Hi All. We are staying in Vernazza for 3 nights this September. I've heard that seeing the CT from the water is spectacular. Every tour I have looked at includes a swim in the Mediterranean which we are not all that interested in. Is it possible to take the ferry around the islands and get the same experience minus the swim? Any suggestions on this as well as how to spend our time there would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Posted by
Boston
1815 posts
There's a ferry that stops at all the villages as well as connecting Levanto, Portovenere, Lerici, and La Spezia. The full ticket allows you to get on and off as you choose. Look here for an idea of the schedules: http://www.apathtolunch.com/2014/06/complete-cinque-terre-portovenere-la.html Check the timetable locally in case of changes. The boats are occasionally cancelled due to weather or waves. Note that the Cinque Terre villages are all on the mainland.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16726 posts
There's a ferry that stops at all the villages...
Minus Corniglia: that one is perched too high on the cliffs for easy accessibility from the water so is reached reached by train + a little bus up the hill or on foot. And to echo Mike, none of the CT villages or flanking towns are on islands: they're all on the mainland coast. I believe the only island some of the ferries go to is Palmeria. You can see a map and complete schedules here:
http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/en
Editing to add: Corniglia is tiny but one of my favorites for two of the prettiest churches among the 5 villages, and a pleasant, pocket-sized piazza. She can be easily overwhelmed by the masses, though, so I recommend doing this one early or later in the day. If you're up to it, take the little bus up the hill from the train station and the 382-step, 33-switchback Lardarina stairway back down.
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
Several years ago we made a day trip to Le Cinque Terre from Pisa and used the ferry to go from Vernazza to Monterosa al Mare. It was in the summer and the little towns were JAMMED while the ferry was empty.
Buon viaggio,
Posted by
San Francisco area
1900 posts
If you're staying in Levanto check that schedule carefully. It looks like the regular ferry that connects to five towns does not service Levanto. We took the ferry ride from Porto Venere a few years ago. It was a nice boat ride and the afternoon sunshine on the towns made for a beautiful view. We had to get off at Monterosso and take the train to Levanto.
Posted by
North Carolina
318 posts
Definitely take the ferry if it's running. Some of the ferries stop at the CT villages and then go down to Portovenere, which I recommend visiting. You can buy a day pass so you can hop off/on whenever you like. A couple of the ferries also go up to Levanto, the next town above Monterosso al Mare. Here's the timetable, including Levanto and Portovenere, through 1 October: http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/images/stories/Cinque-Terre-timetable-boats.pdf
Posted by
Treasure Island, Florida, USA
267 posts
Are you comfortable operating a small boat? That's what we did September 2016. We went down to the docks the evening of arrival and arranged the rental for the next day. We too had planned on taking a tour but the only tour boat we could find was with a gentlemen who was friendly and ready to show us the "environmental catch and eat" tour. However his English was nonexistent and even to get this much info required us to involve about three strangers for translation. So we figured we would not get much out of this tour! We continued on down the dock and checked out Nordest. They had tours and kayak and boat rentals. The five villages are about an hour's distance apart by slow putt-putt speed. We booked for the next day and spent four hours (a half day, about 95 euros), exploring. There's even a waterfall. We packed a lunch and a bottle of wine. The boat was like a rowboat with a motor - zero luxury but reliable. We sat on the life preservers as seat cushions. We did jump in the water (no bathroom on the boat!) and loved every minute of it. Was the highlight of our European adventure. Here's the link.
http://www.nordest-vernazza.it/boatsforent.htm
P.S. We loved Vernazza! Our rental apt had a terrace that overlooked the "beach" on the south side of the village. You can't see this beach from the main square and so some don't even realize it's there.. We went for swims in the late afternoons and early mornings. Bring water shoes! also, there was a local opera performance series - see if you can find that, it was very beautiful and I think they do it annually.
https://d2wzo7cpkz5upz.cloudfront.net/photos2/20140830_0663-01_IT_Massa-IT_SestriLevante/TSS/0663-01_SIDE_IMG_3777.JPG
