Cinque terre to Sorrento

Debra, This is the method I'd choose on that particular route..... > Direct train from La Spezia Centrale to Roma Termini (~3H:45M) > Freccia train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale (~1H:10M depending on which train you choose) The trip from La Spezia to Rome will vary. A departure at 06:51 will arrive in Naples at 11:30 (time 4H:39M). A departure at 08:07 will arrive in Naples at 14:43 (time 6H:36M). > Circumvesuviana from Napoli to Sorrento (~1H:06M) If you leave La Spezia at 06:51, your best bet is a 12:11 Circumvesuviana departure. If you take the 08:07 departure, you should be able to connect with a 15:13 departure from Naples, which will get you to Sorrento at 16:03. If my venerable HP RPN Calculator is correct, total travel time with the first option is 6H:27M and with the second option 7H:56M. In order to get the shortest travel times, you'll have to adjust your schedule so that you can use one of the direct trains from La Spezia to Rome. Some of the others have several changes, which will increase travel times. Happy travels!

It's a long journey, no matter what. By train you are looking at several options with prices ranging from Euro 19 all the way to 100 euros to Naples depending on time, date, type of discount and type of train. There is a very early morning Intercity train departing Monterosso at 5:31 am and arriving Naples at 12:24pm that will take you non stop to Naples with prices starting at 19 euro with advance purchase (50 euro is the base full price). From Naples you can take a Circumvesuviana commuter train to Sorrento (4 euro for about one hour travel). Most other train options require 2 or more train changes with not much of a savings in terms of time (maybe one hour less) but more expensive because they utilize high speed trains. By car you are looking at 700 km (440 miles) of mostly freeway driving. However you'll need a car. For a rental car budget 40 to 50 euro per day with insurance. Add 85 euro for gas and 44,80 euro for tolls. Therefore by car it could be maybe faster but at a price of about 180 euro. Unless there are at least 3 of you, the train is a cheaper option, albeit not as fast. There are also bus options from La Spezia to Naples. But I think the train is a better option. By air the only option would be to back track to Genoa from the Cinque Terre and take an AirOne plane to Naples, then the bus to Sorrento from the airprt. When you consider the time to get to Genoa, airport checkin and security, flight time etc. the train is faster and cheaper.

Do you have the option of re-jiggering your itinerary so that you don't have to go to Sorrento directly from the CT? That's what I would try to do. Otherwise, you're looking at four trains at least.

You are mostly limited to the train. You can't fly to or from either location and you can't take a ferry. For the train, you are looking at riding on two different train systems - Trenitalia and Circumvsuviana and a total trip time of 7.5hrs - 9.0hrs of travel time depending on the run you choose. You will also experience 2-4 train changes on the Trenitalia portion of the journey as you go from the CT to Naples. At Napoli Centrale, you will change to the Circumvesuviana train for the remaining journey to Sorrento. From a train travel standpoint, you are traveling from one out of the way place to another.

We have an open itinerary! We fly into Venice and fly out of Naples. The three things we wanted to do were see the canals of Venice, see Cinque Terre and see the Amalfi coast. How we do it in 9 days is completely open. We could skip CT, but if we never get back to Italy, it would be ashame not to see the three things we really want to see. I was just looking for advice on the route to take. Thank You for any suggestions.

"Otherwise, you're looking at four trains at least." The options I listed use a maximum of three trains, with the shortest travel time at 6H:27M. The early morning departure at 06:51 seems to provide the quickest trip on that route. It should be possible to fit the three locations you mentioned into a nine day Itinerary. Cheers!

Are you interested in visiting Florence/Tuscany or Rome in between? Or just Venice, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast? If you want to go only to those locations, then Venice>Cinque Terre>Amalfi Coast is the way to go. But if there is Florence in your plans, you may want to break the trip there and do a round trip from Florence to the Cinque Terre. It's only 2 and 1/2 hours by train (1 and 1/2 by car).
Unfortunately high speed trains are only on the central line from Bologna to Naples (Venice to Bologna is not high speed rail yet) and not along the Tyrrhenian coast.

@ Roberto I would love to visit Florence, but do we have time to squeeze in a 4th location? We can not delete the Amalfi coast because we depart out of Naples on May 21. We arrive in Venice May 12th. The question is, can we see Cinque Terre in between and what is the route?

The fastest route to CT from VE is via Florence. But it will require at least 2 train changes. Still over 5 hours. You can also do it via Milan and genoa. Longer by one hour but only one train change. I looked at Monterosso.
I don't know how long you want to stay, but 1 day at least.

Debra, With only a very short nine days, IMHO you don't have time to add any more destinations. The three destinations you've listed should certainly be possible in the time frame you have (although you won't have as much time to "savour" any of the locations).

