If we do the awesome sounding hike FROM Monte TO Rio, is there a train or ferry that will gets us back to our room in Monterosso?
Posted by
Pennsylvania, USA
38 posts
Hi David,
I only traveled by train btwn the villages of the CT. They are fairly frequent. Prob once or twice an hour and it is just a matter of a few minutes between villages. Someone else will probably be able to give you info regarding ferries. Enjoy!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32478 posts
david,
To begin with, one important point to mention. If you're planning to hike the Sentiero Azzurro (formerly No. 2) trails from Monterosso to Riomaggiore, it won't be possible to hike all of them at this time. According to the latest "official" information, the trails from Monterosso to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia are open, but the other two are NOT. The Via dell' Amore (Riomaggiore to Manarola) won't be re-opened until next year. There's an extensive network of other trails there, and if you have the energy to hike some of the more rigorous ones that go higher up the mountain, it should be possible to hike most of the route to Riomaggiore (I haven't checked). Check with the staff at your hotel when you arrive for the most up-to-date information on the trails.
To answer your question, there are numerous trains that go back and forth between the five towns. These run well into the evenings, so you shouldn't have any trouble getting back to Monterosso (fares are cheap). Many of these are Regionale so DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train. There are charts in each station that list the various arrival and departure times for the trains.
There are also boats that run between the towns, but they're are subject to weather and as I recall they stop running about 19:00 or so. The train will be a more reliable option, especially if you want to stop for dinner in Riomaggiore.