Driver OR train to Cinque Terre to maximize time?

[pups]

I will be going on the Mediterranean Cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas on Oct. 24th 2006 with my family. The port at Livorno is docked on Nov. 5th (Sun) from 7am to 7pm (12 hours total). We have been to Pisa and Florence, so we would like to go to Cinque Terre since we have heard it is beautiful and we have not been there.

 

I have done some research on taking the train, which would be more cost effective, but possibly result in less time in CT with all the trains and transfers, etc. From the Livorno port, it is a 15-minute taxi or bus ride to the train station. From the Livorno Centrale train station, we can take the 8:11am train if we're lucky enough to catch it (not sure how long it would take to actually get off the ship.) If we miss that one, we would have to wait 1 1/2 hours for the next train. From Livorno, we would go to La Spezia Centrale train station (train ride approx. 1 hr 40 min). That means we would be at La Spezia by 10am at the earliest. From there we would hop on the local train to CT. We would try to catch the 10:08am train to Riomaggiore and be there by 10:45am. We plan to hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola (30 min) and ideally, we'd like to hike from Manarola to Corniglia, but I think that would take too much time, so we might just train it to the other towns. Lastly, we'd like to take boat from Monterosso back to Riomaggiore in time for the 4:06pm train back to Livorno, arriving at Livorno at 5:14pm. (I found this to be the last train heading back to Livorno without missing the ship.) All in all, we really only have 5 hours total to tour the 5 towns. Do you think this is doable with what we have planned? Also, this is dependent on if all the trains are on time and there are no strikes, of course.

 

The other alternative is to have a private driver to take us from Livorno to CT and then back to Livorno. The best quote I received so far is 360 euros for 4 people. I think that by having a driver, we would be able to immediately leave for CT once we get off the ship and we could also stay longer in CT before heading back since we are not dependent on the train schedules. However, we are paying much more than if we stuck to just trains.

 

I would like advice from experienced travellers who have been to Cinque Terre by hiring a private driver and by those who have taken trains. What would you recommend? Thanks very much in advance for your help.

[ilovhywd]

Our friends were stuck in Cinque Terre with no trains running for several hours last month. Fortunately, they were not on a cruise!

 

Your research is excellent; however, we would never depend on that many trains being on time. I think you should splurge for the car and driver so that you have a relaxing day.

 

Did you look to see if your cruise line offers a shore excursion to CT from Livorno? Princess does. I know we will not see as much as doing it on our own, but it's nice to not have to watch the clock all day!

[golfergal]

We stayed in Santa Margherita a couple of years ago and trained it to CT for the day. Some of CT is truly beautiful, some not any different than other sights in Italy. Overall it was not my favorite place, but I have to admit that our opinion was clouded by a couple of things, mainly, the unbearable heat, the crowds, and the lack of transportation mid day. All the transportation, other than your own feet, shut down around lunchtime. I clearly didn't do enough research to figure that out.

 

Overall the train is an efficient and inexpensive option if there are no strikes or other delays. It is certainly doable. On our way back to SML, there was a huge fire near the train tracks and we were delayed for hours. So my very unusual experience makes me a little concerned with the risks of taking the train. You're making a difficult and long trip for 5 hours of sightseeing. By the way, 5 hours was enough for me in CT, but again it was very hot and crowded when we went.

 

If it were me, I would not want the stress of worrying about catching the 8:11 am (and then waiting 1 1/2 hours if you miss it) and then the 5:14 pm and rushing back to the ship. If you are really sure that you want to go to CT, I personally would go with the safer route. But that is just my opinion. You should also make sure enough is open in November to make it worthwhile. On the other hand, avoiding the crowds in November would make it a much nicer area to visit.

 

We were in Livorno for 2 days last year on the WindSurf. We did Florence on our own the first day and our original plan was to do Lucca on the second day. We didn't go to Lucca as we decided to relax on the ship instead. But my parents went to Lucca the first day and absolutely loved it. It was very easy to get to by train and was a lovely town to walk around and explore. Since the transportation is very easy, it would allow you to relax, have a leisurely lunch, and even get a little lost walking around.

 

Have fun!

