Is it possible to visit the Cinque Terre in one day?
May 30th, 2003, 01:37 PM
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Is it possible to visit the Cinque Terre in one day?
We have 3 1/2 days in Tuscany and are staying in the northern Chianti region. Two full days will be dedicated to hilltowns, but we wondered if we could possibly visit the Cinque Terre in one day...drive to the coast and take the train, stopping and hiking a bit on the easier paths? Please advise!
May 30th, 2003, 02:14 PM
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Hi Lina - I just got back from Italy. My friends and I got there in the morning and left the next day in the morning. We felt a little rushed but overall we got a fairly good feel of the towns. We hiked 3 out of the 5 towns and stopped en route for gelato and pictures. I would suggest you spend a complete day and do dinner at either Vernazza (touristy, pricy) or Rio Maggiore.
Dont forget to take the boat ride (we unfortunately had time to complete only one town because we left it to the last and didnt realize they didnt run into 8:00 pm.. the last boat is at 6)There are trains (some of which get cancelled).. so dont plan too much for Cinque Terre.. just hang out and soak in the sights.. and beauty.. I LOVED CT. Good Luck.
Dont forget to take the boat ride (we unfortunately had time to complete only one town because we left it to the last and didnt realize they didnt run into 8:00 pm.. the last boat is at 6)There are trains (some of which get cancelled).. so dont plan too much for Cinque Terre.. just hang out and soak in the sights.. and beauty.. I LOVED CT. Good Luck.
May 30th, 2003, 03:43 PM
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Hi Lina,
We did just that two years ago. It was fun, but frustrating. You will not beable to see all 5 towns, even on the trains. I ended up going back to Italy the next summer specifically to revisit Cinque Terres. It is really wonderful there so better you go for one day than not at all!
We did just that two years ago. It was fun, but frustrating. You will not beable to see all 5 towns, even on the trains. I ended up going back to Italy the next summer specifically to revisit Cinque Terres. It is really wonderful there so better you go for one day than not at all!
May 30th, 2003, 04:20 PM
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We recently started in Riomaggiore about mid-morning then walked to Manarola. In Manarola, we stopped for lunch and pictures and then walked to Corniglia. More food and photos and then hoped a train for Vernazza. We walked around a bit and, of course,took more pics. Another train got us to Monterosso around 6:30pm. Yes, it's possible to visit the CT in in 1 day.
May 31st, 2003, 03:37 AM
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CT is mostly about natural beauty, so one day is fine. It would be great for a longer time if you just wanted a place to relax, because there isn't much else to do but enjoy the views, hike, and eat.
May 31st, 2003, 04:16 AM
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A few tips on this (we just did in in a day last week). The boats run between all of the villages except Corniglia. The boat is a must - the towns are gorgeous from the water and it provides a great photo op. If you don't want to do the tough walks - do what we did. We took the train to Corniglia (since the boat does not go there). Then we did the walk to Monarolo (approx 40 min). It was hot/but easy walk. Beautiful scenery. We then stopped there and had some lunch. We walked to Riomaggiore (approx 20 min) - again and easy walk. Visited there for awhile. then, boarded the boat. took the boat to Vernazza - it passed each city we already saw. That took approx 15 - 20 min. Then we walked around Vernazza for a bit (full of tourists here). Then we got back on the boat to Montrosso and took the train back to Camogli where we were staying. The boats DO NOT Run during lunch from 12 - 2:30 so plan accordingly. Also - if you take the train anywhere in Liguria area, you MUST GET YOUR TICKET VALIDATED or you will be fined on the train (we got fined). Make sure to check all of that out. I am also not sure that the boats between the villages run on Sunday....check that out too. It is doable in a day....we did it and it was the highlight of our trip!!! Good luck.
May 31st, 2003, 11:08 AM
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Thanks for your advice. More questions: if we're driving in from the Florence area, what town is the best to use as our "base" for a 1 day trip? Should we take the train from La Spezia? Am I correct in assuming it's a 2-3 hour drive from Florence? Are the roads OK to drive back in the dark (not too hilly)?
