Cinque Terre

[Yorktown33]

We are arriving in La Spezia and would like to take a shore excurison to Cinque Terre anyone us the company at a reasonable cost. Any comments on the company

"My Cruise Excursions"?  Any other recommendations?

[CruiserBruce]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

The company you ask about is a broker. This means they don't actually provide the tour, they take your money and contrat with a local low bidder. This means low prices, but also that contacting vendors when there is a problem can be an issue, which happened to us. There have also been reports of things like poor English skills, "private" transfers that became shared shuttles with delays, and a few others.

 

As a result, you will find many people here prefer to just us the local, recommended vendors.

[mom says]

If you do your homework, there's really no need to buy an excursion. It's easy to buy a Cinque Terre card at the La Spezia train station and just train from village to village. But DO check to see how many ships will be in port that day. If there are several, CT can be a nightmare of shoulder to shoulder hot, sweaty crowds in both the villages and the trains.

[bonsai3s]

1 hour ago, mom says said:

If you do your homework, there's really no need to buy an excursion. It's easy to buy a Cinque Terre card at the La Spezia train station and just train from village to village. But DO check to see how many ships will be in port that day. If there are several, CT can be a nightmare of shoulder to shoulder hot, sweaty crowds in both the villages and the trains.

 

Great information.  Is the La Spezia train station walking distance from the cruise terminal?  What are your thoughts on someone with a cane "attempting" to walk from village to village?  Thank you.

[Hlitner]

10 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

 

Great information.  Is the La Spezia train station walking distance from the cruise terminal?  What are your thoughts on someone with a cane "attempting" to walk from village to village?  Thank you.

The train station is within walking distance for those who are mobile.  Consider that many on cruises have trouble walking from one end of the ship to the other.  Walking between the villages is not practical for most with a cane and many without a cane.

 

Hank

[bbwex]

I agree with "mom says."  We normally book private tours, but when we went to Cinque Terre, we just walked the short walk to the train station, and took the train.  We got off and walked around one of the five towns and had a good time.  It had rained a lot, and the walking trails between the towns were too treacherous to use, but the visit was easy.  The trains are frequent, and you could stop at a couple of the little towns. 

 

It was very simple. 

[clo]

2 hours ago, mom says said:

f there are several, CT can be a nightmare of shoulder to shoulder hot, sweaty crowds in both the villages and the trains.

THIS! We were there in October IIRC and it was crowded then. I shudder to think what it could be like. The people I saw walking were in hiking boots and backpacks!

[mom says]

2 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

 

Great information.  Is the La Spezia train station walking distance from the cruise terminal?  What are your thoughts on someone with a cane "attempting" to walk from village to village?  Thank you.

Any one needing a cane should not attempt going from village to village on foot. These are hiking trails, and some are streep and rugged. Indeed since the earth slides a few years ago, some of the trails are still closed, so you can't walk to all the villages. Most of the villages are also hilly, with cobbled streets, so getting around can be difficult for the mobility impaired or those with limited endurance. 

[clo]

2 hours ago, mom says said:

Most of the villages are also hilly, with cobbled streets,

Yes. I'd forgotten about that.

[Bruin Steve]

This July, prior to our cruise out of Civitavecchia, we have booked a flight into Milan and are renting a car and spending 9 nights:  1) Lugano, 2-3) Lucerne, 4-5) Lauterbrunnen, 6-7-8) Porto Venere, 9) Civitavecchia...

 

The question here is how to structure those days/nights in Porto Venere.  The Cinque Terre is the one region of Italy we haven't visited.  We will be driving down from Lauterbrunnen...about a 6-7 hour drive--that first day, so, depending on any stops we might make, we're likely pulling into Porto Venere mid-afternoon at best.  We should then have two full days, then intend to leave right after breakfast after the third night.

 

We will have the rental car, but I'm thinking it may be best to leave it parked at the hotel while there.  I understand there are boats that take you up to the Cinque Terre towns that leave from the port--which is very close to our hotel (Hotel Genio).

http://www.hotelgenioportovenere.com/

 

How would you structure these days to take best advantage of the time we have in Porto Venere?  Thanks...

[bonsai3s]

Thanks as always to Hank, Mom Says, and bbwex...we'll walk from the La Spezia cruise terminal to the train station...and we won't be attempting to walk/hike from village to village. 

[watertraveler]

What about the water ferry?  Does it leave from La Spezia or just Portovenere? We took the ferry from Portovenere some years ago and had a lovely water view of all the villages.  We stopped at a beach for a while and, when ready, hopped on the ferry back to town.  Does anyone know if it runs in October?  What would the conditions be like then?

[mapleleaves]

On 1/29/2020 at 11:52 AM, bonsai3s said:

Thanks as always to Hank, Mom Says, and bbwex...we'll walk from the La Spezia cruise terminal to the train station...and we won't be attempting to walk/hike from village to village. 

 

Perhaps you could take the train to Monterosso, then hop on the ferry for the trip back to La Spezia.

https://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/en/la-spezia-01-04-2020-10-04-2020/

 

18 minutes ago, watertraveler said:

What about the water ferry?  Does it leave from La Spezia or just Portovenere? We took the ferry from Portovenere some years ago and had a lovely water view of all the villages.  We stopped at a beach for a while and, when ready, hopped on the ferry back to town.  Does anyone know if it runs in October?  What would the conditions be like then?

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

There are ferries that stop in all the villages (except Corniglia, which isn't on the water).  But they don't run if the weather doesn't cooperate, and then the trains become even more crowded.  

 

You CAN hike between the villages, but the easy waterside paths are closed in many places due to the landslides so you have to hike the steep paths UP the hillside and then down again – the views are terrific, but even the easiest of these [Corniglia to Volastra with free shuttles to avoid some of the climbs] was very difficult even on a nice mild day.  More details are in my blog:

https://jazzbeauxmediterraneancruise2019.wordpress.com/2019/10/22/tuesday-october-1-2019-la-spezia-and-cinque-terre/

 

Also the train stations are at the bottom of the villages, so each one requires a steep walk up [and back down] for shopping, lunch and drinks, etc.

 

@Bruin Steve – Rick Steves' map of Cinque Terre shows several roads that are or may be closed, so your rental car should definitely stay at the hotel.  Car parks will always be at the top of the village, again entailing a steep walk down and back up.  The train is definitely the safest way to plan in Cinque Terre.