I'm taking a day trip from Lucca, and trying to decide if I should go to Portovenere instead of CInque Terre. I think Portovenere would give me fewer crowds and a more leisurely visit. Would I be missing too much by skipping CT?
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11851 posts
Do you have time to go to PortoVenere and take the ferry to the Cinque Terre and see the towns from the sea? You can get the boat in PV and cruise to Monterosso returning to Lucca from there, perhaps. I agree that PV is quieter and it is lovely.
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1090 posts
We spent four nights in CT this summer and took a day trip by ferry to Portovenere. The four of us were 100% aligned that for a next trip we would prefer to stay in PV. So that's my recommendation, but I agree with Laurel that you should try to make time to village-hop through the CT by ferry or train.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
907 posts
As others have said you can do both. Take the boat from Portovenere, a beautiful town with great sites and sights to see.
Depending on how you get to Portovenere, you could boat to 5 Terre then train back to La Spezia, or actually, train all the way back to Lucca.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32404 posts
As the others have said, you should be able to see both. Take an early train to Monterosso (about 2.5 hours, two changes), walk to the old town and board the Ferry to Porto Venere. If you return to Monterosso in the afternoon, you'll have a bit of time to explore and have a fine meal in one of the local restaurants before returning to Lucca in the evening.
It will be a long travel day, but it's possible. One point to note is that the Ferries don't operate in bad weather, so be sure to check the forecast.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for your replies. I'll try to include both.