Train from Luzern to Cinque Terre

Posted by drenn007 on 02/14/17 01:59 AM

We are trying to price a train trip from Luzern to Cinque Terre in September of 2017. W went to SBB site to try to enter info. It won't quote a price even when we move the date within the 6 month window that they mention.

We then found info on a site called rome2rio that gave very clear pricing. But we couldn't tell how current it was. The info it gave said that it was a 9hr06min trip via Arth Goldau to Milano Centrale then on to Levanto then to Vernazza.

We knew this wouldn't be an easy trip lol (One of those "you can't get there from here jokes") But what has us concerned is that the site stated how often trains left from each of our stopping points heading to our next spot.....and the one from Milano Centrale only left for Levanto ONCE a day! Does anyone know if this is true? If so what time does it leave?

We had also been advised that if we wanted to see scenery leaving Switzerland we should take the "long way around" instead of through the new tunnel. The expert suggested entering Goeschenen as a stop. Does this add a lot of time to the trip? Because we sure don't want to miss the one train to Levanto!

Thanks for help!

Posted by Jazz+Travels

Chicago

02/14/17 02:31 AM

8243 posts

You won't get a price that far in advance so to give you an idea
I found Luzern to Levanto price at 28.90 euros or $31
And it indeed looks like there is only one a day from Milan Centrale leaving at 21:00

Da:Luzern (16:18) A:Levanto (23:55) Data: 21-03-2017
EuroCity 153
1
Adulto
Smart - Posto 2ª Classe
Intercity 687
1
Adulto
Super Economy - 2ª Classe 28,90 €

Posted by Bob

Minneapolis

02/14/17 03:41 AM

1277 posts

Hi drenn007. Break the trip in two pieces to simplify. Buy the Swiss to Milano portion on the sbb web site; buy the Milano to Levanto portion on the Trenitalia website. On trenitalia.com, you will see there are direct trains from Milano to Levanto daily at 8:10am, 12:10pm, 2:05pm, 4:05pm, 6:05pm; this trip takes about 3 hours. Price for that portion as low as 13 Euro if bought in advance; full / last minute price is 26 Euro. Enjoy your trip!

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

02/14/17 04:34 AM

32402 posts

"We knew this wouldn't be an easy trip"

Actually it's a very straightforward trip, albeit a bit long. I probably wouldn't rely on pricing shown on Rome2Rio as it seems to just provide a guideline. The price can also vary depending on which particular train you choose.

For a trip of that duration, I wouldn't bother taking the "long way around". The quickest route would be better, IMO.

When searching prices on the SBB website, were you using the actual name of one of the five towns, or using "Cinque Terre" in the search? That could be why you weren't able to get a quote. Note that there's another schedule revision in about June, so the websites may not show solutions for September yet.

The trip I'd probably use is a departure from Lucerne at 09:18, arriving Monterosso at 17:05 (time 7H:47M, 2 changes at Arth-Goldau and MIlano Centrale, reservations compulsory on the last two segments). You can research all the solutions using the Bahn.de website. As mentioned above, you may not be able to get prices for September yet, but just try searching that route using a date in the next week or two on the same day-of-the-week that you'll be travelling, and that should provide a close estimate.

In the same situation, I'd probably.....

buy tickets from Lucerne to Arth-Goldau at the station in Lucerne, a day or two prior to travel.
buy tickets online for the segments from Arth-Goldau to Monterosso (or whichever of the five towns you'll be staying in). You can purchase tickets for the Italy portion of the trip either on the Trenitalia website or at Trainline.eu. I prefer the latter as they also handle tickets for other rail lines in Italy and other parts of Europe (one-stop shopping).

Using an arbitrary date in May, the Trenitalia website shows tickets as low as €18.90 PP for the segment from Arth-Goldau to Monterosso. The prices will increase as the travel date draws closer, and the Super Economy and Economy tickets are sold-out.

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

02/14/17 11:29 PM

16895 posts

1) No national railway web site maintains a database to price or sell trains that are wholly within in another country. In this case, that happens once you change trains in Milan. That's why you'd book the first part through the Swiss site and the second part through the Italian site. But you can see the whole current schedule on the German site, which is quite comprehensive for that info.

2) In an actual train station, they can often sell you more destinations than what the do online. There's no real need to book this route very early. Also, if you end up getting any Swiss Travel Pass or Half-Fare Card, that will work as far as the border station.

3) A third option is to buy tickets through a US agent like Rail Europe which handles both countries, again unnecessary for this route, and you'd still have to break it up into pieces because their shopping cart can't compute too many connections at a time.

4) See also our map of Italian 2nd-class ticket prices at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/italy-rail-passes. They won't cost any more than that. When adding several points together, you can round down a bit.