Our cruise stops at Portofino July 6th & offers an excursion to Cinque Terre. (motor boat to St Margherita and bus to the villages). I understand we can catch ferries/water taxis between the villages and think that would be pretty amazing to see the coast line from the water, but wonder if it would be too great an undertaking on our own. A tender would get us to Portofino, but we would have to arrange the rest. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Interestingly, it takes the same amount of time to get to the CT from Livorno by train as it does to travle to Florence from Livorno (about 90 minutes). But, best to head for Florence from Livorno as you have planned. From Portofino, you have two choices and neither is a bus. First, the train. You'll need to go next door to Santa Margherita-Ligure to catch the train. Easy Peasy to get to and from the CT (much faster than a bus). Second is the ferry. There is a ferry from Portofino to the CT towns and farther down to Portovenere. This does take longer but the scenery is jaw-dropping to go into and out of the CT towns. Here's a link to the ferry website. http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/orario.asp?lang=eng
Posted by
Vestavia Hills, AL, 35216
109 posts
That's funny; My wife & I are staying in the Cinque Terre and are planning a day trip to Portofino! I would be leery of a bus trip to the CT. Have you seen a road map? Portofino is a world-class destination of its own; that's why your cruise ship is stopping there. I would recommend taking the tender to Santa Margherita Ligure and renting bicycles for the mostly flat ride to Portofino. One alternative to that is take the tender to Santa Margherita and take a train to one of the CT towns, take a ferry to a couple of other towns or walk a trail, then take the train back to catch your tender. That could be tricky, depending on how much time you have ashore.
Posted by
OP
Manheim, PA, USA
82 posts
Thanks Dan! That was precisely my reason for avoiding the cruise excursion-who wants to be on a tourist bus in Cinque Terre? I think your suggestion is more what I had hoped to do: get to the area (somehow) and then do a combination of hiking and water taxis/trains if we can manage all that. We are spending a few days in Orvieto before leaving on the cruise from Rome. We will be happy to people watch and enjoy the beaches at most ports but I plan to take the train from Livorno to Florence and at Portofino I so much wanted to experience CInque Terre. Any thoughts and comments are so welcome (1st trip to Europe).
As a note: we end the cruise in Nice and spend a couple days in Avignon and 5 days in Paris-departing Amsterdam
Posted by
OP
Manheim, PA, USA
82 posts
Thanks Larry. That is the site I need. It actually mentions summer time stops in Portofino, but no schedule. How would you suggest getting from Portofino to Santa Margherita to catch the train? We are in port 7 am to 11 pm, so I am hoping to enjoy a few hours in Portofino. Would the morning or evening be best bet? We would love to taxi to a few harbors, and perhaps take the train back? Your comments are a great help.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Doris, the distance between the Portofino harbor and the SML train station is about 3 miles. I haven't made the walk but apparently you walk along a harborside road. Apparently there are a few blind curves. There should be a bus or taxi between the two towns. Hopefully, others can comment.