cinque terre from Livorno

[liftman]

Hi, We are a group of four. We have a port stop at Livorno and fancy visiting Cinque Terre as we have done Florence and other places. Would appreciate tips from anyone who has made this trip independently or other trip suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks Brendan Mc:)

[euro cruiser]

The only realistic way you can do this is to either use a car service or rent a car and drive yourself. The train times simply do not work in your favor for this one.

[bobloblaw007]

The only realistic way you can do this is to either use a car service or rent a car and drive yourself. The train times simply do not work in your favor for this one.

 

Hi, I was looking into doing this trip for a 7 am - 7 pm stopover in Livorno. I plan on buying a ticket for the ship's shuttle between the port and the train station. From the schedules I found, they have a train trip from Livorno to Montresso at approximately 8 am - 9:46 am (or the later 9:30 - 11:16 if we sleep in a little) and return from one of the towns is approximately 15:45 to 17:24. Is this not practical?

 

It gives us minimum 4.5 hours to go around the Cinque Terre villages, and perhaps take a boat ride between two towns in between if the weather is good.

[euro cruiser]

If those times are acceptable to you it can work.

 

Even with the ship's shuttle (assuming this is direct to the train station, not to Piazza Grande in Livorno) you may not make that 8 AM departure. It would be great if you did but if you miss it it's a long wait for the next option.

 

It's the return where things are more dicey. You need to be on the ship no later than 6:30 PM, which mean arriving at the train station no later than 5:30 PM to allow for getting back to the ship by either shuttle, public buses (you'd need two) or taxi.

 

Also, the common wisdom is that you take the next-to-the-last return train that will get you back in time. In your case, the last train that gets you back by 5:30 departs CT at 3:40 PM, the one just before it departs at 2:45 PM.

 

Bottom line, if you make the 8 AM train you'd have five hours at CT. If that feels comfortable for you, go for it! It's a beautiful part of the world.

[Hlitner]

Hi, I was looking into doing this trip for a 7 am - 7 pm stopover in Livorno. I plan on buying a ticket for the ship's shuttle between the port and the train station. From the schedules I found, they have a train trip from Livorno to Montresso at approximately 8 am - 9:46 am (or the later 9:30 - 11:16 if we sleep in a little) and return from one of the towns is approximately 15:45 to 17:24. Is this not practical?

 

It gives us minimum 4.5 hours to go around the Cinque Terre villages, and perhaps take a boat ride between two towns in between if the weather is good.

 

Euro is being kind...but we shall tell it like it is :). If your ship does dock at 7 you will unlikely be able to get off the ship until at least 7:15 (perhaps closer to 7:30). We are not aware of many shuttle buses to the train station (perhaps some cruise line does this). Most of the time there is a shuttle bus that takes folks into the center of Livorno...from where they still need to use another public bus or taxi to get to the train station. And we have personally seen issues because the first shuttle into town does not even depart the pier until around 8:30 (this does vary). Once off the bus you need to purchase your train ticket, validate the ticket, and get on the train. The odds of making an 8am train are probably no better then 50-50.

 

Cinque Terre is actually 5 different villages connected by a train (that runs about once or twice an hour) or by ferry boats (which also do not run as often as you would hope). And there are plenty of others trying to get on those same trains or buses. So once you get to a village, moving between the villages takes a lot more time then one would expect. And if you were to gamble on taking the 3:40 train back to Livorno, you would have to plan to back in Riomaggiore by 3:15 (at the latest) to account for possible delays, large crowds fighting to get on that same train , etc. And once back at Livorno you still need to get back to the port...and there are only a limited number of taxis.

 

This is why Euro and moi have stopped recommending using the train from Livorno. When we are in Livorno (most recently last month) we normally rent a car from Sifracar (they deliver to the pier). Some other times we will fight to get a taxi to take us the train station (not always possible). If your cruise ship offers a reasonably priced transfer to Cinque Terre...this might be your best bet. As to the rental cars, most cars are manual shift (which we love) and relatively small. And some folks find driving in Italy a bit scary (DW thinks I am nutz to love driving in Italy).

