Train or drive to Cinque Terre?
 

The six of us were debating whether to drive our two little cars to Cinque Terre from our hotel between Florence and Sienna or take the train. We plan to spend a whole day there and were a bit worried about driving back at night. Any suggestions?

One more thing. If we are only spending one day in Cinque Terre, is there enough time to do the trails plus enjoy the towns or does it take the whole time just to hike from village to village? We thought a combination of train between villages combined with some hiking might be the best option. There seems to be conflicting opinions about how long it takes to "walk" between the villages. We want to experience the trails but do not want to miss out on the quaintness of the towns. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Janie

That is a long way---I would overnite.
Or, pick a good weather day and drive early to Portovenere to get the ferry boat that stops at 4 of the 5 villages. You can hop off/on at will. Leave at dawn and start home by 1800--that will give you time.

I agree with bobthenavigator. Taking the ferry will allow you to see the towns and spend as much time as you like in each one. Plus, seeing each town from the water is amazing!

For just a day trip, I wouldn't recommend hiking between the towns unless you did one of the easier walks at the southern end. You want to enjoy your visit and relax, so I think that trying to do say, the Monterosso to Vernazza trek would be too rushed. JMO

As to the matter of driving from your hotel or taking the train, I'm partial to driving because then you aren't tied to a train schedule.

Enjoy your trip!

Wow. Another great idea found on Fodor's. Can anyone tell me if the ferry runs in October? I looked up the website, but it only says that it starts in March.

Hi there -- I spent two nights in the CT in 2004 and wish I'd had more. It's the kind of place that you will wish you had more time for. So, if you can adjust your itinerary, I'd also suggest staying at least one night.

As far as getting there goes, we took the train from Florence and it was pretty easy and enjoyable. I think the journey was approx. 2.5 hours (you can confirm that on trenitalia's website) and we had one change. Once there, you won't be able to use a car anyhow, so you might consider that...

Enjoy!
h.

A few years ago, I drove and parked at the garage at Manarola and stayed at Vernazza for two nights. That worked out for me. For one day, it would have been a bit much.

The trail alone takes a full day. We actually hiked for two days, taking the longest/hardest part of the trail on the second day. In between, we enjoyed the villages, both at night and in the day.

I cannot imagine in one day trying to hike the whole trail <i>and</i> have the energy or time left to visit even one village -- unless you're in triathlon-shape!