We will staying in Lucca four nights in early June 2019. What is our best way to get to the Cinque Terra? Trying to decide of we need to book a private tour or just try to do this on our own
Posted by
Chicago
8161 posts
Take the train from Lucca to The last of the 5 towns : Monterosso and work your way back
do it yourself so you are not restricted with a tour group blocking the crowded way.
Book your train using the most user friendly site
https://www.thetrainline.com
Posted by
OP
Gainesville, Ga, Usa
14 posts
Thanks so much! So a guide isn't necessary? And do you take trains, boats, buses between the towns?
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11861 posts
Trains or boats travel the towns
Posted by
bedford, indiana
459 posts
Hey Bob give this website a study, it has some great information on train travel in Italy and many hints and tips. We took the train from Cinque Terre to Lucca and it was easy once you get a basic understanding of the train system and this website is helpful. We used only trains after landing in Pisa and going out to Cinque Terre and traveled short distances each day by the local trains. Study up on this site, https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm, and you will be able to work it out. Another helpful site for the Cinque Terre area is a https://www.apathtolunch.com/. But concentrate on the seat61 site. I will admit my B&B host was a great help once we arrived in Cinque Terre. Additionally we hired a lady for a half day walking tour in Lucca and it was wonderful. We did it our first day and she explained the city and sites and made the rest of our visit much more interesting as she had a ton of local flavor, stories, and suggestions. Wanda Martinelli was awesome!!! https://www.luccatours.com/ We did not use a guide for hikes touring along the Cinque Terre and didn't seem to miss much. Don't miss the ferry that hits all the towns from the sea including south to Porto Venere, great fun.
Posted by
35 posts
We did the hike from Monterrosso to Vernazza, and actually got a little lost ! We somehow missed a trail marker, and ended up walking the roadside for half a mile or so - very little shoulder area. Found a local guy (no english) who was working on one of the vineyards. We had a brief chat with him and finally noticed the trail again just down hill from where he was standing. We said 'Ciao!' and waved goodbye as we met other folks on the trail again. Take the trains or the ferries to and from town when you just need to hurry and get there. Don't worry about a guide, but use any reference materials to find out what's best to see! Train travel in Italy is definitely the way to go.
Posted by
11563 posts
I can’t imagine why you would need a guide for the five small villages of the Cinque Terre.