Cinque Terre Ferry Boat - Nonstop

Yes, your concern is valid. We took one of the CT boats, and while the views were great, it seemed like it spent about 30% of the time boating and 70% loading / unloading / waiting / inhaling diesel fumes. Enjoy your trip!

We easily visited all five towns by a combo of hiking and boat. Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and , Riomaggiore are the five towns that comprise the Cinque Terre. Where is La Stevia??? We also took a boat from Monterosso to visit Portovenere, not in the Cinque Terre.

In addition to the public ferry, there are numerous private tours in smaller boats available with different agendas. Some are reviewed on Trip Advisor. This one goes from Monterosso to La Spezia once a day: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductDetail-g187817-d17486781-One_way_Monterosso_to_La_Spezia_Departure_13_00_PM-Cinque_Terre_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

Scott, most likely it's just most practical to take one of the regular ferries. Your other options are some sort of smaller / more expensive boat or hiring a private boot or something - not cheap. If you care about photography, you'll care more about the time of day anyway to manage where the sun is.

The ferry to Porto Venere takes a little longer, but it does give some great views close to Porto Venere - and the town is well worth a visit, if you have time. The views of RIomaggiore from the boat may be the most rewarding, except when I was there last month there was big crane there moving rocks right in front of the harbor...

Suki - La Stevia is a larger, commercial port that is close by and east of the CT.
Mike - Thanks for that link.
Andrew - Yes, the direction of sunlight is crucial. Looks like an afternoon/evening shot.
Scott

Scott, I think you mean La Spezia, not La Stevia. That's why the other person questioned it.

A couple things to note about the public ferries between the towns from what we saw when we were there in early October is that they don't run if the sea is a little rougher (they weren't running at least one of the days we were there), and also, they can be jam-packed so might not be able to get a good spot to take the photos.

Yes Nancy, I did mean La Spezia. I do expect the boats to be crowded when I am there in July.

I did mean La Spezia. I do expect the boats to be crowded when I am
there in July.

Yes they will be, Scott, and I understand your desire to shoot the towns from the sea. The larger issue here, however, is that you can't experience the 5 CT villages just from the water. You need to get OFF the boats and walk the narrow alleys and little piazzas, step inside the old churches, climb up to the cemeteries, and get a close-up look at the architecture, history and local life. "Saving time" should be less of a goal than capturing the essence of the region with your lens? :O)

Scott,

I definitely agree with Kathy that you'll enjoy your visit to the Cinque Terre more if you spend at least a bit of time in some of the towns. There are also good photo op's there, not to mention some great food.

As you noted, the Ferry stops in all the towns except Corniglia and the docking and transfer of passengers does take some time. However it's still a very enjoyable trip and the larger Ferries provide a good platform for photography.

If you want a direct Point A to Point B boat service, I suspect you'll have to hire one of the private services. There are several in Monterosso that you could consider, but they likely will be a bit on the "pricey" side.

Are you staying in one of the five towns?

I will be staying at the Hotel Villa Adriana in Monterosso for 2 nights and will definitely do some hiking, swimming and eating!

Scott,

Thanks for the additional info. As I recall, Villa Adriana serves a nice breakfast and I think you'll enjoy your stay there. The only disadvantage is that you're only there for two nights, which will only allow a day or so for touring.