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Hi, I was looking into doing this trip for a 7 am - 7 pm stopover in Livorno. I plan on buying a ticket for the ship's shuttle between the port and the train station. From the schedules I found, they have a train trip from Livorno to Montresso at approximately 8 am - 9:46 am (or the later 9:30 - 11:16 if we sleep in a little) and return from one of the towns is approximately 15:45 to 17:24. Is this not practical?

 

It gives us minimum 4.5 hours to go around the Cinque Terre villages, and perhaps take a boat ride between two towns in between if the weather is good.

 

Euro is being kind...but we shall tell it like it is :). If your ship does dock at 7 you will unlikely be able to get off the ship until at least 7:15 (perhaps closer to 7:30). We are not aware of many shuttle buses to the train station (perhaps some cruise line does this). Most of the time there is a shuttle bus that takes folks into the center of Livorno...from where they still need to use another public bus or taxi to get to the train station. And we have personally seen issues because the first shuttle into town does not even depart the pier until around 8:30 (this does vary). Once off the bus you need to purchase your train ticket, validate the ticket, and get on the train. The odds of making an 8am train are probably no better then 50-50.

 

Cinque Terre is actually 5 different villages connected by a train (that runs about once or twice an hour) or by ferry boats (which also do not run as often as you would hope). And there are plenty of others trying to get on those same trains or buses. So once you get to a village, moving between the villages takes a lot more time then one would expect. And if you were to gamble on taking the 3:40 train back to Livorno, you would have to plan to back in Riomaggiore by 3:15 (at the latest) to account for possible delays, large crowds fighting to get on that same train , etc. And once back at Livorno you still need to get back to the port...and there are only a limited number of taxis.

 

This is why Euro and moi have stopped recommending using the train from Livorno. When we are in Livorno (most recently last month) we normally rent a car from Sifracar (they deliver to the pier). Some other times we will fight to get a taxi to take us the train station (not always possible). If your cruise ship offers a reasonably priced transfer to Cinque Terre...this might be your best bet. As to the rental cars, most cars are manual shift (which we love) and relatively small. And some folks find driving in Italy a bit scary (DW thinks I am nutz to love driving in Italy). And we should mention that the drive from the Port to Riomaggiore takes about 1:20 (traffic in La Spezia can make it longer) and then parking can be tricky.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Hi, I was looking into doing this trip for a 7 am - 7 pm stopover in Livorno. I plan on buying a ticket for the ship's shuttle between the port and the train station. From the schedules I found, they have a train trip from Livorno to Montresso at approximately 8 am - 9:46 am (or the later 9:30 - 11:16 if we sleep in a little) and return from one of the towns is approximately 15:45 to 17:24. Is this not practical?

 

It gives us minimum 4.5 hours to go around the Cinque Terre villages, and perhaps take a boat ride between two towns in between if the weather is good.

 

Euro is being kind...but we shall tell it like it is :). If your ship does dock at 7 you will unlikely be able to get off the ship until at least 7:15 (perhaps closer to 7:30). We are not aware of many shuttle buses to the train station (perhaps some cruise line does this). Most of the time there is a shuttle bus that takes folks into the center of Livorno...from where they still need to use another public bus or taxi to get to the train station. And we have personally seen issues because the first shuttle into town does not even depart the pier until around 8:30 (this does vary). Once off the bus you need to purchase your train ticket, validate the ticket, and get on the train. The odds of making an 8am train are probably no better then 50-50.

 

Cinque Terre is actually 5 different villages connected by a train (that runs about once or twice an hour) or by ferry boats (which also do not run as often as you would hope). And there are plenty of others trying to get on those same trains or buses. So once you get to a village, moving between the villages takes a lot more time then one would expect. And if you were to gamble on taking the 3:40 train back to Livorno, you would have to plan to back in Riomaggiore by 3:15 (at the latest) to account for possible delays, large crowds fighting to get on that same train , etc. And once back at Livorno you still need to get back to the port...and there are only a limited number of taxis.

