Anyone have experience using the ferry service around or along Cinque Terre? I found one company however, no information until Spring...I would like to do our planning a.s.a.p. Therefore, any advice you can afford will be much appreciated.
Posted by
Boston
1732 posts
The schedules don't change much from year to year. The latest available timetables (currently 2016) are suitable for planning and dreaming and are available on www.apathtolunch.com
Posted by
Eugene, Oregon...Formerly Ventura, CA
2261 posts
As long as weather and seas are friendly, it pretty much runs all day many times. Easy to catch and you should be able to rely on it generally being available.
Posted by
Big Island of Hawaii
708 posts
Getting from town to town by ferry is really beautiful, but it is also very crowded. We got on the ferry at Porto Venere and rode all the way to Monterosso, then got off and took the train to our hotel in Levanto. Note that this was late September. At each ferry stop there was a really big crowd waiting to get on, and once or twice there was not enough room for everyone. The good news was that there was another ferry pulling in as we were pulling out.
You can travel very easily between towns on the train.
Posted by
Boston, MA
1829 posts
I would be hesitant to make any set plans based on the ferry ; it should be running but if seas are rough it will zoom right past the small towns in the CT without stopping.
Use last year's schedule and you should be fine or better yet plan based on the train schedule and then when you get there you can decide to take the ferry instead for a trip or two.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15993 posts
We've done it but as already stated, 2017 schedules won't be up until spring, and they won't run if the weather is nasty. They can be really crowded, and are not really an economical main mode of transport.
Oh, and ferries don't dock in Corniglia as it doesn't have a harbor so access that one by train + bus up to the village or on foot via the trail from Vernazza, as long as it's open.
We hiked or took trains most of the time, and grabbed a ferry from Riomaggiore back to Monterosso (where we were staying) one day just to get a look at the coastline from water.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32244 posts
Sherry,
It's not really necessary to plan for the Ferries in the Cinque Terre, as they operate frequently during the day (subject to weather). What time of year will you be travelling there, and where do you want to go on the Ferries? Will you be staying in the C.T. at the time?
Posted by
Boston
1732 posts
Service is starting April 1 this year, the schedule for April 1 - 14 just appeared.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15993 posts
Interesting; schedules only show on the Navigazione Golfo Dei Poeti website (the one I always use) in Italian view and not in English. They must be updating that page later! :O)
In Italian:
http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it
English (hopefully updated soon):
http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/en