Joni

Thanks in advance for your help. I am familiar with getting to La Spezia but don't know what to do once I'm there to get us to Monterossa. Any guidance is much appreciated.

SteveJames

Hello Joni, <BR> <BR>It's a short train-ride (15-20 mins.) from La Spezia to Monterosso. For the timetable see:- <BR>www fs-on-line.com <BR> <BR>Let me know if I can be of more help ... <BR> <BR>Steve

robin

Train is quickest --- and more convenient if you're traveling TO La Spezia on the train. <BR> <BR>Another option (& a very scenic way to go) is by boat. Boat leaves La Spezia & stops @ Portovenere, then continues on to Cinque Terre --Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, Monterosso. It does take longer by boat --- think it's about 45 minutes or so from Spezia to Monterosso. <BR> <BR>FYI---I know boats run from mid-April thru mid-Oct; don't know if it's available during other months.

jcr

I know I didn't ask the question, but am going to Cinque Terra in late October on my honeymoon. I would love more info about the boat. Do you know where to find it on the web?

robin

-- <BR>jcr: <BR> <BR>I never could find an online site providing boat schedule. I was in Italy in May (stayed in LaSpezia, daytrip to CT). Here are my Cinque Terre websites that I have & perhaps they've added that information. Haven't looked at these sites in a couple months. <BR> <BR> <BR>http://www.cinque-terre.it/english/englishindex.htm <BR> <BR>http://home.sunrise.ch/avong/cinque_terre/index.htm <BR> <BR>http://www.italyone.com/Welcome/Liguria/Cinqueterre/ <BR> <BR>http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/homee.html <BR> <BR>http://www.directa.net/liguria/5terre.html <BR> <BR>http://www.knowital.com/areas/5terre...kc5terre1.html <BR> <BR>

Jan

Hey, Joni - are you arriving in La Spezia by train or driving in? I inquire because your post brought back one of our funnier moments from our 4/2000 trip. We drove into La Spezia with plans to take the train out to Monterosso-al-Mare and hike back thru as many villages as time permitted, then take the train back to La Spezia and drive home. <BR> <BR>Before the trip I'd run a MapQuest map of La Spezia showing location of the central (there are more than one) train station but didn't bring it, rationalizing "how big could the town be?" <BR> <BR>Naturally, we got there, and with less than fluent italiana, it took us over an hour to find the train station, since you have to make a funny turn backward up a hill. A wonderful gentleman on a Vespa finally had us follow him in our rental car & led us to it, just in time to catch the train, which had been delayed for an hour! <BR> <BR>It's hilarious now, but my husband reminds me that I had a terrible headache at the time. <BR> <BR>Buon viaggio! <BR> <BR>PS. We ended up hiking from Vernazza to Monterosso, and it was fabulous!!!

Joni

After your story, I think we're fortunate to be arriving by train. The boat route is interesting but wondering if it might not be much fun with luggage. We'll be in CT for 3 days so I suspect we'll have plenty of time for the boat, hiking, etc. Thanks again for your replies.

ellen

Jan, I had to laugh when I read your post. The same thing happened to us last October. I too figured La Spezia couldn't be so big as to make it hard to find the station. But we found otherwise. We followed the couple of signs we saw for the station but then they disappeared. I can speak some Italian but my speaking is better than my understanding. Had to ask about three people before we finally got there, probably took us about 15 extra minutes. And then we got lost leaving the city. La Spezia is not my favorite place.

robin

Joni: <BR> <BR>Yes, if you're doing the luggage thing, then you'll want to continue traveling via train from La Spezia to Monterosso. With 3 days at the Cinque Terre, you'll have other opportunities to take the boat. <BR> <BR>And to clarify, you'll want to get off at station, "La Spezia CENTRALE" --- as others have discovered there's more than 1 station in La Spezia. <BR> <BR>