it was not open for lunch. I believe it is called Belforte. Let's hope it will be running this year.

[Carolyn R]

I doubt if the hike between Monterosso and Vernazza will be open this year. The restoration efforts include a lot of landslide prevention work in the surrounding hillsides.

 

We were in Vernazza overnight in early October. We parked above the town and walked down the road along the (almost dry) stream into the lower town. It is so had to think of what happened just a couple weeks later.

 

We ate in the restaurant mentioned above It is a spectacular setting and the food was excellent. In October it was not open for lunch. I believe it is called Belforte. Let's hope it will be running this year.

 

The Belforte is the only restaurant in Vernazza that is currently open. Here is a link to a list of what is now open and the expected opening dates of all the businesses in Vernazza.

 

http://savevernazza.com/latestupdates/

 

For anyone who loves Vernazza and the Cinque Terre, you can make a donation through Paypal to aid in their recovery.

 

I was in Vernazza on October 24, less than 24 hours before the town was swallowed up by flooding and mud slides.

[Ebbwboy]

Reading the prior post got me to thinking (dangerous). Keep in mind that most cruise ships (and all RCI ships) use Livorno as their closest port to Cinque Terre. LaSpezia is much more convenient (although it is a tender port) but is used by very few ships during the summer 2012 season. Celebrity offers one cruise that stops at LaSpezia which is also visited ocassionally by Oceania and Regent.

 

Hank

 

We are on RCI Serenade OTS 10 June from Barcelona and have just had our whole itinerary changed and a change of port from Livorno to La Spezia.

[Hlitner]

We are on RCI Serenade OTS 10 June from Barcelona and have just had our whole itinerary changed and a change of port from Livorno to La Spezia.

 

Interesting! One wonders why they would make major itinerary changes only a few months in advance. As any rate, LaSpezia does make it easy to get to Riomaggiore (short train ride).

 

Hank

[Ebbwboy]

Interesting! One wonders why they would make major itinerary changes only a few months in advance. As any rate, LaSpezia does make it easy to get to Riomaggiore (short train ride).

 

Hank

 

Our whole itinerary has been reversed due to overcrowding at Venice apparently. Although it's great for those planning to see Cinque Terre it's not so great for us as we had our hearts set on Florence. :mad: