La Spezia Centrale

For your planned trip, I would stick with Regional trains that provide maximum flexibility and for which there's no advantage to an advance purchase. My suggestion is to buy roundtrip Regional train tickets from Lucca to La Spezia Centrale. On your way to Portovenere, get off at Pisa S. Rossore station and make the short walk to the Field of Miracles. After you've looked around and taken your pictures, head back to that station and board the next Regional train to La Spezia Centrale. You'll have 4 hours to complete this, which shouldn't be a problem. Use the Trenitalia website to research train times, and make a note of train numbers to assist in ensuring you board the right train as you continue your trip. Your return tickets will be good for any Regional trains returning to Lucca that day, and you'll likely change again at Pisa S. Rossore. I presume you know about validating your Regional train tickets - i.e. once you arrive at the station and are waiting to board. I'm not sure how crowded the platforms at La Spezia Centrale would be, but you'll be on them for such a brief time upon arrival that I wouldn't be too worried about it.

Roundtrip Regional train tickets will be about 94 euro for 6 people plus whatever the local bus tickets to Portovenere cost, so you'll need to compare that to the cost of a private car. To get a private car that can accommodate 6 people (too many people for a standard car), I wouldn't be surprised if it cost more than double.

You'll have 4 hours to complete this, which shouldn't be a problem

Even if I agree, After all it seems a pointless source of stress. I'd buy two tickets at any Trenitalia automatic machine making 2 separate purchases, then I would time-stamp the Pisa S. Rossore-La Spezia ticket only when it's time to leave. Regionale tickets locally purchased are day specific, not time or train specific.

There are a couple of things to see in Pisa Besides the Field of Miracles, like the new museum of roman ships and the restored frescoes by Buffalmacco.

Frank, thank you that's great to know about this flexibility with same-day regional tickets. Another day we plan to take a day trip to Florence. We will be there longer that 4 hours, should we not then get a roundtrip ticket but rather one-way tickets?

Also, back to Pisa. Should we go instead earlier in the morning to Portovenere then head back to Pisa on the way back? I was thinking the leaving mid-afternoon from La Spezia might be less crowded than leaving at say 7? Which is a better time to depart La Spezia?

Hi Dario,
We really do not want to spend much time in Pisa except take photos with the Tower if Pisa. Can we do that in an hour?We prefer to buy our roundtrip ticket in Lucca, because due to the crowds, we do not want to be purchasing anything at La Spezia.

My question also is, should we go to La Spezia as early as possible so that we can leave before the evening rush hour of people coming from Cinque Terra. What is that rush hour departure time? I am not clear on that.

Thanks,
Sam

You don't have to buy anything in La Spezia, Any station sells any train ticket. Nevertheless one hour should be enough to walk from Pisa S. Rossore to the tower and back.

When you buy a Regionale train ticket online, the 4 hours begin with the departure of the Regionale you picked on Trenitalia.com.
Actually, a Regionale ticket locally purchased can be used on any Regionale train running on the picked day. The 4 hours begin when you time-stamp the ticket by the tracks. I suggested to make two separate purchases either at the same ticket machine Or at the same counter.

When you buy roundtrip tickets at a ticket window or ticket kiosk in Italy, you'll receive separate tickets for each direction of travel. For the trip to Florence, simply wait until you're ready to depart to validate the return tickets. For the trip to La Spezia Centrale, you may receive 2 or 4 tickets since it requires a change of train at Pisa S. Rossore. To be sure you have separate tickets for the stop in Pisa, tell the person at the ticket window that you plan to stop in Pisa on the way to La Spezia and ask for 2 tickets for that leg of the trip. Then, as Dario has wisely suggested, validate them as you go to extend the 4 hour limit for the trip.

Sam,

I wouldn't be too concerned about the "crowds" at La Spezia Centrale, as most of them will be heading in a different direction than you will. Also, you won't be in the station that long.

"Also, do we need to purchase a Trenitalia ticket in advance?"

That's a fairly short route and many of the trains you'll be using will be Regionale, so there's no point in buying advance tickets. I'd buy them on the day of travel or even the day prior, but DON'T forget to validate the tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel. If you buy tickets the day prior, BE SURE that you specify the correct date of travel.

I'd suggest buying separate tickets for the Lucca - Pisa and Pisa - La Spezia segments for a couple of reasons.....

• you don't know how long you might be at the Tower. At this point, you're assuming it will just be a short visit for a couple of iconic pictures, but your plans may change once you arrive there.

• the next train to La Spezia might be an Intercity or Freccia, and in that case you MUST have a ticket specific to that train.

Although Pisa San Rossore is closer to the Tower, I'd suggest using Pisa Centrale as you'll have a greater number of train departures to choose from. Take a Taxi from Pisa Centrale to the Tower and back to the station.

Another issue will be getting from La Spezia Centrale to Porto Venere. The easiest solution is via Bus and this website provides the options - https://www.apathtolunch.com/2013/01/getting-to-portovenere.html . Be sure to note the return times for the Bus.

For the rail trip back to Lucca, I'd just buy tickets at La Spezia Centrale, either from a Kiosk or staffed ticket windows. Since you don't know how long you'll be in Porto Venere, that's the best way to ensure that you'll get tickets specific to the type of train that you'll be using on the return trip. To provide an example, if you were to buy advance purchase Regionale tickets and the next train leaving from La Spezia to Lucca is an Intercity, you're out of luck and would have to buy new tickets specific to that train.

In August, I suspect everywhere is going to be crowded and that will probably include Porto Venere.