I'm traveling with someone that has some mobility issues (not in a wheelchair.) One tour company discouraged us from going because of "too many steps" so wondering if going ourselves by boat or train would curtail some of the climbing, stairs or accessible trails on an organized tour.
Has anyone ever just stayed on the ferry and just enjoyed the sights that way? Any suggestions? We really want to do this day trip from Florence.......
Thanks!
Posted by
San Diego
1540 posts
I would really recommend the boat that goes past all the villages/towns.
You don't have to even get off the boat and you can see all of them from the beautiful
sea. The boat stops at each town.
If you take the train - it goes from place to place, but the train stations are
at the "top" of the towns and it would require some steep walking on several
of them to get to the pedestrian areas.
I have taken the boat from the north to the south -but I don't think it matters
which direction you go..... you can probably even stay on and ride back to
our original departure point.
You will LOVE the scenery and the blue waters.
Posted by
Massachusetts
715 posts
The train really only stops at the top of Vernazza, Manarola, Corniglia, and Riomaggiore the stations are near sea level with many steps, or uphill walking. Monterosso and Vernazza require a flight of stairs to get out of the train stations and into the towns. Seeing the villages from the ferry is a wonderful trip and, depending on your friends mobility, you could disembark at Vernazza or Monterosso and walk around the water front. Getting off, and on, the ferry might be a bit challenging as you must get on, and off, along a gang plank.
Posted by
Dunwoody, Georgia
338 posts
I think it depends on the severity of the mobility issues. Both options have their drawbacks. If you take the boat you will need to walk along somewhat narrow footpaths without good handholds to get to and from the boats, unless you decide to simply stay on the boat and view the villages from the water. The stop in Portovenere located down the coast to the south of the Cinque Terre utilizes a pier and is much easier to access. The train stations will require walking up and down about a flight of stairs to access them. Unlike the boat, you will not see much from the train itself. The roads in the town are fairly steep but you could probably walk to the squares are areas near the shore which are fairly flat. There is one flat trail between Riomaggiore and Mararola. However, it has been closed for repair for while. I'm not sure when it is expected to re-open.
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
1054 posts
Take the boat. As the poster above put some of the towns have no stairs where the boat drops you off. You can disembark the boat and wander around the village and return for a boat departing later on.
Just note the docking of the boat is a little different and if the sea if rough the boat might not stop/dock at the towns. The boat pulls up straight near a landing area on land. A ramp is pulled from the front of the boat to land and you walk off. You'll see from the boat landing area in each town which one has no stairs and it's just a straight walk around town so you can get off. Here is a good pic of a ferry dock
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14995 posts
I would not be as confident about the boat but I have only been on it once. I got on in Monterosso where there is an actual dock. I got off in Rio Maggiore where there was something like the picture shown above but the seas were rough (ferry cancelled the next day due to poor conditions) and the ramp was pitching a bit. Since it does not dock the boat moved constantly as the captain held power to keep the boat in position while passengers negotiated the swinging gangplank. It would not be something I would want to try if I had impaired mobility. It might be better on a day when the sea was totally calm.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
Jacqueline,
It's difficult to know what to suggest without having some idea of the degree of "mobility issues" of the person you're travelling with. Also, when is this trip taking place?
A day trip to the Cinque Terre is certainly possible, but it will be necessary to navigate some stairs and do some walking. For example.....
- Monterosso - there are stairways from the station platform down to the main street and no lift AFAIK. Once you're on the main street in the "new town", there will be a short walk to the "old town" where the boat dock is located (about 10 minutes, depending on walking speed). Boarding the boat is relatively easy, although the boarding ramp is a bit narrow (but has hand rails).
- Vernazza - again, a fairly long and sometimes crowded stairway from the station platform down to the main street. It's an easy walk from the station to the small harbour where the boats dock.
- Corniglia - the station area is fairly level but the town is located up on a bluff, so you'd have to use the small shuttle van to get there. The boat doesn't dock in Corniglia so no issues there.
- Manarola - the station area is fairly level but the main street has a bit of an incline going uphill (to the right when you exit the tunnel). As I recall, there are a few steps to reach the boat dock location.
- Riomaggiore - the station platform is level but depending on which track you arrive on you may have to use the sottopassagio (tunnel) to get from the platform to the station plaza. From in front of the station building, you'll walk through a short tunnel to reach the main street or the boat dock. The street has somewhat of an uphill incline, and the boat dock has a few stairs to get down to the harbour. As the others have mentioned, the dock area of Riomaggiore will perhaps be the most challenging for those with mobility issues, as it's located on a rocky area. Looking at the bottom right of the photo, you'll notice passengers waiting for the boat to arrive.
The only "accessible trails" for those with mobility issues is the Via dell' Amore between Manarola and Riomaggiore. That's currently closed and not expected to re-open until some time in 2015 (likely after April 1st). There's a long stairway from the station platform in Riomaggiore up to the level of the trail, but as I recall there's a lift. Note that a Park Pass will be required to walk the Via dell' Amore (you can buy it at the start of the trail or in the station).
One other point to note is that the boats are seasonal and weather-dependent, so that will determine whether you'll be able to use those.
Happy travels!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Most train trips from Florence to Cinque Terre require a connection at La Spezia or Pisa (or both), so that's a little more on/off maneuvering. On summer Sunday mornings (I know, so random), there is one departure around 7:45 a.m. from Florence that runs direct to all the Cinque Terre towns (3 hours) and one direct return that leaves the Cinque Terre around 18:30, if you're trying to minimize connections.