We are planning to go on the Rick Steves My way Alpine tour. It ends in Chamonix, can someone advise us what is the best mode of travel to the Cinque Terre? We are game for Train, bus or maybe evan car. I don't even know where to start to figure this part of our trip. Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Green Bay
20254 posts
When? By train it is about 8 hours: to Vallorcine, Martigny, Sion, Milan, Monterosso. If you are staying somewhere else in the CT, you take another connecting train there. Train schedule at www.bahn.com.
There are other options, like taking a bus to Milan and taking a train from there. If this is for next year, wait to get details as current schedules may change. There also may be repair work on the tracks (as there is right now) that will alter things. Just know it can be done, but leave a full day to do it.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Best place to start any search is http://www.rome2rio.com/
First place to start, and all combinations of transportation. http://www.rome2rio.com/
Now, the "best" way...
Car. 5 Hours
Bus. 8 hrs. 44 min
Bus&train. 7Hrs. 12 min.
Bus. Chamonis>Geneva 1H40m + Fly, Easyjet, Geneva>Milan>Pisa. 3 Hrs 25min. Then
train, Trenitalia, Pisa_Monterosso 1H26m. Total time 6 hrs 32min. ( 4 changes)
Unless you are comfortable with making changes, think I would opt for the bus.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32220 posts
cynthia,
I travelled almost exactly that same route a few weeks ago, although I broke up the trip with a couple of nights in Lausanne. If you're going to travel directly from Chamonix to the Cinque Terre, it will likely be a very LONG travel day (I haven't checked).
I used the route described by the others - Chamonix / Vallorcine / Martigny and then Lausanne. That part of the trip was quite easy. The next segment was from Lausanne to Monterosso and although it was a longer travel day, it was also quite straight forward.
Posted by
OP
Oak Hill, VA, USA
113 posts
Sam,
We are going in September of 2016.
Thanks so much everyone for your advice!
Cynthia