Cinque Terra pass

Ellen,

I assume THIS is the Pass that you're referring to? If you require access to the trains, you'll have to buy the Treno version of the card and as I recall this will have to be validated prior to first use. Once validated the clock is running. AFAIK when the Pass expires, access to the trains and buses also expires.

One other point to note is that the C.T. Card only provides for transportation on the Regionale trains between Levanto and La Spezia. If you were to board an InterCity or Freccia train, you could conceivably be fined on the spot for not having reservations, although in reality for the short trips in that area your ticket will probably never be checked.

Cheers!

Ellen, you want the Cinque Terre Treno card. "Treno" is the key word as this gives you the unlimited train rides between La Spezia in the South and Levanto in the North. There is also a Cinque Terre card without the word Treno on it that costs less and does not include the trains. The Cinque Terre Treno card also includes access to the famous trails (which are all still closed from the mudslides of 2 years ago) and yes, when the trails are open, there are trolls in the fare booths on the trails. The card also provides access to the mini-buses in each of the 5 towns. I don't think that the mini-buses go between the towns - only up and down the steep hills within the towns. You can get the card at any Tourist Information office in the CT. We get ours at the TI in the La Spezia Centrale train station as we wait to change trains to go into the CT. They come in 1, 2, 3 and 7-day versions. Here's a link to what they look like. http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/upload/5terre%20treno%20loca-ita.pdf It's a large file so it takes a bit of time to load but you do get the pretty pictures of the cards.