The fastest Milan-Vernazza train itinerary given on the Trenitalia website is Milan-Genova-Sestri Levanto. Sestri Levanto is a new idea to me; I had always heard one went through La Spezia. Has anybody gone through Sestri Levanto, and is this a good option? Thank you.
Michael in Seattle
All of the trains out of Milan for Vernazza will route through Genova before turning south towards Levanto, the CT and then La Spezia. For Vernazza, you may have to get off at Monterosso and wait for a local that will take you on to Vernazza. Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola have fewer trains stop at their stations than do Montegrosso and Riomaggiore. For this type of run, La Spezia is out of the picture as it is about 10 minutes farther south.
Michael, If you can get an express from Genova to La Spezia and come back to Vernazza then that might be the way to go. It's only about a 10-15 minute train ride from La Spezia to Vernazza. You can buy the Cinque Terre card in La Spezia which will get you on any CT train you want.
I'm looking at the train schedules and even the express runs stop at Monterosso. It's not necessary to go on to La Spezia, change trains and then return to Vernazza. You won't save any time. Remember, if you jump onto any ICPlus or EC train, you will need seat reservations.
