Siena to Cinque Terre May 2012

The flooding disaster in the CT has not interrupted the train service. There are plenty of trains to and through the CT. However, Siena is some distance away. You will most likely route through Empoli, Pisa and La Spezia Centrale. Expect 2-3 train changes even if you route back through Florence. The train journey will take 3.5hrs-4.5hrs depending on the run you . The easiest trail to hike is the one from Riomaggiore to Manarola. It's called the Via dell'Amore (the Love Walk or the Lover's Walk). It's almost completely flat and even paved in some areas. The walk takes about 20-30 mintues.

Stephen, I'd suggest staying in the Cinque Terre for one night if possible, as the trip from Siena takes a bit of time. It's not really practical to do as a "day trip". Since you'll be traveling within the next week or two, it may be challenging to find a Hotel for one night though. Yes, there are absolutely trains between those two points. I wouldn't suggest driving as the C.T. is better accessed by train. If you decide to stay one night, I'd use a departure at 09:18, arriving La Spezia Centrale at 12:19 (time 3H:01M, one change at Empoli, Regionale - DON'T FORGET to validate!). I didn't know which village you wanted to visit first, so I used La Spezia as the destination. That's where you'll have to transfer to the local train anyway. The train ride from La Spezia to Riomaggiore is only about 9 minutes (be prepared to disembark promptly, as the train doesn't stop for long). As the previous reply mentioned, you can stroll the Via dell'Amore to Manarola. There's a nice Bar part way along where you can stop for a "cool one" and enjoy the beautiful ocean view. Note that a Park Pass is required to hike any of the trails. You should be able to buy that at the small booth at the end of the trail or in the Riomaggiore station. You can easily get between the five villages via the local train. Boats are available only in favourable weather. Happy travels!

Steve, We have just driven back from CT to Perugia, with Siena being on the route back. It's a 3 hour drive for you. The roads are very easy indeed and would likely not be a problem for you if you're OK with traffic on the freeways of any major US city. If you swing by Firenze and program your GPS for Grieve in Chianti, you'd be able to take the SR 222, which is a Rick Steves' favorite. Having driven the SR 222 twice now over the last couple of months, my family feels the roads around Volterra are actually more beautiful and scenic, and you'd be able to hit those if you programmed in Volterra. The train will add lots of time to your trip, so I would not advise. If you went to Monterosso, you could hike to Vernazza. The hike is a good 2 hours, and a great one right now. Did it last week. You could then take the boat from Vernazza straight back to Monterosso, but that would not add much value. If it were me, I'd take the train from Vernazza to Riomaggiore and pick up a boat there all the way back to Monterosso, that way you get to see a lot on the way back. Cheers!

Forgot to mention that it'd be easiest to park in Monterosso too. RS has the parking noted in his book. It's easy to find, down by the beach in the new section. Follow the signs to the beach, not Centro Storico as you come into Monterosso. I want to add again that the drive is really very nice indeed. Finally, and against Rick Steves' personal advice: don't plan on stopping for long in Vernazza. It's a building site. We did a quick walk around town, is all. Plan on enjoying what the other towns have to offer and support those folks is my take.