I am planning a trip in September to Italy and will be staying in a villa near Sienna for a week. I would like to go to Cinque Terra for a day trip. I have a car but am not sure where the best place to drive to would be to have access to Cinque Terra. Also trying to estimate how long a drive it is from Sienna. Is the best place to drive to La Spezia and then take the train into the Cinque Terra? Thanks so much for any help!!!

Definitely the best place to drive to is La Spezia. You then just hop on the local train which runs to all 5 of the towns! You could also just take the train from Florence there and save the hassel of driving. The trains are very dependable and it might be faster. Just remember when you go to definitely do the hike from town 3-4. It is the most scenic and you really feel like you are seeing a spectacular italian sight!!!

We did the same thing about 2 years ago,that is, we drove to La Spezia, parked (parking was somewhat problematic, so beware), hopped a train (which run regularly) and went up to the northern most town of the Cinque Terra (forgive for forgetting the name of it.) We than walked down into that town, sight saw and walked over to the next town. It was a nice trail, but if you intend on hiking to more than one, or tow, of the towns, make sure you're taken your strength and stamina pills.

Oh, and if I remember correctly, the drive from Sienna was about 2 hours, each way.

Cinque Terra is a lovely area. We're going to the Amalfi Coast next may and I wonder how it will compare in the "sheer beauty" area compared to Cinque.

La Spezia is the southernmost "entrance town" to the 5 villages of the Cinque Terre (if you try to search the boards for info, be sure you have it spelled correctly with an "e" to pull up all the posts).

Levanto is the northernmost "entrance town".

The orientation of the towns north to south - Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore.

From Sienna, I'd suggest dropping the car in La Spezia and taking the train to whichever of the 5 towns you'd like to visit. The hike between Monterosso and Vernazza and between Vernazza and Corniglia is rather strenuous but the views are stunning.

If you plan to visit more than 1 town and/or hike the trails I'd suggest you get the 1 Day Cinque Terre Card

Are any of these hikes simple downhill affairs? I'm somewhat diasabled, but would like to do one of them if its an easy hike. thanks.

Karlmoll - The walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola (Via dell'amore) is essentially a paved walkway and very easy to navigate. Its wide with a rail along the edge so it is safe, easy, no sweat. Also, very beautiful. Takes about 20 to 30 minutes and you can turn around and return from the starting point in Riomaggiore.

After Manarola, the path turns to dirt and gets hillier and rougher as you go. There is one steep part that could be challenging depending on your abilities.

The other hikes (Monterosso/Vernaza) are most definitely not just downhill affairs. They are up, down, narrow, dirt paths. Need to watch your footing in many areas as well. The hike between Monterosso and Vernazza also requires lots of uphill climbing of stairs at some parts of the path. To get to Corniglia, you have to climb (either from the train or the path) about 350 uphill steps. My husband and I are in good shape, love to walk, and found the paths challenging. They are very narrow in areas as well and in some parts the downhill was harder than the uphill due to footing and keeping balance.

So, you could definitely consider the first part that I mentioned. Its so lovely and you will get the experience of walking between the two towns which is part of the whole CT deal if you ask me. Then you could either walk back or get a train to the rest of the towns. Hope that helps.

Here is a website with some information on the area and the trails.

http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/...rre/hiking.htm

Thanks to all for the information. You have been a great help! One other thing, if I take the train from Florence to La Spezia which train station in La Spezia do I get off at. There appear to be 3. Thanks again.

There is also a boat that goes from La
Spezia to the 5 villages and Portofino. You can get off at any of the towns and walk between them and get back on the boat or do the train. You can buy tickets for all day-all villages or select which village you want to get off.
Sometimes the water is rough and they will not operate the boats.If the weather is nice it is very scenic and is more comfortable than a train.

La Spezia Centrale is the station you want. It is pronounced "chentralay".

The walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola is very easy. It is also entirely paved. Great views of the coast and the see. I have seen several people with canes doing this walk, as well as mothers with small children in strollers.

Archie, glad you posted this question. I am trying to figure out how to squeeze in a day trip, as my traveling companions would really like to see the CT.

Fodorites, what do you think is the best plan for a one-day trip (arriving at around 9:30 a.m.): Drop car in La Spezia and take the train or boat to the most northern town, Monterosso, and train/boat back down to the south, ending with the flat walk between Manarola and Riomaggiore, train/boat back to La Spezia....or the other way around. Would like to be able to catch the train without waiting, so I am thinking it might be less crowded going North to South.

Also, how often do the train and boats go between the towns? I would also appreciate knowing if there are long, steep walks from the train station or boat landing to the individual towns as I would avoid those in the interest of time (unless they are particularly worthwhile).

Is it feasible to get a good look at the CT in 8 hours? I think we would want to be back on the road by 5:30, as it is a 2 1/2 hour drive back to Siena. I assume we will not have a long, sit-down lunch. If we are running short of time, which villages should we leave out? We will visit during the mid-week, probably on the last Wednesday or Thursday in September.

Thanks to all for your input!

I think I wanted to say "Portovenere" instead of Portofino in my previous post.
Try www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it (boat info) and www.cinqueterre.it
I would see what you can in an 8 hour day and don't worry about what you miss. I think it's all nice but some people find Monterosso Al Mare a little touristy and overrun by the 'ricksteve' crowd.
Portovenere is not considered one of the 5 but is worth a look if you have time. There is a very old church/chapel above the water with some great views of the sea.
There were nice restaurants down along the coast in Vernazza , I think we ate at "Lynae"or the name may be "Cantina Lunae Bosoni" and it was very good.

www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it
This site doesn't appear to be working but the cinqueterre.it works.

Cinquanta, thanks for the link to the boat schedule. I think we will train/walk through the towns from La Spezia and take the boat back all the way at the end of the day. I assume it is scenic from the boat?

Yes, the best views of the towns are from the sea. The boat ride is very smooth as well, so no worries about motion sickness. You can also rent kayaks from Monterosso, Riomaggiore, or Manarola and kayak between the towns. I did this on my 2002 trip and loved it.

jal52,
Great views from the boat and you can get some nice photos even with the motion of the boat, just slightly fuzzy.
We just returned from Rome and Florence in June and I missed not goin to the coast for a couple of days. Maybe next time.
Enjoy your day in CT.