We are going to Cinque Terre in September, and are staying in Portovenere. We are there for 2 nights / 1 day, and think that going to the towns via boat would be fantastic.

I've had a look at the boat company's website, but it's not very informative.

Can anyone out there share their Cinque Terre by boat experiences with me? Give lots of DETAILS!

We stayed in Portovenere in May for a week. The boats leave with a reasonable frequency with the first at 0800hrs. Cost is Euro 20 per person which is for a day return ticket that also allows you to get on and off the boat at the various Cinque Terre towns.
You get a totally different impression of the CT going by boat and see things you wouldn't see if you just did the walks. This way you can do a mix of both.

If you want a great meal try ISEO in PV which is on the waterfront. If you have time to spare they (ISEO) have a better restaurant on the neighbouring island. A boat takes you across and I gather the food and views are even better.
Hope this helps.

Thanks Terry..that's just the sort of thing I'm looking for. We'll take your tip on the restaurant too...will save us precious time from having to look around!

That is my favorite way to do the CT, and we have done just that 3 times. But, with only one day you are at risk for high seas cancelling the boats. But, you can also drive to Riomaggiore and train from there. Pray for good weather.

bump

Do the boats between the towns operate regularly in the early part of May? We are considering a cruise which stops in Portvenere.

Yes, perhaps hourly. My last trip we were on the first boat with about 30 people from the Windstar that docked overnite--but I thought it was 0900.

Bob: Thanks for the information. We are thinking about the Windsurf. Somewhere I read that you cannot count on the boats running early or late in the season (date of year as opposed to time of day), I guess due to weather. Have you heard anything like that? Did you take the Windstar cruise from Nice to Rome? If so, would you recommend it for the second week in May?