driving to & parking near Vernazza

When are you going? Where are you traveling from and where will you be departing to? Depending on your answers, a rental car may not be a good choice. With rare exceptions, tourist cars are not allowed in any of the 5 CT towns. There are parking lots above the towns but they fill up in the high season. Many posters report that they have parked in Levanto which is north of the CT. There are lots there. You then take the train into the CT.

We parked at the lot above Vernazza in Early May for 12 euro per night so it is do-able. Larry is right though because the lots fill up quickly in the high season. All of the towns except Corniglia have lots and hourly shuttles to town. From what others have reported Riomaggiore has a stacked parking, and Monterosso has two lots, one free and one guarded for E12 per day. As Larry mentioned Levanto is a good possiblilty and then you could rail into CT. Some people park at La Spezia but not sure if that is at the train station or close to it.

In June 2002 we were coming from Pisa and parked our rental car at the train station and took the train into the C.T. In early July 2006 we were coming from France and drove to Vernazza parking in the lot above the town for 3 nights. Once we exited the autostrada the road to Vernazza was very, very narrow and lots of hairpins. When we left Vernazza we were heading to Tuscany and the drive from here to La Spezia wasn't as bad. We had a stick shift, which most cars in Europe are, and my husband said he would drive it again. Good luck!

Should clarify my above posting that we were coming from Pisa and parked our car at the train station in La Spezia.

I'm also wondering when you are making the trip. We stayed in Vernazza in late October and could have parked in the small parking lot at the top of the village. There aren't many spots so I wouldn't suggest it at any busy time of year.

We hadn't thought parking would be possible so we parked in La Spezia. I dropped the family and bags off at the train station and had planned to park near there.

I wasn't satisfied the car would be safe there so I asked a couple of people if there were other options. One suggested parking near the navy base and told me how to get there. I found the base and asked a naval officer where I could park. He pointed to the side of the street down the road. The parking was free and the car was fine but it was probably a mile walk back to the train station.