Cinque Terre

2 . You must find a captain at the harbor who isn't already fully booked via TripAdvisor. I'd ask your host if he knows one, just in case Mr Steves is wrong.

4 . The train schedules up to June 11 have been uploaded on www.trenitalia.com/en.html . Enter a late departure time from each village and see how many trains will be running from then on.

thank you!

3 . The closest train to Portofino is to Santa Margarita Ligure which you want to visit any way. From there, you can walk, bus or take a ferry to Portofino. It's a beautiful walk and not long. I recommend walking there and ferry back as the bus can be seriously crowded.
https://www.apathtolunch.com/2014/05/getting-to-portofino-walking-hiking-and.html

great advice - thank you!

2 . Just do a ferry. https://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/en - Cinque Terre ferry information and reservations
We have not booked a captain at the harbor, but it would be worth a try!

3 . Train from the CT up to Santa Margherita Ligure and then take the ferry into Portofino - lovely views! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i2Hrq7VI4YXIHVpD4isqazIom-j0VN_f1-rynjuznM0/edit - ferry timetable for Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino

excellent! Thank you Carla

Joe,

A few thoughts.....

1. Especially in April, I very much doubt that restaurant reservations will be required. If one restaurant looks too busy, go to another one. You could also take the short train journey to Monterosso, which has lots of restaurants to choose from.
2. Your best bet to find a boat is to use one of the suggestions in the RS guidebook. However in mid-April they may not yet be operating yet. I haven't checked to see whether the local ferry will be operating then. Note however that operation of the boats is subject to weather, so if it's rough there won't be any boating.
3. To add to a previous comment, Portofino is not accessible by train but it's very straightforward to get from Vernazza to Santa Marghertia Ligure. The station is up on the hill so you'll have to walk down the long stairway to get to the ferry docks. I haven't checked on the ferry schedules at that time of year, but suspect they won't be as frequent as in busier times of the year. Portofino will likely be somewhat "quiet" at that time of year. There's not much to see there, but if you just want to have a look that's certainly possible. The RS guidebook has information on the ways to get to Portofino.
4. Yes, trains do run into the evening. The best and most reliable website to use is the official Trenitalia website. Many of the trains passing through that area will be the slower Regionale trains and if using tickets purchased locally, don't forget to validate prior to boarding the train on the day of travel. There are a few express trains on that route also (which don't require validation), but they do have compulsory seat reservations. However it's unlikely that your ticket will be checked as the trip between each town is only about five minutes. Just the same, it's important to know the rules.

If you have dinner in Monterosso, there's a restaurant called Cantina di Miky located not far from the station, which is a big favourite with many here (including me). In Monterosso there's both an old town and town, and there are restaurants in both parts. You can reach the old town by walking through the tunnel. You'll see it when you get onto the main street.

Buon Viaggio!

You can make reservations at Belforte online and it is really easy and we really enjoyed dinner there. Ask for a table on the terrace with a view of the water. The trains run pretty late and our hotel gave us a schedule for them. It was easy to get around. We aren't night owls but everything was a breeze for us and we were out until 11pm most nights.

Ken and Jack- many thanks! Such useful info!
Joe

Additional ? It seems that the CT Treno Card can't be bought for more than 3 days at a time, and only for 1 day for anyone over 70. I've emailed their site but haven't heard back. Any suggestions or insights?

Joe, here is the info on the Treno cards from the official park (Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre) website.

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/page.php?id=158

As you can see, Senior cards only come in single-day units. In you wanted a multi-day, you'd purchase an adult 2 or 3-day card. Buying 3 individual senior passes would be 44.40, a small savings of a few euro over the adult 3-day pass. If not planning to use a train within the region more than once or twice a day, you may also purchase individual tickets for 5 euro. As mentioned above, these must be validated before boarding.

The cards and 5-euro tickets only apply to regionale trains running between La Spezia, the 5 villages and Levanto. You couldn't use the pass to get to Santa Marghertia Ligure and back (your Portofino trip) as it's outside the region. A note about this journey? Depending on desired departure time, you will most likely need to change trains at least once along the way but it's nothing to worry about. Hope this helps! :O)

It does indeed! So, we'd need to buy separate tickets at the Vernazza station for our trip to SML, right?

and, if we wanted to hike, we'd still need either the trekkng or the treno cards, correct

Yes, or you may also purchase them online. Would be easily done at the station, though.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/purchase.html

If you are early birds like my husband and I are, I am seeing a daily 7:25 train from Vernazza to Margherita Ligure-Portofino station without a train change. Will get'cha there 56 minutes, and cost is just 8,80€ :O)

Oops! Missed your second post while I was still typing. I'm a little poky with my fingers..

You only need the Trekking card if wanting to do either or both of the 2 sections of the Sentiero Azzurro or "Blue trail". Those two are the 592-4 (SVA2) trail between Monterosso and Vernazza (currently temporarily closed for repairs) and the 592-3 (SVA2) trail between Corniglia and Vernazza. The other two segments of the "Blue", between Corniglia and Manarola, and Manarola and Riomaggiore, will remain closed this season. A Treno card would, of course, also cover hiking fees for the "Blue" PLUS use of the regional trains.

You can see a map of the entire trail system (There are lots of trails, although a fair amount of them are longer/more strenuous than the Blue) using the link below: click on any colored segment, and then click "View the itinerary" that pops up for that segment; it'll provide info on that specific trail: length, difficulty, approx. how long it takes to do, etc.

Any segment showing as a black line on the map is currently closed. Except for those two usually-open segments of the "Blue" there are no fees or card needed for hiking the other trails.

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php

got it; thanks again, Kathy

You're welcome! Sorry for all the edits to that post after the first reply; kept thinking about additional details that might be useful.

totally useful...very appreciative!!

does not appear that there is a ferry from Porto Fino back to Vernazza; any comments or insights?

Joe,

Don't bother with a ferry from Portofino to Vernazza. The trains are your best and most reliable means of transport.

With regards to the boat portion of your question— we had an excellent experience with Cinque Terra Adventures in August for our family. I’m not sure they’re running in April (andit’s weather dependent) but you might email them and see. https://www.cinqueterreadventure.com/