[dbh62ark]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I've been researching answers to this same question for our May '07 cruise. Papillon gave you the lowest quote, right? I used that company in 2004 and thought they were excellent if that help you with your decision. I hope you will post your experience when you return because several requests in the last few weeks for details on timing from those who have been haven't been answered, so we would love to have that information from you.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[winewanderer]

Just my 2 cents:

 

DH and I were thinking of doing the same at a stop in Livorno in '07. However, when we looked at a map we thought the CT was way too far to go for the day.

 

You ultimately spend a large majority of the day travelling. And as others have said, I wouldn't depend on Italy trains.

 

I think we'll go to Lucca instead.

[pups]

Thank you all for your responses.

 

ilovhywd - To answer your question, yes RCI does offer a shore excursion for Cinque Terre for $126 per person. So that is only slightly more expensive than the private driver, which is 90 euro per person or approximately $115 per person. The reason why I was not looking into that option is because the tour does not stop at Corniglia and I would like to see that town. Also I would rather not go with a herd of people (although I'm sure most people would choose to go to Florence and/or Pisa at this stop). On the other hand, I know that if you book an excursion through the cruise line, the ship will wait for the group if you're late.

 

Donna - Actually the cheapest quote so far was from Tuscany by Taxi (http://www.tuscanybytaxi.it/index.htm) for 360 euros. I will definitely write about my experience when I come back to share with all of you. If I get more information from other sources prior to my trip, I will post them here as well.

 

I'm sooo excited!!!

[ilovhywd]

That's a great price from the taxi company! 360 Euros for 4 people!

The other company was much more expensive.

 

Do you think they are combining your group with another group in order to fill up a van?

 

Could you please provide the details? How many hours? What's included? We might book it instead of the Princess tour for more flexibility. We are there on November 4 (the day before you)!

 

Having enjoyed the Cinque Terre on a land trip 11 years ago, we are very excited to visit it again even though we won't have time to hike. 11 years ago, you couldn't even buy a postcard or a T-shirt! Now that Rick Steves has popularized the area, I'm sure it is much more tourist oriented.

 

Here's a tip if you have time: In Vernazza, climb the steps behind the church and start out on the walking path as if you were going to Monterrosa. Shortly you will get to a point where you will take the most amazing photograph you have ever taken! (I don't remember how long it took to get to this viewpoint, but you could ask someone in the village.) I blew up this photo and hung it in my office so I can dream about Italian vacations while I am at work!

 

What are your other ports and what are you planning?

 

Ilene

[dbh62ark]

Donna - Actually the cheapest quote so far was from Tuscany by Taxi (http://www.tuscanybytaxi.it/index.htm) for 360 euros. I will definitely write about my experience when I come back to share with all of you. If I get more information from other sources prior to my trip, I will post them here as well.

 

I'm sooo excited!!!

Now I'm excited for you! I hope you have a great trip and look forward to your report after you return.

 

:) Donna

[pups]

Hi Ilene,

 

I did not explicitly ask if anyone else would be in the car with us. I guess I assumed it would just be us, but good point, I should ask to make sure. My correspondence with them has been very good. They very prompt at responding to my questions (less than 24 hours). Also just to be clear, the quote is just for a driver, not a guide. And the quote is for a driver for the entire day we are at the port (7am-7pm). If you'd like a quote, their contact information is found here: http://www.tuscanybytaxi.it/pages/eng/reservations.htm.

 

Thank you so much for the tips in CT. That's great that you were able to visit it once before. I hope it'll be amazing and I'm crossing my fingers for good weather that day.

 

For our Med cruise, our other ports are: Istanbul, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini, Dubrovnik, Venice, Naples, Civitavecchia, Villefranche, Livorno, and Barcelona.

 

I have reserved private guides and/or drivers for the following: Full day tour to Ephesus, Temple of Artemis, Basilica of St. John, and the House of Virgin Mary (from Kusadasi), Full day tour on Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast (from Naples), Full day tour of Eze, Monaco & Monte Carlo, Nice, and St. Paul de Vence (from Villefranche), and full day driver to Cinque Terre (from Livorno). For all the other ports, we will go on our own.

 

Happy planning!