 

This is why Euro and moi have stopped recommending using the train from Livorno. When we are in Livorno (most recently last month) we normally rent a car from Sifracar (they deliver to the pier). Some other times we will fight to get a taxi to take us the train station (not always possible). If your cruise ship offers a reasonably priced transfer to Cinque Terre...this might be your best bet. As to the rental cars, most cars are manual shift (which we love) and relatively small. And some folks find driving in Italy a bit scary (DW thinks I am nutz to love driving in Italy). And we should mention that the drive from the Port to Riomaggiore takes about 1:20 (traffic in La Spezia can make it longer) and then parking can be tricky. And now, the Italian government is threatening to close the road, on very busy days, between Riomaggiore and La Spezia...to reduce the congestion at Cinque Terre. Not sure the Italian's will actually put this plan into action, but since its Italy they could do this with little or no notice.

 

Hank

[cruiser1812]

Hi, We are a group of four. We have a port stop at Livorno and fancy visiting Cinque Terre as we have done Florence and other places. Would appreciate tips from anyone who has made this trip independently or other trip suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks Brendan Mc:)

 

 

I took the ship's tour from NCL in 2014, and it was the most exhausting, unfulfilling and expensive tour for the money that I have ever taken. Pretty much, I don't think one can do Cingue Terre from Livorno, although cruise lines would like you to think so. I am not confident that a private tour provider could do much better, but at least, if you purchased from your cruise line, they would have to wait until you return.

[cruiser1812]

Hi, I was looking into doing this trip for a 7 am - 7 pm stopover in Livorno. I plan on buying a ticket for the ship's shuttle between the port and the train station. From the schedules I found, they have a train trip from Livorno to Montresso at approximately 8 am - 9:46 am (or the later 9:30 - 11:16 if we sleep in a little) and return from one of the towns is approximately 15:45 to 17:24. Is this not practical?

 

It gives us minimum 4.5 hours to go around the Cinque Terre villages, and perhaps take a boat ride between two towns in between if the weather is good.

 

I don't think the weather is ever good...It could not have been a calmer day, but we were told boat trip not available. Had to take train. Thus, whole day about being on time for train

[aamechs2]

We went to Cinque Terre last year using Tuscany by taxi to drive us. Our driver did a fantastic job getting us to the first village and from there we took a boat to the next one then a train to the 3rd along with a train back to where our driver was. In hindsight we should've only gone to 2 villages, not 3. A lot of time is wasted either waiting on the boat or train and also walking to the dock or train station. I'm glad that we did it, we even had time for a quick stop at the Leaning tower for a few pics. We considered taking the train but it was too risky. Our day cost E80 each with 6 people and was worth every penny. I'm sorry that I can't remember our drivers name but he was wonderful. We've used Tuscany by taxi 4 times and had wonderful experiences every time.

[liftman]

Hi All,

Thanks everyone who responded to our enquiry. As we thought, it looks like the train would be a long shot but it was well worth asking.

I think we will probably either seek cruise excursion transportation or private taxi transfer to do the first two villages. Sensible and relaxing!

Thanks again, we will look up Tuscany taxis.

Many thanks:)

[anniversay/grad trip]

Does anyone know the time it will take to drive to Cinque Terre from Livorno? We are planning on renting a car in Livorno and with the help of a GPS venturing out. Can we drive between towns? and how many towns would be reasonable to see in a 7am -7pm port day. My husband has driven in the Tuscan region before and he also very much enjoys it...Must be the Italian background lol

[Franceenee]

How long does it take from Livorno centrale (train station) to get back to the port?

Edited June 2, 2016 by Franceenee

[Hlitner]

How long does it take from Livorno centrale (train station) to get back to the port?

