DISCOVER CINQUE TERRE WORLD – how to get there

By Car

The route that takes you from La Spezia to the Cinque Terre (Five Lands: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso) and, then, to Levanto, Bonassola, Framura, Deiva Marina is absolutely breathtaking and funny to be done.

But tourist must consider that the best way to reach these small villages is by train, by boat or by trail. In fact, it is always difficult parking one’s car in these villages, perched on the cliff, where cars are forbidden to enter. Moreover, driving skills must be high. So our suggestion to those who necessarily arrive with their own vehicle, is to rent an accommodation that has private car parking and then leave the car parked for all the length of the staying.

Then moving from one village to the other will be so easy: it takes just a few minutes to move by train from Manarola to Corniglia or from Corniglia to Vernazza or Monterosso. And hiking trails, for the most fit ones, are so beautiful!

Riomaggiore is also connected to Manarola with a light and scenic trail, the Via dell’Amore, that can easily be walked even from elderly people and young children.

So, coming to Cinque Terre gives you the opportunity to get rid of your car, finally, with all the benefits that this will bring you: less stress, more health, lower expenses!

IMPORTANT 2012 NOTICE:

VERNAZZA & MONTEROSSO

After FLOOD of late October 25th, 2011 that entirely destroyed the access road to Vernazza and, partially the access road to Monterosso has now reduced if not canceled, as in Vernazza case, the possibilities for getting there by car.

So Vernazza visitors arriving by car  are invited to park their car at La Spezia train station new garage area. From there it is easy to reach the village by train.

La Spezia Centrale, train station

La Spezia train station map

More at following article  http://www.cinqueterreblogspot.com/blog/2011/la-spezia-train-station…back-to-old-splendor/

Monterosso Fegina area is regularly connected by road but not the Old Village where huge damages were created by the flood and the  car parking area was totally destroyed

Even Fegina area car parking has been destroyed by flood and we do not know if it will soon be available again.

So, even though the village can be accessed by car, we warmly advise all visitor to access the village using trains, boats or private car company services to reach the village, with the only exception of those visitors that have confirmed accommodation with private parking solutions included.

There are two ways to reach Monterosso Fegina Area

First one passing from La Spezia town and approaching the village via the countryside road passing through Pignone old village. It’s a scenic road, but difficult, with lots of turns and bends and lately narrowed in many parts due to recent landslides.

La Spezia to Monterosso Fegina via Pignone

Secnd one passing from Highway exit Carrodano / Levanto, passing through the village of Levanto and then taking to Monterosso through a narrow, hillside road, with difficult turns and bends, but concentrated in less kilometrs than the route passing through Pignone.

Levanto Highway Exit to Monterosso

Other Villages

CORNIGLIA CAR PARKING

Roads that takes to Corniglia is winding and sloping, so these the village is quite hard to reach by car. We again suggest leaving your car  in La Spezia,  you can consider that there is a small car parking area outside Corniglia.

Access to the village is reserved to residents only for loading and unloading deliveries, but in Corniglia there’s a useful area at the entrance of the village, where residents and villagers can temporarily park their cars and stay for 30 minutes, so that they can take their baggage to their booked property.

Corniglia from the Litoranea Road

While no property in Vernazza offers car private car parking rental service, most of our Corniglia properties have private car parking spots to rent; book them when you confirm your reservation.

Driving instructions to reach Corniglia from La Spezia Highway

La Spezia to Corniglia

 

For those driving from La Spezia to Corniglia, it is worth taking a stop at San Bernardino hamlet on the route, the view is just fantastic and the church so beautiful!

 

MANAROLA CAR PARKING

As all the Cinque Terre historical centres, even Manarola is closed to car traffic, that means nobody (not even residents!) can enter the town with private cars except for short operation of loading/unloading. At the end of the State Route S.S. n.370 from La Spezia, just out of Manarola village, there’s a payment car parking area.

Driving instruction to reach Manarola from La Spezia Highway exit

La Spezia to Manarola

Manarola Car Parking areas are before the first traffic bar. To reach the unloading area, at Church square, there’s a second traffic bar. Both have to be opened by local car parking assistants on request. Please, always ask them to open them just for letting you reach the church to unload your baggage.

