I will be in Genoa for a week in early March and would like to do train to CT. Is it possible to visit all 5 towns by train in one day and return to Genoa? Do you recommend it or should I spend a night in Le Spezia or one of the CT towns and make it a 2 day trip. No hiking involved just train between towns and some walking streets to sightsee and have lunch. If possible in one day, how long should I plan the trip to be? Thanks for any information.
Sharon C
2 days in one of the towns is better than a day trip. I would stay in Monterosso in your case. The best time to be in Cinque Terre is before 10 am and after 5 when all of the tours group and daytrippers are not there. You can here the water hit the shores in the evening it is romantic and calm.
Thank you as this is very helpful. Any restaurant recommendations?
The dining room at Hotel Porto Roca is excellent.
There is a direct train (meaning no transfers required) from the Genoa (Genova) Piazza Principe station at 7:11A and 10:45A arriving in the most southern of the Cinque Terre town Riomaggiore: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html taking 2h. Unfortunately, the Cinque Terre ferry service doesn’t begin operating until late March, so I recommend taking a train to get from one town to the next.
From Riomaggiore hop on a train to Manarola (2m). To get from Manarola to Corniglia get back on the train (2m) then take the bus to the top. Otherwise, you must climb the Scalinata Lardarina aka as Lardarina Stairway with 382 steps.
From Corniglia take a train to Vernazza (3m) and eat there. From Vernazza go to Monterosso (4m). I also suggest reading this: https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-timetable.
From Monterosso take a direct train to Genoa (1h).
Hi Sharon. Personally, I wouldn't bother trying to see all the towns. (I love the Italian Riviera and have been there including the Cinque Terre several times.) The towns are of course not all the same...but if you see two or three you'll get the gist.
There are a couple of really nice towns in the Riviera that are a lot closer to Genoa - e.g. Camogli and Santa Margherita Ligure. If you've never seen those, I'd highly recommend a stop in one of those in favor of at least one of the Cinque Terre villages, just to get more of a flavor for other towns in the region. I know people tend to single out the five Cinque Terre villages just because they are so well known, but they are just part of a larger region.
Thanks to.all for the helpful information.
Andrew H. has it right.
The dining room at Hotel Porto Roca is excellent.
The hotel doesn't look to be open for the season until April 6. Don't know if that applies to the restaurant as well but I'd guess so? As early March is off season in the CT, I imagine it's not the only restaurant that's still closed. The excellent Cantina di Miky in Monterosso didn't open until early April last year either.
Maybe someone who has traveled the region in winter might know of one that stays open during the off season?
