Buon giorno,
We are taking a trip to Provence in France this summer and my wife would like to get to Cinque Terre. It is about a 5-hour drive to get to Monterosso al Mare from where we are. However, rather than drive into the village we would prefer to park in a larger town and take the train. Does anyone have knowledge of where might be the best place to catch the trento? A train station along a major route would suit best. I think when Rick goes he comes from the other direction.
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San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15213 posts
If you go from Provence to Monterosso I presume you are going to spend at least one night at the Cinque Terre because Provence is too far to do just a day visit and then go back to Provence the same day.
Going by train is much slower than the car. That is not a fast rail line, actually in some portions it's a single track. From the border (Ventimiglia) to Monterosso by train it's a 5 hour trip, by car it's just 3 hours.
I would drive all the way and find a place to stay in Levanto where cars are welcome. Then after a day or two at the Cinque Terre you can drive back to France.
If your intention is not to return to France at all, but rather to stay in Italy the rest of your trip, then it's another story. In that case it's a good idea to return your car in France (Nice) to avoid exorbitant int'l drop off charges, and proceed by train to Italy. From Nice to the Cinque Terre is a 6 hour trip by train with at least one change in Ventimiglia.