La Spezia to Portovenere?

Yes! Portovenere is a very different kind of town and historically much more important from the CT villages. From La Spezia, you can take a bus in about 20 minutes or you can board the ferry at La Spezia. The ferry ticket allows stopovers, so you could see Portovenere as well as some of the other CT villages on the same ticket. The bus is quite frequent and the only hitch is it doesn't go to the train station. However, you can buy your bus ticket at a machine at the station and it's just a pleasant 10 minute walk to the bus. Look here, where there's a walking map and more info: http://www.apathtolunch.com/2013/01/getting-to-portovenere.html

I was researching the same thing (because I'm vacationing in the area in July and know that the CT is going to be crazily crowded and wanted an alternative). From what I remember, there is a bus that goes from La Spezia to Portovenere. That being said, I think you may have to walk a short distance from La Spezia train station to where the bus is, (which might be something to consider if you are going to be carrying luggage with you, although I can't vouch if that's even really an issue).

Other options are hiring a car service (to let you off right by the buses in Portovenere because I think most of the town is a limited-traffic zone), and there are ferries from the CT towns to Portovenere and I think I remember reading that there is a boat service from La Spezia as well, but don't hold me to that because I'm not 100% positive.

As for whether it would be worth to visit, other people could help you more (it will be my first time over there this summer!), but I'm guessing most people would suggest just staying and soaking up the experiences in the CT towns because that's what you're there to see! That being said, depending on the month you're actually going, some people might suggest spending time in Portovenere when most of the cruise ships are unloaded in the CT and then coming back mid-late afternoon when the day trippers are starting to leave. I'm curious to hear the responses too! :)

Thank you Mike! We are staying very near the train station so a short walk and a 20 min bus ride doesn't sound too bad. Maybe we will try to spend part of the day there and take a ferry back to the CT, or vice versa. Does anyone know when the cruise ship crowds tend to arrive/leave the 5 towns?

Sit on the driver's side of the bus to Portovenere and it's a nice tour of the Gulf. The conventional wisdom on the cruise impact on the main streets of the CT villages is 10am to 4 pm.

I went from Monterosso to Portovenere for most of a day in early October 2013. I had hoped to go by ferry, but it was said the sea was too rough for the ferries to go, although it appeared calm to me. I remember the trip from La Spezia station to Portovenere to be somewhat longer, like a 10 to 15 minute walk through town, then about a 15 or 20 minute wait for the bus, then maybe 30 to 40 minute bus ride, but my memory might be weak on that. If you get the bus schedule in advance, you can probably avoid having to wait so long in line. Same thing in reverse. I would say that Portovenere has more sites to see (large church, castle, cemetery, some shops) than the CT towns, but is considerably less quaint and scenic. I really can't say how the crowds and ferries will be different in July now, compared to October then.

With such a very short time frame, my suggestion would be to skip Porto Venere this time as I feel your time would be better spent in the five towns. It's somewhat awkward to reach by Bus and really not as much to do there in terms of sightseeing. Porto Venere can also be somewhat touristy at times, so I'm not sure you'll be able to avoid the crowds altogether.

Thanks Ken and Larry, I appreciate the input. I think we will probably stay in the CT. I don't really want to spend too much time traveling since we have a 2 1/2 hour train ride to Florence the next day, and I'd rather soak up the Italian Riviera!