 

There are two parts to the answer. Once you are in a taxi, it takes 10-15 minutes depending on traffic and how long you have to wait to get through the port security gate. But the 2nd part is the problem. You need a taxi! Most of the time we have returned to Livorno in the late afternoon, there were only about 5-8 taxis in the queue. But there are often dozens (or more) folks looking for taxis including cruisers and some locals. Unless you are off the train first, and move very quickly through the station to the main entrance (and the taxi queue) you might be out of luck. You get outside...and there are no taxis. At that point you beg for help and perhaps one of the station employees calls the taxi company. Then you wait (with others) and pray that some taxis return to the station in time to get you to the ship. This is why we (and a few others here that we respect) advise not to take the last train (to make your ship) but take a train one hour earlier....so you have plenty of extra time margin.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Does anyone know the time it will take to drive to Cinque Terre from Livorno? We are planning on renting a car in Livorno and with the help of a GPS venturing out. Can we drive between towns? and how many towns would be reasonable to see in a 7am -7pm port day. My husband has driven in the Tuscan region before and he also very much enjoys it...Must be the Italian background lol

 

Yes, and we have posted the info, here, many times in the past :). If you are driving from the port (you can get a car at the port if you reserve from Sifracar) to Riomaggiore (the nearest Cinque Terre Village) it will take 1:20 - 1:30. Time depends on how fast you drive and the traffic you encounter when working your way through La Spezia (you must go through town to access the road to Riomaggiore).

 

I am a big supporter of renting a car and driving in Italy (have driven over 10,000 miles within Italy) and your husband will do fine. If you use Sifracar (the local Hertz franchise) they will deliver your car to the pier (where you do the paperwork) and you return the car to the pier (we parked within a few feet of the gangplank. They do charge more money for this service and its worth every Euro. A small manual shift car will cost you around 90€ plus gas.

 

Parking in Riomaggiore is a little tricky with 2 options. You can drive into town and follow the "P" signs to a paid parking area that has an indoor garage and some outdoor parking. This is paid parking, but the prices are about what you would expect. If you go there first thing in the morning you will be able to get a parking spot (its a problem later in the day). There are also folks that park (for free) along the road that goes down the mountain into town...but it can be a hike depending on where you find a spot. So if you happen to see a spot close to town...go for it.....otherwise head to the paid parking area. And I should mention we just did all this in early April...and have done if a few other times.

 

There is one other possible issue. The Italian government is concerned with overcrowding at Cinque Terre (especially Riomaggiore) and has threatened to close the road (between La Spezia and Riomaggiore) if it gets too crowded. So far, it is just a threat. But because the Italian government decided to allow large cruise ships into La Spezia...we think the threat could be enacted this summer on busy days. So my advice is get off the ship early, get your car, and be on the road by 8 (or shortly after) so you are in Riomaggiore by 9:30 so you can beat a lot of the other folks.

 

One final tip...we recommend having GPS...whether it is your own or you rent it from Sifracar. The route is pretty easy until you get to La Spezia....but at that point one could take a wrong turn (we have done it) and waste valuable time.

 

Hank

Edited June 2, 2016 by Hlitner

[zoncom]

CT are one area I would take a ship tour, which I did last month.Towns are really pedestrian villages. No cars. Trains often full. I once did on land stay prior to cruise. Train didnt run on time and I arrived at 1AM by myself. Innkeeper was waiting luckily. That said, a delightful area, just out of the way.

[Hlitner]

CT are one area I would take a ship tour, which I did last month.Towns are really pedestrian villages. No cars. Trains often full. I once did on land stay prior to cruise. Train didnt run on time and I arrived at 1AM by myself. Innkeeper was waiting luckily. That said, a delightful area, just out of the way.

 

Yes and no :). You are correct that the trains get full (or very crowded) although we are talking very short train rides where nobody cares if they must stand. There are also ferry boats, but you must go through the hassle of buying a ticket and waiting for the boat. We first went to the villages about twenty years ago (when we could hike between Riomaggiore and Manarola) and thought it was all magical. But now, with large ships being allowed in La Spezia...many more cruisers (sometimes several thousand a day) are coming to the villages....which cannot handle these crowds.

