Need help planning Cinque Terre / Lake Como / Geneva trip
 

Hi,
My husband and I are planning to meet our friends in October over a weekend in Cinque Terre (Monterossa Al-Mare), and also visit them where the live, in Geneva/Lausanne Switzerland. After doing a little research, we decided to include Lake Como in our trip, in between Cinque Terre and Geneva and make it a 8-day total trip.

Here's the itinerary I'm thinking:

Day 1,2,3 - Arrive at Genoa around noon - Train to Cinque Terre/Monterossa Al-Mare (we're meeting friends at CT, so these particular dates are fixed). Leave at the end of Day 3.

Day 4,5 - Arrive by train at the end of Day 3 at Lake Como, Varenna. Leave on Day 6 and travel to Geneva.

Day 6, 7, 8 - Arrive at the end of Day 6 in Geneva/Lausanne, Switzerland. (we're visiting our friends who live in Lausanne, Switzerland). Fly out of Geneva in the morning of Day 8.

Does this sound like a good plan?

1. How often does the train run from Cinque Terre/Monterossa Al-Mare to Lake Como/Varenna? Is it possible to leave CT in the afternoon and then arrive in Lake Como by evening?

2. Any suggestions on how to take the train from Lake Como/Varenna to Geneva Switzerland? How long is the train ride and what's the latest train we could catch?

3. Any suggestions on places to stay in Cinque Terre or Varenna?

4. Suggestions on restaurants in Monterossa al Mare or Varenna? Hiking or bike trails? Other things to do? We're 34/35, no kids, so would like to do something fun and explore different areas.

I'd love to hear your suggestions! Thank you...

Check out the Trenitalia website to help you plan your train trips. As I recall they don't publish train schedules more than 90 days out, so you won't be able to look up October, but it will give you an idea.

There is plenty of good hiking in the Cinque Terre, just hiking from town to town and exploring each place could take you most of the days you have there.

Thanks Ninkette! I checked out the Trenitalia website, but I'm finding it a little confusing.

Do they have some sort of overall map to see where the trains go, or a list of the stops? I'm not sure what stops to type in so that I can pull up the timetables. From Genoa to Monterossa Al-Mare - would it be Genoa to La Spezia? And then taxi? Or is there a train stop at Monterossa Al-Mare?

And I couldn't pull up a timetable for a train from Varenna to Geneva either - is there a certain city that I am supposed to transfer and then take an international rail?

Sorry, I'm not sure how the trains are set up at all, so it's confusing to me...

I think you might have to travel back to Milan to catch the train to Geneva. It is about a 4.5 hour journey from Milan to Geneva, and about 1.25 hours from Varenna to Milan.

jeanyb,

As I remember the local trains that do the "milk run" between all the Cinque Terre towns don't show on Trenitalia, just like the Circumvesuviana trains in the Naples area don't show.

The local trains do run with good frequency and do stop at all the towns. You'll be fine.

dexters - Ok, thanks - I suspected that we'd have to transfer in Milan.

Dayle - thank you - that is good to know.

Do you think the Eurail Pass work for our needs? So if we are taking the train on Day 1 (Genoa to Monterossa), Day 3 (Monterossa to Varenna), and Day 6 (Varenna to Geneva, Switzerland) would it be worth it to get the 3-country railpass for $379, or is it just cheaper to get the tickets separately?