Old car parking rates in Manarola were:

Eur 1.50/hour; after the first 6 hours: Eur 1.00/hour
1 day: Eur 16.00 2 days: Eur 25.00 3 days: Eur 32.00 4 days: Eur 37.00 5 days: Eur 42.00 6 days: Eur 47.00 7 days: Eur 52.00 after the 7th: Eur 5.00/day 1 month Eur 150.00

As soon as updated rates will be communicated, we will amend this info

*** These rates may change with no advice and we do not guarantee their accuracy.***

We always help our guests who choose Cinque Terre Riviera properties  at their arrival in Manarola by car ; all can reach the Church square by car, to unload baggage, and then take their car back to higher car parking areas.

 

RIOMAGGIORE

The closest village to La Spezia cann be reached following the coastal road Litoranea.

La Spezia to Riomaggiore

There’s an expensive garage in Riomaggiore, just passed the traffic bar at the entrc bar at the entrance of the village. Garage assistant give tickets for the garage.

We again suggest to park your car at La Spezia garage under La Spezia train station.

OTHER WAYS TO REACH CINQUE TERRE

BY TRAIN

But tourist must consider that the best way to reach these small villages is by train. You can hop on and off and visit the towns on the scenic railway connecting Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The Cinqueterre Card sold at major train stations (even La Spezia) at the Cinque Terre Park booths offer access to all the Park area and shuttle buses connecting the various train stations to the relative villages. There’s also an option of Cinque Terre card that includes train rides, but it usually not convenient, unless you really take the train many, many times a day, which not likely.

it is better buying the Cinque Terre card and then single tickets just for the rides you have to take. Any train station in Cinque Terre has offices selling both tickets and Cinque Terre cards but they have closing times during the day and anyway they all close usually at 19:00 at night, so if you plan to have dinner in a village different from the one where you sleep, remember to buy tarin tickets in advance.

Train tickets can be bought even on board but surcharge is really huge! Avoid it!

Always remember to validate your ticket before jumping on a train…not validated tickets will get a realy unpleasant fine!

You can check train timetable at official Trenitalia , but consider that the info service provided is not very good and sometimes not updated.

You can also check train timetable on more precise Swiss Railway website 

An useful application for your IPAD OR IPHONE while you are here in Cinque Terre is PRONTOTRENO

ON FOOT

The Cinque Terre are famous in the world thanks to their wines and the surprisingly beautiful view they offer. Up to a few years ago they were reachable only by boat, railway or by following the pathways. These pathways are safe, they’re pointed out by C.A.I., and they represent the best way to get from one village to another, for everyone who enjoys taking healthy walks, where the air is fresh and clean, and where it’s possible all along to stop and admire the green terraces of vineyards that look directly onto the sea. Some of these pathways connect the Cinque Terre with the inland, like Val di Vara, and with La Spezia.

There are paths connecting the Cinque Terre along the seaside and carved into the rocks. To hike all five towns takes 5 hours. Or go up along the hills through pinewoods to a church or a sanctuary which could be 2 hours depending on which footpath you choose and where you start from. Take the Lover’s Pathway between Manarola and Riomaggiore which is about 35 minutes. There are unlimited choices to suit the ability and the interest of the hiker.

Hiking Trail from Foce to La Spezia

Hiking is part and parcel of any trip to Italy’s Cinque Terre. Most visitors, even families, will walk at least one segment of the coastal footpath that connects the ‘five lands’ – Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. While the hike from Monterosso to Vernazza and on to Corniglia requires a moderate level of physical fitness, the trail between Corniglia and Manarola as well as the paved Via dell’Amore between Manarola and Riomaggiore are accessible to everyone. Families with energetic kids need not limit their adventure to the crowded coast, marked hiking trails, sentieri in Italian, take intrepid family walkers to the hinterland as well as points beyond the Cinque Terre. The walk from Levanto to Portovenere, via the High Road or Sentiero Rosso, is more 12 hours and as the locals will kindly advise you, ‘non ci passa più!’ (it never ends). It is anyway fantastic, only sufìggested to good hikers and with good weather conditions.

More at blog articles http://www.cinqueterreblogspot.com/blog/category/trails/ with updates on situation after the 2011 flood.

There’s plenty of open, fantastic hiking trails even after the flood, do not worry!

BY FERRY

Another way to have a complete view of these beautiful lands is to take a ferry-boat, that leaves from Porto Venere, Lerici and La Spezia.
Don’t miss out on the many opportunities for a boat ride or organize a group excursion. You can even hop on and off and visit the towns of port on the route connecting Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore with five daily runs. This way you can see these towns without hiking or using the train or the roads.

FOR MORE INFO please visit the Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti website

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