I'll be going to the Cinque Terre the last week of August for three days and I have a car. What is the best way to get there? Leave car in La Spezia or another town and take the train? Drive to CT and park it somewhere? Recommendations?
I was thinking of staying at the hostel in Manarola. Anyone have any experience with it they'd like to share? Pros, cons?
Thanks,
Maggie
If you are insistent in taking a car to the CT, there are 2-3 parking lots above the 5 towns but they do fill up during the busy season. Don't expect it to be easy. According to www.cinqueterreonline.com, they even close the roads to the parking lots. With a few exceptions, tourist cars are not permitted in the 5 towns. One exception is that there is a private parking lot at the beach in the new town part of Monterosso. Also, a few hotels have small private parking lots for guests only. You can park in La Spezia at the train station if there's room. There are parking lots in Levanto near the train station but again, they too fill up in the busy season.
Well, I'm not insistent on taking a car to the CT at all. I'm on a two month road trip and I've leased a car and I'm looking for the best and safest strategy to get to the CT.
I don't have any problem leaving the car somewhere else, that's reasonably safe, and taking a train or other mode of transportation. Thanks for your post.
Anyone have any juicy tidbits to add?
Cheers,
Maggie
Amazing, I just posted a note on the "Boot" board and then find this post.
I am in a similar situation and am now thinking it might be risky to try and park in Vernazza. I am looking for advice on parking in Levanto and then catching a train into Vernazza. I have an email into my "hotel" asking for advice from them on the matter.
Maggie,
I did the same as you, traveling with a leased car and stopped for a few days in CT. I was there in late October and could have probably parked in the small lot above Vernazza that time of year. I wouldn't even try in August.
I anticipated not being able to park, so took the local train in from La Spezia.
Rick describes some parking around the train station. It was packed and didn't look very secure (broken glass, loiterers, etc.) so I drove back in towards town and found a free place to park accross the street from the Navy base. It was a good 10+ blocks to the train station.
I found parking by asking two people. The first pointed me in the general direction. I found parking but wasn't sure it was okay to leave a car there for several days so I asked a sailor. He pointed me down the street. It wasn't a parking lot, just parking on the side of a fairly big street. It was free and the area seemed much safer than around the train station. The car was fine when I got back.