Debra, We did this trip in 2010. Not that bad. The others are correct about changing trains and train companies. You will not be sorry to visit the Cinque. Do it. Just be aware in Naples at the train staion. You have to go to a different level in the station to get the train to Sorrento. And it can be scary. Watch out for Gypsies. Keep your luggage and purses guarded. We were so fearful there, that we took the bus back to Rome for our flight home. Have a great trip.

I agree with Ken, you do not have time for more than Venice-CT-Sorrento with only 9 days. It will take you the better part of a day to get from Venice to CT, then another to get to Sorrento. That leaves you 7 full days (if you actually have 9 full days) for 3 places. We've been to Sorrento 3x, spending a whole week there each time and still wished we had more time. Love Sorrento.
Don't spread yourself thinner than you already are.

ahhh thank you! We booked our first night in Venice. We plan to only spend a half day there, just to see the bridges and canals. We will leave the following day for Florence and spend one night there. The on to Le Spezia to the CT. I know there are a million recommendations, but in relation to the trains, is there one village that is better to stay then another? We will try to catch that 6:51 am train out of CT on Friday the 17th, and we know that most of the day will be traveling by train. We will try to enjoy the journey, as it is still Italy :) As far as the Amalfi coast, ...Sorrento seems like a sensible location. What should I expect the budget will be for accomodations (3 star is fine)
Thank you for the help. Oh, when can you buy train tickets...is it 60 days out?

Debra, Regarding which of the five Cinque Terre towns to stay in, you might find it helpful to have a look at the Italy 2013 Guidebook (available now). That provides not only a good description of each town and neighboring towns, but also suggestions for lodgings, transportation information, restaurant suggestions, etc. My personal favourite is Monterosso, but everyone here has their own favourites. The least popular town is probably Corniglia, as it's located high on a bluff requiring either a shuttle from the station or a LONG hike up hundreds of stairs. Whichever town you choose, I'd suggest pre-booking well in advance. Yes, Sorrento is a "sensible location" and a good home base for visiting Pompeii & Ercolano, Positano, Capri or other sights in the area. The Italy Guidebook would also help in choosing a Hotel in Sorrento, as there are several listed, along with prices, website info, etc. Some Hotels you might have a look at are Hotel Desiree, Hotel Tonnarella and Hotel Settimo Cielo. The first two are located at the far end of town, next to each other. Desiree provides simple, basic accommodations without any frills, and the owners are wonderful. Regarding train tickets, note that you'll be able to buy tickets on the premium trains in advance, but if any legs of your trip use Regionale trains, you won't be able to buy those in advance. With the Regionale tickets, BE SURE to validate! You shouldn't have any trouble buying tickets for the Circumvesuviana when you arrive at Napoli Centrale, as there are frequent departures. Cheers!

In Sorrento, we really like La Tonnarella but it's not inexpensive. In addition to Ken's good suggestions, check out Hotel Sorrento City (in the heart of town very close to the Circumvesuviana train station).

Helpers....should we stay in Sorrento or Positano?

A few years ago I was able to catch a train to Rome from Monterosso. I have stayed in Monterosso most times I've visited the CT; that town is larger and has more housing/transit options than some of the other towns. La Spezia Centrale is the main train hub for the CT.

Unfortunatley, when we were in Sorrento, the weather was to bad to get to the Amalfi Coats and postitano but I hear it is much more expensive to stay in Positano. We stayed at the Hotel Mignon. Nice hotel in central part of town.
http://www.sorrentohotelmignon.com/

To be in Sorrento or to be in Positano, That is the question. Hamlet's favorite hamlet would probably be Positano. Positano is quainter, smaller, nearly car free, the quintessential fishing village, it also has nice beaches. Sorrento is more modern, more car friendly, bigger, no beach in town (just boat harbor). However Sorrento is logistically better for public transportation since it has the Vesuviana train station, lots of ferry links to both Naples and the islands, and it's a bus hub for the entire area. So it's a matter of personal preference. If you like a place to sit back that is quiet, quaint and picturesque: Positano might be for you. If you are moving around a lot the area with public transport: Sorrento might be better. I like Positano better, because it's unique. Sorrento doesn't do it for me. Positano is more expensive than Sorrento (accommodations etc). I guess I'm not the only one who has a preference for it.

I am looking at Hotel Onda Verde (thank you for the recommedation) but now the previous post has me wondering...if we stay at the Hotel Onda Verde, will we have a problem with public transportation? We are in this area for three days. One day we want to tour the coast (hopefully with a driver) and the other two we will visit the towns by train / bus & walking. Ideas?