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Cinque Terre - Need Tips on Getting There and Away by Train

I need advice on trains to and from the Cinque Terre as it could effect the route we finalize. We're want to do Lake Como, Pisa (just for leaning tower), Cinque Terre, and Nice/Monaco. At the moment we're thinking of flying into Milan and out of Nice.

Should we do Lake Como to Pisa and the enter the Cinque Terre from the south and leave from the North to Nice?
Or, come and go from Cinque Terre from the north and do Pisa as a daytrip?

Any advice on routes given these locations much appreciated! Traveling with my husband and two daughters 17 and 19.

Posted by
7628 posts

It's a rather convoluted itinerary, since Lake Como is well north of Milan, and Pisa and the CT are quite a distance south of Milan. Use the Trenitalia website to expore train options and times from Como to Pisa or Monterosso. Pisa could easiy be done as a day trip from any of the C T villages. You may find that the Como -Pisa route requires more train changes. It looks like the Como to Monterosso at 0930hrs is a direct train from Milan. That's around 6 hours. You can get from Monterosso to Nice with only 2 changes in a little under 6 hours.

Posted by
1547 posts

If you're coming from Pisa, the southern gateway to CT is La Spezia, and there are dozens of trains daily from Pisa to La Spezia.

If you're coming from Como, the northern gateway is Genoa. Never done the Como-Genoa trip before, but I'm sure it connects through Milano Centrale.

By the current schedules valid up to December 13, there are 7 direct IC trains from Milano Centrale to Monterosso. These trains run every day and take around 4 hours and something. There are more options with a change in Genoa. Taking an IC train you'll have a reserved seat all the way from Milan to Monterosso. There is no reserved seating on Regionale and Cinque Terre Express trains.

Spending hours to get to Pisa to see only the Tower seems quite a waste of holyday time.

Posted by
2177 posts

Hello rcbbailey, and welcome to the forum,

Some of what I think is missing from your question is the number of nights you're intending on staying and where.

As others have said it is a bit of a trek from Lake Como to CT and this will probably end up being 6+ hours on the train to make this happen. Given that I would suggest at least 3 nights in CT - that gives you two full days to explore because you are going to arrive probably late afternoon on your arrival day at best. And if you want to make a day trip to Pisa then make that at least 4 nights.

It's probably about 1:30 on the train to Pisa one way and the train station is a ways cross town to the Field of Miracles. You could take a bus, a taxi or wander across the city depending on what kind of a traveller you are. Just be aware you need to cross the river so pick a route that crosses a bridge. I'd probably suggest walking over and then deciding if you feel like getting a ride back to the station. Read up on the process of getting on the list of going up the tower and I would recommend leaving as early as possible.

The train from La Spezia to Nice is probably 6-7 hours on various trains. Check your train options but crossing borders often involves changing trains. Monaco is close enough to Nice I would suggest pushing past Monaco and onto Nice to store your bags and get settled. Then visit Monaco unencumbered. Antibes is another great place to visit from Nice.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks for the input so far - yes, I should have clarified our timing. This is a two week trip. Cinque Terre is of big interest for everyone. The French Riviera/Monaco is a request from the daughters so seeing if it fits/works right now. I was looking for one more location nearby so we could do 3-4 night in each location. CT to Nice is seeming a bit like a haul though. I'll have to keep thinking on this.