Lucca to La Spezia

Posted by george.smyth on 09/03/19 07:59 PM

We will be visiting the towns of Cinque Terre (end of September) and know that the obvious choice is to park in La Spezia and use the train.

The question is about parking. There is parking at Park Center Station but look as I might, I cannot find anywhere that will allow me to reserve a space. The last thing I want would be to drive to La Spezia and not be able to find a parking spot.

We will be coming from Lucca so taking the train from there would be an option, though a more expensive one.

So my question is whether I should assume that I will get a parking spot in La Spezia, or if I should hedge my bets and just take the train from Lucca.

Thanks -

george

Posted by Andrew H.

Portland, Oregon

09/03/19 08:10 PM

5687 posts

Do you have to rent a car at all? I'm sorry, I don't recall your itinerary. A car in Italy is good for exploring small towns e.g. Tuscany but otherwise usually a nuisance for many tourists in Italy. The train system is so good in Italy, there's often no need at all to rent a car. I've been to Italy four times and never needed to rent a car. I've rented a car in several other European countries.

It seems unlikely to me that you would have trouble parking your car at the end of September in an area that expects peak tourism in the summer. As a backup plan, you could drive on to Levanto in the north and park there. (Were are you headed after the Cinque Terre?)

Posted by george.smyth OP

09/03/19 08:31 PM

54 posts

We will be visiting the small town of Tuscany (Lucignano, Pitigliano, Barga, Siena, Pienza, Radicofani, Montalcino, etc.) so a car will be necessary. Levanto is a 45 minute drive from La Spezia, so I really would rather not waste that much time.

Lucca will be our base, from which we will go to Barga, then head south to visit other small towns.

Posted by Andrew H.

Portland, Oregon

09/03/19 08:43 PM

5687 posts

I would still take the train from Lucca, personally. You'll be taking the train between CT villages anyway most likely once you park the car. Not sure how much money it saves you to drive and pay to park vs. take the trains to/from Lucca - how many in your party? Lucca to La Spezia looks to be about 8 euros/person each way. Figuring the cost to park in La Spezia plus fuel, for two people probably not worth driving. For four people driving probably would be worth it especially in September when parking should be easier.

Driving looks to take at least an hour each way vs. about 1:45 for regional trains. Once you get to La Spezia, find the parking spot, and arrive early enough for the train north to the villages, how much time does that really save?

Posted by RJean

New York, NY

09/03/19 09:08 PM

1585 posts

George - You can enter La Spezia Centrale train station on your GPS. Once there, the entrance to the -2 level of the garage (where you can reserve spaces in advance) is on via Fiume.

https://cinqueterreinsider.com/2017/07/16/parking-more-parking-garage-options-in-la-spezia/

In La Spezia you can park for free but not in the center of the town and near the train station since it's everywhere payment parking. The closest place where you can park is 15 minutes from the train station, so ..I guess it's not worth.

http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&hl=it&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLL_it&q=piazza+d'armi+la+spezia&um=1&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=image

the url above is a map of Piazza d'armi in La Spezia where you can park for free.

You can find more information about how to park clicking on this link