Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By Train
Alongthecoasthere,trainsgoinonlytwodirections:
“per
[to]
Genova”
(theItalianspelling
of Genoa), northbound; or
“per La Spezia,”
southbound. Assuming you're on vacation, ac-
cept the unpredictability of Cinque Terre trains (they're often late...unless you are, too—in
which case they're on time). Relax while you wait—buy a cup of coffee at a station bar.
When the train comes (know which direction to look for: La Spezia or Genova), casually
walk over and hop on. This is especially easy in Monterosso, with its fine café-with-a-view
ontrack#1(direction:Milano/Genova),andinVernazza,whereyoucanhangoutattheBlue
Marlin Bar with a prepaid drink and dash when the train pulls in.
Use the handy TV monitors in the station, which display upcoming departures for the
next hour or so (as well as notes about which track they're on and whether they're late—
in
ritardo
). Most of the northbound trains that stop at all Cinque Terre towns and are headed
toward Genova will list Sestri Levante as the
destinazione.
By train, the five towns are just a few minutes apart. Know your stop. Once the train
leaves the town just before your destination, go to the door and get ready to slip out before
the mobs flood in, making it impossible to get off. Words to the wise for novice tourists,
who often miss their stop: The stations are small and the trains are long, so (especially in
Vernazza) you might have to get off deep in a tunnel. Also, the doors don't open automatic-
ally—you may have to open the handle of the door yourself (twist the black handle, or lift
up the red one). If a door isn't working, go quickly to the next car to leave. (When leaving a
town bytrain, if youfind the platform jammed with people, walk downthe platform into the
tunnel, where things quiet down.)
It costs about €1.80 per ride within the region. Tickets are good for 75 minutes in one
direction, so you could conceivably use one for a brief stopover. To make the ticket good for
six hours (in one direction only), you need to buy a ticket good for 40 kilometers (€3.50).
Stamp the ticket at the station machine before you board. Machines are often broken or out
of ink (good luck explaining that to conductors), but riding without a validated ticket can be
expensive (usually €50). You can buy several tickets at once and use them as you like, val-
idating as you go. If you have a Eurail Pass, don't spend one of your valuable travel days on
the cheap Cinque Terre.
CinqueTerreTrainSchedule:
SincethetrainistheCinqueTerre'slifeline,manyshops
and restaurants post the current schedule, and most hotels offer copies of it (one also comes
with the Cinque Terre Park Card). But beware: The printed schedules can be misleading
(half the listed departures don't go every day); the monitors in the stations are your best
source of actual, current departure information. Note that fast trains leaving La Spezia zip
right through the Cinque Terre; some stop only in Monterosso (town #5) and Riomaggiore
(town #1). But any train that stops in Manarola, Corniglia, and Vernazza (towns #2, #3, and
#4)—including the trains on the schedule below—will stop in all five towns.
