My husband and I need to take a train or bus from Bologna to Cinque Terra and then from Cinque Terra to Venice. Has anyone done this and how long does each leg take by train or bus? Thanks!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Use the train. This website is what everyone uses to determine travel times: click hereinput city/town names, countries not needed, change the time, and click Search.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
There's more to keep in mind when making the car v. train decision in Italy. Cars are very expensive to rent. You have to find and pay for parking and gas (much more expensive than here). You have to deal with signs in Italian and highways swarming with Italian drivers and their very different approach to driving. Plus you can easily get lost, wasting tons of time.
The main reason to rent a car in Italy is if you're staying out in the countryside (agriturismo, for example) and/or plan on making day trips to hilltop towns that are not accessible easily by train.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Most runs from Bologna to La Spezia (gateway to the CT) require a train change in Florence. There are a couple of runs that don't. CLICK HERE to see a typical train schedule.
From the CT to Venice, I recommend the 7:52am train out of La Spezia for Venice. It's the fastest run of the day. It also has the fewest train changes. You change to a Eurostar in Bologna. My wife and I have taken this run. If you are in one of the CT towns, you'll have to leave early to get to La Spezia on time for the train. Or, you can take a later train. CLICK HERE to see this schedule.
Hint for arriving in the CT: If you are going to be in the CT for at least 2-3 days, I suggest that you book your train travel from Bologna to La Spezia. At La Spezia, stop into the tourist information (TI)and purchase a Cinque Terre Treno card. It's good for unlimited train travel from La Spezia to Levanto. It's also good for all fares on the trails between the towns as well as the mini-buses in the towns. Then, you go outside and hop onto the next train to your selected CT town.
Posted by
OP
Toluca Lake, CA, USA
8 posts
OK, I checked those train schedules Larry & Kent, and it's 6 hours by train to the CT from Bologna and 6 hours to Venice from the CT. Do you think a car rental would cut that time in half - say around 3 hours to drive each way? Thanks...
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Some train routes from Bologna to La Spezia take just over three hours, not six. Some train routes from La Spezia to Venezia take a little over five hours.
Use ViaMichelin to get driving routes and estimated times. However, I think a car would be a hindrance, not an asset, in either the Cinque Terre or Venezia.