We're going on a cruise in June and one of the stops is Cinque Terre. We could do the boat excursion but I'm thinking we could just do it ourselves. I know Rick has said that the excursion can be very congested. Would you recommend we take the boat excursion, hire a tour guide, or just explore the area on our own? Any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks!
Posted by
CA
2076 posts
You can catch the boats that go to each town on your own. That is what we did. Or you can use the train.
Posted by
San Diego
1540 posts
The boat goes to all 5 villages and you can get off at each one and walk around a bit and then get on the next scheduled boat....... etc. This would allow you to experience all the 5 villages. I always like to have lunch in Vernazza (grab a big slice of pizza and sit down by the water and enjoy)
If your cruise is a BIG ship, it may be even more crowded.
Another option is to buy an all day train pass and ride the train to each village and walk around.
But, my opinion is that you see more and enjoy more of the sea by doing the boats.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
cathy,
A bit of clarification.....
"The boat goes to all 5 villages and you can get off at each one and walk around a bit and then get on the next scheduled boat."
From what I've seen, the local boats don't stop in Corniglia. It's safer and easier to use the local trains, which are more frequent.
It would help to know which port the cruise ship will be stopping at? While you can tour on your own, you'll have to plan very carefully to ensure that you can make it back to the ship before they weigh anchor. That won't be a concern if you use the excursion from the ship.
You might find it helpful to check your local Library and have a look at the RS Mediterranean Cruise Ports and RS Italy guidebooks, as there's a lot of good information there that will help you to plan well.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15816 posts
Ken is correct: the ferries don't stop in tiny Corniglia as it doesn't have a proper harbor, and is most easily reached by a little bus that zips up and down from its train station.
As he said, it would be helpful to know what port you're coming into? If it's La Spezia, then it's easy to explore the 5 villages by train or ferry on your own. It's only a few minutes by rail from La Spezia Centrale to Riomaggiore - the most southern of CT villages - and only minutes by train north to any of the rest of them. You may also take the ferries between 4 of them but those have fewer arrival/departure times than the trains.
The town are small enough not to need a guide, IMHO. By Rick's statement that, "the excursion can be very congested", I'm sure he means that the CT villages in general have largely been mobbed during high season, no matter HOW they are explored. Personally, I think it would be much easier to navigate the crowds on your own versus shepherded about in a large group.
I"ll also echo Ken's advice to allow plenty of time to get back to your ship before the sailing hour.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thanks so much for all your help! I think we dock in La Spezia. We've travelled a lot in Europe but this is our first cruise. I'm leaning towards not needing a guide and feel we just need to make sure we get back with plenty of time to spare.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15816 posts
Cathy, it didn't use to be the case when train tickets between the villages could run as little as under 2 euros but they've risen to a standard of 4 euro per journey so look at purchasing a one-day Cinque Terre Treno card (16 euro). The pass would cover unlimited train travel between La Spezia Centrale and any of the 5 towns, you'd break even on it in just 4 journeys, and only needs to be validated the first time you use it. Validation of train tickets and passes is VERY IMPORTANT as fines are high and the authorities are inflexible about excuses.
You can purchase this card at the La Spezia train station, and it also covers the little bus to/from Corniglia's station.
http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card
It doesn't cover the ferries so pay separately if using those. There are full day and afternoon-only passes for the boats but they're more expensive, and I don't know as I'd use them as your primary means of getting around. Then again, if you use the ferries more than once between Riomaggiore - Monterosso, a half-day afternoon ticket might be worth purchase (€ 20,00).
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B68xwDrx0UDhU3Q0S3p5ZjhEbVU/view
Posted by
140 posts
We visited CT in late July 2015 We stayed at anime place in Riomaggiore and enjoyed our stay immensely.
While we were there the ferries never ran due to rough water. The trains were convenient; except, the mid morning northbound train and the late afternoon southbound trains were very, very (think Tokyo Subway), crowded.
Corniglia is very charming but difficult to get to
Enjoy