We will be spending a couple nights in Riomaggiore CT and was thinking of taking a day trip (by boat) to Portovenere. My question is, has anyone been there and think it's worth the trip? Thanks!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16240 posts
Yes, it's nice.
Posted by
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
I was in CT last October, and for nostalgia reasons, had an emotional commitment to go to Portovenere for part of the day and for lunch. When I was a high school exchange student 50 years earlier, hard to believe that!, my host family took me on a short trip and we stopped in Portovenere for lunch and I remembered it as the most beautiful spot in the world, at least up to that point in my life. i really wanted to go and return by boat, but the sea was just a little bit rough, and the boats were not operating in the morning. Maybe for the return in the afternoon, they said, but that didn't happen either. So I went by train to La Spezia, then walked several blocks to the bus stop, waited a while for the bus to come, and took the 30 minute bus ride to Portovenere. Had to repeat that process to get back. Portovenere was nice, but certainly no nicer than the CT towns. There was quite a bit of walking to churches, and a castle and cemetery, for some nice photos. None of the restaurants enticed me, so I grabbed a panino and gelato instead of actually sitting down to enjoy a leisurely lunch. In the end, I spent way too much time traveling and walking through La Slezia, not special, to justify the day away from the CT. Bottom line, IF the boats are going, it's a nice excursion, but not otherwise. In my own case, I wish I had held on to my own old memories of Portovenere, and created new memories of the day in Cinque Terre.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
cindi,
Yes, a day trip to Porto Venere is definitely worthwhile (IMO). There are some nice restaurants in the harbour area, and lots of small shops in the maze of alleys above the harbour. If you have a full day there, you could also explore Palmaria or the other small islands near Porto Venere.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
388 posts
If you are in to hiking, you can hike from Riomaggiore to Portovenere. It is a long ways but its less traveled and very beautiful. You could then bus back to la Spezia where you could train back into the Cinque Terre. Just a thought.
Posted by
OP
Red Wing, MN
2 posts
Thank you for your comments. I think if the weather holds up, we will venture over there. It looks so pretty.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Cindi, Portovenere is almost like a 6th CT town. It looks the same. Scenic, looks similar and nice restaurants. If the seas are not rough, you can take the ferry from Riomaggiore to Portovenere. Leave on a morning ferry, have a nice lunch and take an early afternoon ferry back to Riomaggiore. We did this from Monterosso. If you need to go by train/bus, you can take the train to La Spezia Centrale and take the bus to Portovenere. I don't think the bus station is at the train station and I'm not sure it stops there.
Posted by
Alta Loma, CA, USA
1446 posts
Cindi, we visited Portovenere on a day trip from Monterosso. We traveled both ways via boat which was easy. We really enjoyed Portovenere and would definitely suggest allocating a day to visit.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
Cindi,
One further comment.....
Try to use the boat if at all possible for the trip from Riomaggiore to Porto Venere. Note that the boats are typically subject to weather and calm seas. While you could travel by Bus from La Spezia to Porto Venere, it's a bit of a walk from the bus station to La Spezia Centrale.