 

This is a dilemma for the Italian government. They created the monster when they allowed those large ships so close to Riomaggiore. So the proposed solution is not to cut-off the ships, but rather to limit the number of vehicles on the lone road that goes to some of the villages. We wonder if the Italian people (who also like Cinque Terre) are going to take this without a fight. We have seen large cruise ships ruin quite a few ports (St Thomas comes quickly to mind) and greedy local/state governments turn away from the issue. Some places, like Bermuda and St Barts, have limited and/or discouraged cruise ships. But they are the exception. We have mixed emotions being very frequent cruisers (over 70 days a year) and also frequent land trip (usually with our own rental car) tourists. Ironically, when we take our extended land trips we often plot our itinerary to stay far away from cruise ports and their excursion destinations.

 

Hank

[mskaufman]

I took the ship's tour from NCL in 2014, and it was the most exhausting, unfulfilling and expensive tour for the money that I have ever taken. Pretty much, I don't think one can do Cingue Terre from Livorno, although cruise lines would like you to think so. I am not confident that a private tour provider could do much better, but at least, if you purchased from your cruise line, they would have to wait until you return.

 

Exhausting I understand and if it was a ship's tour expensive I understand. I would be interested in hearing more as to why it was unfulfilling so that I know what to avoid (or add) when planning my excursion.

[Hlitner]

I took the ship's tour from NCL in 2014, and it was the most exhausting, unfulfilling and expensive tour for the money that I have ever taken. Pretty much, I don't think one can do Cingue Terre from Livorno, although cruise lines would like you to think so. I am not confident that a private tour provider could do much better, but at least, if you purchased from your cruise line, they would have to wait until you return.

 

Your bad experience is certainly a bummer. However, one can certainly see Cinque Terre (at least some of the villages) during a port day in Livorno (we have done it a few times) with excellent results. Perhaps your negative experience was related more to a lousy excursion (we do it on our own without an excursion). Personnally, we think it is a mistake to try and visit all 5 villages in a port day..and generally recommend limiting one's visit to no more then 3 villages. Rather then rushing through each village we like to "stop and smell the roses" and also enjoy a nice lunch in one of the cafe/restaurants located in the villages. On a nice day we also love to hike between at least 2 of the villages...although the easiest and shortest hike (the Lovers Walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola) remains closed (and will not re open in the near future).

 

Hank

[phillygirl63]

If your ship offers an excursion to CT, then I would do that. This is one of the few ship's excursions that we have booked. It basically involved bus transfer to/from and a guide who took care of the ferry tickets and escorted us from one town to the next. I did not think the price was overly expensive as so many of the ship's excursions are, and we had a great time. We had also been to Florence previously, and found this day to be a great alternative and well worth the visit.

 

Some advice: You may want to bring a decorated padlock to place on the railings along Lover's Path to ensure everlasting love. Also, make sure to bring some rolls of "Charmin on the Go" as some of the restrooms are not that well equipped.

[Hlitner]

If your ship offers an excursion to CT, then I would do that. This is one of the few ship's excursions that we have booked. It basically involved bus transfer to/from and a guide who took care of the ferry tickets and escorted us from one town to the next. I did not think the price was overly expensive as so many of the ship's excursions are, and we had a great time. We had also been to Florence previously, and found this day to be a great alternative and well worth the visit.

 

Some advice: You may want to bring a decorated padlock to place on the railings along Lover's Path to ensure everlasting love. Also, make sure to bring some rolls of "Charmin on the Go" as some of the restrooms are not that well equipped.

 

As we previously posted, the "Lovers Path" has been closed for several years due to being wiped out by mud and rock slides back in Oct 2011. So far, nothing has been done to rebuild the damaged sections...so the walk remains fenced-off.

 

Hank

[phillygirl63]

As we previously posted, the "Lovers Path" has been closed for several years due to being wiped out by mud and rock slides back in Oct 2011. So far, nothing has been done to rebuild the damaged sections...so the walk remains fenced-off.

