Train from Venice to Cinque Terre

There is a European wide train schedule that happens on or about June 13. Trenitalia has got the Freccia trains loaded in the schedule, but not the IC and Regionale trains. For whatever reason, they are always late in getting this done. It will happen one of these days. In the meantime, just look at the schedules like you were going this week, they shouldn't change a whole lot. There are lots of local trains plying the CT routes.

Train schedules for summer may not all be published yet, but you can do a search for the same day of the week in May to get an idea of the schedule and connections (they rarely change much). In doing a search for a random day later this month, the quickest trip from Venice to Riomaggiore takes 5 hours, 45 min. with 2 train changes, in Florence and La Spezia. See www.trenitalia.com.

It shouldn't be a problem to just buy these tickets a day or two ahead, at any train station or travel agency once you are in Italy. You can save some money by booking any high-speed trains a month or so ahead through the TrenItalia website, such as the Venice-Florence train. Most InterCity and regional trains, such as the Florence-La Spezia and La Spezia-Riomaggore trains, can only be purchased about a week out.

M,

But...once we get to Monterosso - is there a local train that would
get us to Riomaggiore

• Yes, once you arrive to Monterosso (if you choose Venice > Milan> Monterosso route) you can take a Regionale train to Riomaggiore.
• Check the Trenitalia website to check Regionale train schedules within the next 7 days.

The route via Milan is not even posted yet on the train schedules (just the train to Milan).

• I don't know when your trip is taking place in July, but I just checked the trenitalia website for July 7th & the train schedules are available. (Venezia S. Lucia to Monterosso). You will take a frecciabianca (high-speed) train from Venice to Milan. You will then transfer to an Intercity train ( Milano Centrale to Monterosso).

should we book trains ahead of time?

• Yes, you can book your train tickets up to 120 days in advance, if you choose to, & this may save you money,(super economy or economy tickets), however, be advised that these tickets come with restrictions (unchangeable & nonrefundable), so your dates must be firm.

Enjoy your trip!

Thank-you for your replies - for whatever reason I was not finding the Milan-Monterosso route but I will check again and book. It's our first time navigating the trains and I just want to make sure the trip is as easy as possible.

mh,

I've found that the quickest trips are often via Florence, so you might also consider that route. For example, there's a departure from Venezia Santa Lucia at 09:25, arriving Riomaggiore at 15:10 (time 5H:45M, 2 changes at Firenze S.M. Novella and La Spezia Migliarina). Both of the changes are relatively easy, and shouldn't be difficult to manage.

That particular solution uses Frecciargento from Venice to Florence, Regionale from Florence to La Spezia and then Regionale for the last leg to Riomaggiore. You can pre-purchase the Freccia ticket and possibly save some money, but the two Regionale tickets are best purchased in Italy at the local station, perhaps the day prior to travel.

" I know Milan is a bit longer, but only one train change."

AFAIK, you can not make that trip with only one change. Even if you have only one change to get from Venice to Monterosso, you'll have to change there again to get to Riomaggiore. That's a rather awkward route to take. Although the Regionale from Florence to La Spezia will be a bit slower, the overall travel time is still one of the quickest. The last leg from La Spezia to Riomaggiore is only about 15 minutes so won't be hard to tolerate.

One other point to consider is that in July, travelling from Monterosso to Riomaggiore will be a longer trip than from La Spezia to Riomaggiore. If you happen to encounter the type of crowds described in THIS THREAD, it may not be a pleasant trip.

Mhoffman,
Just wondering... do you have any plans to visit Florence or Rome?

If you are, you are better off taking this route Venice > Florence > CT > Rome.

Ken, what do you mean by this comment?

" Even if you have only one change to get from Venice to Monterosso, you'll have to change there again to get to Riomaggiore. That's a rather awkward route to take."

If Mhoffman decides to take the Venice-Florence- La Spezia- Riomaggiore route, he may still encounter crowds traveling from La Spezia to Riomaggiore, correct?

I've only traveled to the CT in September-October so have not had to deal with large crowds.

Thanks everyone - I appreciate all of your advice and it sounds like Travelling via Florence makes so much more sense, especially since we are headed to Riomaggiore. We will buy the high speed portion in advance and the others once we are in Venice. Living in a city (Toronto) where trains travel is not that efficient, or the norm to take while travelling, it can be a bit confusing so thanks for all of your info. It's been very helpful.

2 things to remember---

When booking trains, use the Italian name of the station, not American, e.g; Venezia S.L., not Venice,
Firenze, not Florence.

You must validate your ticket! If the conductor comes by and you have not, you will be fined on the spot! There are little machines, either yellow or green, scattered throughout the station to validate.

You have to validate only open tickets for regional trains. Fast trains tickets are issued with reservation to a fixed place in a fixed train in a fixed date, are valid only for that train (very much airplane tickets) and do not need to be validated.

Priscilla,

This is what I based my comments on.....

• Arriving in Monterosso and then connecting to Riomaggiore may not be a "quick" connection. Not all the trains that pass through Monterosso will stop at all of the other C.T. towns. I didn't check the schedules, but there could be a wait at Monterosso before the next train arrives that will be stopping at Riomaggiore.
• If the trip takes place in mid-afternoon, it could be a crowded, hot (especially in July), "standing-room-only" ride to Riomaggiore. The cruise ship crowds and other day trippers will be starting to head south to visit the other towns and to return to Livorno or La Spezia to rejoin their ships.
• The "official" travel times listed for Monterosso - Riomaggiore vary between about 11 to 19 minutes. In my experience, if the trains are horrendously crowded, this trip WILL take longer!
• The "official" travel time from La Spezia Migliarina for the route I suggested is about 15 minutes (shorter from La Spezia Centrale). At that time of the afternoon, from what I've seen the cruise and other day trippers will already be in the C.T., or heading in the other direction as mentioned above. If travelling from Monterosso south, you'll be joining them (I have and it's NOT pleasant!!!). Therefore it's likely that a trip from La Spezia to Riomaggiore at that time of day will be less crowded and there will probably be a place to sit.

Of course things could work out entirely differently, but based on my observations over the years, I'd be following the route I suggested earlier.

mhoffman,

Do you have an idea how to reach the main street of Riomaggiore from the station to get to your lodgings?

Thanks asps2 for clarifying.

Ken and Priscilla,
All of your points are well taken. La Spezia it is! As for getting to our lodging from the train ... I was planning in getting information from the woman we are renting the place from and hoping she could meet us or help us find the place. We aren't headed to Italy until the beginning of July and will be working out the details well before we go. Not sure what to expect but hope it runs smoothly.

Ken, thanks for clarifying!

Mhoffman, have a wonderful trip!