We are traveling on the Sun Princess out of Barcelona in May 2025- we are with a group of 9 as of now- I have always wanted to got to Cinque Terre but haven't been able to- others in the group want to go from Genoa as they heard it is a less crowded way to travel- I found a tour through Shore Emotions for a full day for approx $87. pp- I have never heard of them & wanted to see if anyone has experience with them or can advise of something better
Appreciate any help please
Could you explain what you mean? I don't understand how the direction you come from affects crowds--the villages get crowded whether you come from the north or the south.
You do not need a guided tour for CT, you can easily get there yourselves. Maybe if you tell us what the tour entails we can better advise.
We are traveling on the Sun Princess out of Barcelona in May 2025....
Are you trying to do this as a day trip while the ship is in port in either La Spezia or Genoa? If so, I'd definitely choose La Spezia as it's a gateway city to the CT and much closer than Genoa...which is about 90 minutes by train from Genova Piazza Principe Station (closest to the port) to Monterosso, the most northernly of the CT villages. From La Spezia Centrale to Riomaggiore - the most southerly of the CT villages - is only 8 minutes by train.
IMHO, the villages themselves will be very crowded, regardless of how you get there or from where.
Editing to add: I don't think you need a tour either. It is important, however, that you make it back to the ship on time if indeed you're doing this from a port and have a boarding deadline. If uncomfortable with figuring out the trains (and maybe one ferry ride) plus keeping all 9 of you together, then I'd book a tour. We've only done the CT independently over multiple days so unfortunately I've no first-hand experience with tours.
I'm guessing this is the tour from La Spezia you're looking at?
https://www.shoreemotion.com/en/tour-details/1286/cinque-terre-tour-with-limoncino-from-la-spezia
Do be aware that the tour wouldn't be conducted by Shore Emotion. It appears to be a 3rd-party booking agency, and at quick glance I'm not coming up with much for reviews.
If this is a port day on a cruise, the first question is : how long is your time in Genoa vs la Spezia? And the second is why would you take a 90 minute drive each way vs a 10 minute train ride? Yes, the drive by private transport will of course be less crowded than being on a train. But you are still going to run into those same crowds in the CT as soon as you arrive. And it would appear that this "tour" is nothing more than transport between the port and one of the CT villages. Pick up and drop off only, and you are on your own to see the individual villages and would still have to pay for train or ferry tickets. I dont see any real benefit here.
To maximize your time on site, and spend much less on transportation, I'd do the CT from la Spezia.
Thanks to all- yes it is a port day- my husband & I have traveled on a lot of DIY ports, the thing that keeps me thinking about a tour is the need to be back in adequate time-especially if we stay with the group. I have Rick's guidebook & may end up just braving the day on our own from La Spezia- and being a wreck about making it back in time. We are in both ports for 12 hrs each so seems to be enough time....I too have searched for reviews for that company & can't find much of anything which makes me skeptical
La Spezia to Vernazza— the town that is the fourth stop of the five CT towns from La Spezia— takes 18 minutes by train. Trains run every 20 minutes between March and November.
From Genoa, it takes anywhere from 90-120 minutes to reach Vernazza by train.
So, if you want to independently visit the Cinque Terre without stressing about missing your ship’s departure— visit Cinque Terre from La Spezia. You won’t need a tour for your visit and you also will have time to take a ferry boat seeing the Cinque Terre from the ocean as well as from the land if you enter by train.
Have a great Trip!
Thank you for the info -I’m going to do more research
We were in the Cinque Terre this last October with a RS tour but visiting the villages was done on our own free time. You don’t need to do this with a guided tour, each village is small and the trains run frequently between them. Not sure why you would come all the way from Genoa if you’re in La Spezia. Just be aware that the villages and trains can be very very crowded no matter which direction you come from.