 

Hank

 

I did not know that. Are there still parts of it left where you would walk to get to the ferry boat? I did not walk along the entire path, but remember that we did have to walk along some of it at the first town in order to get to the dock. I thought the padlocks were a neat thing to see.

[Hlitner]

I did not know that. Are there still parts of it left where you would walk to get to the ferry boat? I did not walk along the entire path, but remember that we did have to walk along some of it at the first town in order to get to the dock. I thought the padlocks were a neat thing to see.

 

The "Lovers Walk" refers to a specific section of the hiking route which was the mostly paved path between Riomaggiore and Manarola. It was the most popular hiking path since it was not too long and the train was nicely maintained. But when they had the horrible mud/land slides (the village of Vernazza was actually buried by up to 13 feet of debris) the lovers walk was literally wiped out. The Italian government has been delaying any repairs (and it would be a major undertaiking) due to politics, budget, environmental groups, etc. Last month when we were in Riomaggiore we saw no signs indicating that the trail was closed, so decided to check it out. We walked about 3 minutes before we came to the barricade! Since we had our own rental car we then decided to take the somewhat ambitious drive to Vernazza to see how the village has progressed since being literally wiped out. We can report that Vernazza is now alive and well (and as beautiful as ever) although you can still see signs of destruction along the approach from the parking areas into town.

 

There are also hiking trains (open) between the other villages, but some of these trails take a lot more time and are more difficult hikes not normally done during short port days. Besides the closure of Lovers Walk, everything is pretty much back to normal with the villages and they are again attracting record crowds (which has the government threatening to close the roads on busy days).

 

Hank

Edited June 4, 2016 by Hlitner

[spuds]

Hello, we will be in the port of Livorno and would like to do Cinque Terre on our own. My husband and I have been there (lucky enough to spend 3 nights) but friends that we are travelling with have not. We have all been to Florence so we wanted to show them the beauty of Cinque Terre. My husband is very comfortable driving in Italy but one of my concerns is parking in the small villages. I read that parking around the La Spezia train station is good.. do you think it's a good idea to rent a car, drive to the La Spezia train station and then train/hike/boat between some of the villages - ??

 

I read that the Cinque Terre express (train) runs every 30 minutes between the villages so that might give us more flexibility with getting around and back to the port on time. Our ship arrives at 8:00 am and departs at 8:00 pm.

 

Because we are only there for the day I think if we do any hikes it will be between Manarola and Corniglia as they say it's only 45 minutes, very picturesque, somewhat easy. We did did the Monterosso to Vernazza hike a few years ago and although beautiful might be a bit long for only being there for such a short time.

 

We had one of our best Italy meals in Vernazza around the harbour... I can hardly wait to go back!!

[Hlitner]

We have driven to Cinque Terrre multiple times, and when coming from the South (Livorno) we always park in Riomaggiore. That village has paid parking area, just as you enter the village, with both outdoor and some indoor parking. As long as you get there pretty early in the day (before 11) we have always found parking. There is also free parking if you want to just park along the approach road...but this can leave you with a long walk on a pretty steep road. Yes, you can also park in La Spezia, but then you have to wait for the next train. If there are one or more ships in La Spezia (which unfortunately has become a cruise port) it can even be difficult to get on the train.

 

As to the train running between the villages (there are also boats) things do get very crowded in the summer. It is often not just the case that you walk to the train platform 5 min before a train and hop on. Sometimes, tourists are lined up several people deep, 15 min before a train.

 

In April, we docked in Livorno where we had reserved a car from Sifracar (the Hertz franchise). I walked off the ship about 7:15 and the Sifracar folks were waiting (our car was parked less then 100 feet from the gangplank. It took about 10 min to do the paperwork, they handed me the keys..and then I went back aboard to get DW. If we had wanted to drive directly to Riomaggiore (we went elsewhere in the morning) we would have been there by 9:15!

 

We love your idea of the hike, and if you have the time and good weather it is a wonderful way to spend an hour.

 

Hank