Cinque Terre on a Celebrity tour, crowds??

[dnhill]

Visited CT last August after departing from a cruise. We stayed in La Spezia and had several days to explore. Crowds were thick except very early and in the evening. Boarding the trains was an interesting experience, that I wish never to repeat at that time of year. The area was lovely and I look forward to going back in the shoulder seasons.

[dutchclogs]

We visited CT in a private small group tour from Livorno when on the Equinox early August last year.

It was a Sunday and incredibly busy. Original plans to take a ferry had to change as it was not running due to choppy seas. The train was indeed an experience I would not care to repeat!

CT is definitely worth seeing but there's no escaping crowds in the summer.

[Hlitner]

Since somebody mentioned the so-called "Lovers Walk" which links Riomaggiore to Manarola, we thought this merits more mention. The walk was closed during the mud/rock slides (caused by heavy rains) in Sept 2012! As is typical of Italy, getting this famous walkway repaired has proven to be quite difficult. DW and I hope to be able to again walk this trail in our lifetime, but unless we live another fifty years (unlikely) this may not happen. Here is a link to some great info on the situation:

http://cinqueterreinsider.com/2015/02/13/whats-going-on-with-the-via-dellamore/

 

For those with an interest in Italy bureaucratic bungling we recommend clicking at the link near the bottom of the page that I referenced. Although that info is in Italian, if you use Google Chrome and have enabled its translation function (an amazing way to browse foreign language sites) you can read "first hand" all the details.

 

Hank

Edited February 12, 2016 by Hlitner

[KirkNC]

We went to CT last May, there is no way I would go in August. It was too crowded for us and we spent four days there. It did not help that a lot of the coastal trails are still closed.

[El Crucero]

We visited CT last April. Four couples on the Reflection pre-booked a private tour with Umberto. He was fantastic! He was the driver of his new personal MBZ van and our tour guide. Extremely reasonable. He is very experienced in the CT area.

 

It was magical! No crowds because he knew the schedule of the excursion buses from Celebrity (he knows all the drivers by first name) and we would go to the villages when the excursion buses were not there. We went to four villages, excursion buses go to three. We also took the train and two ferries. No lines because he knew when the excursion crowds would be there. He would drive ahead and meet us at the appointed time and he was punctual. He would park the van and give us a personal tour of the highlights of each village. Lover's Walk was closed for repairs at the time but we saw even more interesting sights.

 

Cinque Terre was one of the highlights of our TA trip. Memorable with lots of personal pictures. We want to return for another visit and we will book Umberto again! Still enjoying the bottle of Limoncello we bought there. YUM!

[Can'tstopcruising]

We visited CT last April. Four couples on the Reflection pre-booked a private tour with Umberto. He was fantastic! He was the driver of his new personal MBZ van and our tour guide. Extremely reasonable. He is very experienced in the CT area.

 

It was magical! No crowds because he knew the schedule of the excursion buses from Celebrity (he knows all the drivers by first name) and we would go to the villages when the excursion buses were not there. We went to four villages, excursion buses go to three. We also took the train and two ferries. No lines because he knew when the excursion crowds would be there. He would drive ahead and meet us at the appointed time and he was punctual. He would park the van and give us a personal tour of the highlights of each village. Lover's Walk was closed for repairs at the time but we saw even more interesting sights.

 

Cinque Terre was one of the highlights of our TA trip. Memorable with lots of personal pictures. We want to return for another visit and we will book Umberto again! Still enjoying the bottle of Limoncello we bought there. YUM!

 

 

Several years ago, on a rainy MaY day, we took the Celebrity tour.

Even though it was early in the season, there were hordes of tourist groups. It was a sea of umbrellas. They packed the ferry boat like sardines. That part was the most unbearable. When they gave us time for lunch, the restaurants were so crowded, we barely made it back to the bus on time (and all we had was a panini)

 

If we ever go again, I would like to take a private tour. Would you be good enough to tell us exactly who is Umberto and how we can contact him?

Thank you.

[mickey89]

If you are looking for a reliable experienced company try http://www.tuscanytastetours.com for the cinqueterre. The best places to visit are Manarola and Monterosso, both are accessible by vehicle avoiding the hideous public transport, talk to them they know all the angles to ensure you minimise the effects of the crowds.

[az_tchr]

I would ONLY do this one on a Celebrity tour. The trains and ferries are packed and getting back to the ship could be a problem time wise. I rarely do a ship organized tour. This is one of those times.

 

Agree it is a wonderful place to visit but wow is it crowded by about 3pm. Agree the private tour offers a better visit but I would not risk it!

[TMLAalum]

We visited CT last April. Four couples on the Reflection pre-booked a private tour with Umberto. He was fantastic! He was the driver of his new personal MBZ van and our tour guide. Extremely reasonable. He is very experienced in the CT area.

 

It was magical! No crowds because he knew the schedule of the excursion buses from Celebrity (he knows all the drivers by first name) and we would go to the villages when the excursion buses were not there. We went to four villages, excursion buses go to three. We also took the train and two ferries. No lines because he knew when the excursion crowds would be there. He would drive ahead and meet us at the appointed time and he was punctual. He would park the van and give us a personal tour of the highlights of each village. Lover's Walk was closed for repairs at the time but we saw even more interesting sights.

