Hi, We are staying in Pisa and are planning to go to Cinque Terre. Need advice please.
We will take the boat along the shoreline.
We would like to hike the trails in the national park.
Can we do it in one day?
Should we stay over one night?
Any suggestions would be very helpful.
Thank you!
Posted by
Irving
3413 posts
According to AI (artificial intelligence) Cinque Terre ferries operate between Levanto, Portevenere, La Spezia and the Cinque Terre villages. Ferry season is in full swing by mid Apr through Oct.
The hike that allows you to visit the Cinque Terre towns is trail #2, the Sentiero Azzurro and takes all day. You can break it up by visiting the Cinque Terre towns. You will need to purchase a Cinque Terre card to access the trail.
The best views are between Monterosso and Vernazza and is less steep than the direction Vernazza to Monterosso. It will take a half day if you hike this portion only.
Posted by
15 posts
Yes it's doable. Buy all day ferry pass, and tren ms (training+trails) pass, or track pass (trails only) to give u full flexibility. Ferry pass is cheaper after 2pm. Individual ferry ride is quite expensive. Individual train ride among villages are 5 or 8 euro (weekend). Pick a day with good weather and less cruise ship docking at Livorno, La Speiza, Genoa.
A sample day is like this: Pisa train ride to La Speiza 1 hr, train to the farthest village Monterosso 10 min, tour this town; walk blue trail to Vernassa (2 to 3 hr), tour this town; ferry to Portvenere and back to Riomaggoire (check ferry schedule); tour Rio and walk Via Dell'Amore to Manarola (30 min walk, need to book time slot online); tour Manarola, train ride to Corniglia, walk lots of stairs up to village, then walk down (many day trippers skip this village), train to La Speiza and Pisa. This is just a sample, you can ride more or less on ferry and train. Train stops at every villages and they are few minutes apart. Ferry stops at all four villages (not Corniglia). Or, you can make Portvenere as your last stop (by ferry), have dinner there, bus or taxi to La Sp, then train to Pisa. When touring the villages, walk a few minutes away from main town to take in more views. Add in food and restaurants. Take IC (vs Regional) train between Pisa and LaSp so for sure you get a seat.