 

Cinque Terre was one of the highlights of our TA trip. Memorable with lots of personal pictures. We want to return for another visit and we will book Umberto again! Still enjoying the bottle of Limoncello we bought there. YUM!

 

Where can I find Umberto? It sounds like your tour with him is what I'm looking for when we are on the Reflection docking in La Spezia in October 2017.

 

Thanks!

[bassmaster150]

We recently (July 4, 2015 Equinox cruise) did the excursion through the ship to Cinque Terre. We did the cruise from Genoa, but we got the same warning. We were pleasantly surprised how well we enjoyed the excursion. We usually book private excursions.

 

The reasons we booked through Celebrity was two fold. They supplied a guide, not just a driver. All the private tours charged 100 euros plus for a guide. The other reason was the timing was tight. We actually arrived back at the ship 10 minutes before last boarding time for passengers.

 

So, we were glad we booked the tour. It was our second time to Cinque Terre, and we got a lot more out of it because of the guide, who was very good.

 

And, the have pizza there. :p

 

The Pizza in the Cinque Terre is incredible...simply put...

[Texed]

Four couples on the Reflection pre-booked a private tour with Umberto.

 

Where can I find Umberto? Thanks!

 

We are returning to this area this summer. We would like a link to Umberto also to compare tours. :)

[El Crucero]

Where can I find Umberto? It sounds like your tour with him is what I'm looking for when we are on the Reflection docking in La Spezia in October 2017.

 

Thanks!

 

We are returning to this area this summer. We would like a link to Umberto also to compare tours. :)

 

We got Umberto Cattani's name off of Trip Adviser, where he gets 5 stars. We give him 6 stars! Contact him here: http://tourguides.viator.com/tour-guide-umberto-cattani-23963.aspx

 

He speaks English and will answer promptly. He is a one man guide and driver. He has a speaker system in his van and gives you a running commentary on your drives. Although we didn't stop in Carrara, he was born there and pointed out all the interesting and educational sights along the road. He knows all the details of an area.

 

The train ride is about 10 minutes from one village to another. He drops you off at one station, buys the tickets for you and then meets you at the next station. The 20 minute water taxi ride and back was spectacular and everyone had a seat. He makes things easy and takes care of all details.

 

Theoretically, you could miss the boat with a private tour, but that could happen anywhere. I don't worry about it. Umberto got us back to the ship (Reflection) with an hour to spare. He was much, much less expensive than a Ships Excursion and we saw much more while dodging the crowds. He knows what he is doing and is a very nice man to boot!

 

Highly recommended!

Edited February 13, 2016 by El Crucero

[Texed]

We got Umberto Cattani's name off of Trip Adviser, where he gets 5 stars. We give him 6 stars! Contact him here: http://tourguides.viator.com/tour-guide-umberto-cattani-23963.aspx

Highly recommended!

 

Thank you very much for your help. :)

[az_tchr]

We received 14 emails from celebrity yesterday (yes 14) that said this

 

Dear Guest:

As you prepare for your upcoming cruise with us, we want to make you aware of an update in your Shore Excursions program. Please note that since Cinque Terre has become a very popular destination with many tourists visiting, crowds may be experienced in the villages, on the motorboats and train transfers. Should you feel the LV34- Cinque Terre tour you recently booked is no longer optimal as one of your tour options we'd like to recommend to book instead the following alternate shore excursion.

 

LVJ9- Coast of Cinque Terre & Portovenere

 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we look forward to welcoming you aboard. Thank you.

 

However there is no description. The suggested change in the email or on the website, only a title.

 

Looks like we may have to phone celebrity for more info

 

Pretty simple as this is a ferry ride to Portovenere along the coast and time at Portovenere. It is beautiful and much less crowded as the train does not go there. It is one place you probably could do on your own and get back to the ship. Note it is a LONG ferry ride to and from Livorno.

[north29]

Three times, off a cruise, on a tour, and on our own. Both cruise and land tour ended up on a 50 Pax bus, on our own, of course, was the best. Depending on the day= and month and weather, it can be crowded, did I say crowded, It is worth the effort to do the CT. I should add that we ran into not only tourist from every where, but many groups of school children of all ages from all over Europe and the world. Funny I do not remember a train dedicated to CT, except the one that runs along the coast which we took, to CT and then to Nice, PS what a great ride.

Edited February 14, 2016 by north29

[drarill]

We used Papillon Services for our CT tour last summer and they were wonderful. Didn't experience any crowds. The ferry was closed due to the weather and our guides drove us to three of the villages. We even had a nice lunch in Vernazza and a quick photo stop in Pisa.

http://www.sharexcursionsitaly.com/index.php/cinque-terre-from-livorno

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here's an article from Conde Nast that the Cinque Terre authorities have decided to limit tourist before they suffer the "Yogi Berra effect" (Yogi's famous quote about his favorite Italian restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore -- it's too crowded"):

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-02-17/italys-cinque-terre-to-begin-limiting-tourists?mbid=nl_021716_Daily&CNDID=37005399&spMailingID=8557600&spUserID=MTA5NDU2NTUzOTQ2S0&spJobID=861750805&spReportId=ODYxNzUwODA1S0