Vernazza: 2 Days, 2 Nights - Itinerary Help

Train from Vernazza to Genoa and you'll see lots of other cities/towns you might want to visit along the way. Once at the train station, the bus leaves out front for the Genoa airport. http://www.airport.genova.it/v2/index.php?option=com_content&id=67&Itemid=136&lang=en

Train is easy but I noticed trains to Genoa can run about 15-20 minutes late. So, plan accordingly. I recommend a first class ticket on your trip from Vernazza to Genoa as you will have more comfort and a better place to put luggage. Second Class is perfectly fine when traveling around without a lot of luggage.

One thing I also recommend if you are open for your dates in Vernazza: See if you can find a link online or search this Italy forum for the link that lists when cruise ships are stopping in. If you happen to stay in Vernazza on a cruise ship day, you may regret it! It's INSANE dealing with all those tourists from the ships. I was warned about this by another RS member and I witnessed this one of the days myself. I had to go back the next day just to see what the villages would be like without the throngs of cruise ship people and it was a huge improvement!

Enjoy your trip! Vernazza is gorgeous!

Thank you for the train recommendations! Are there any places that we should go for lunch / dinner in Vernazza or nearby towns?

mikail,

I can't help with restaurant recommendations in Vernazza, but can suggest several in Monterosso if you're interested. It's only about a 5-8 minute ride between the two towns using the local trains, so very easy to have dinner and still get "home" easily.

Regarding travel to the airport in Genova, travel by train is absolutely your best option. One important point to note is that there are several stations in Genova, and you'll have to know your destination station when buying tickets, which you can easily do at the station in Vernazza. You may be riding on Regionale trains on that route, so DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you'll risk a hefty fine which will be collected on the spot!

Your best bet is to use either Genova Piazza Principe or Genova Brignole, as they offer VolaBus service. I believe the trip is about 30 minutes and tickets €6 PP (hopefully someone else can confirm that). Of the two stations, I'd probably use Piazza Principe as I believe the bus trip to the airport is a bit shorter. Have a look at the VOLABUS website for all the details.

For the "perfect swim", you could try the small enclosed harbour in Vernazza. It's difficult to see in the photo, but in the distance under the yellow house, there are swimmers on the rocks, and a few in the water. You could also pack a day bag and go to Monterosso, which has the best beaches of the five towns. Note that some parts of the beach there have "pay" lounge chairs and umbrellas and other parts of the beach are free. The cost for the chairs is reasonable, so it shouldn't be too much of an expense. Also note that there are beaches both in the "old town" (through the tunnel) and the "new town" (where the train station is located). Swimming is also possible in the other towns, although that's mostly just jumping off rocks into the water. There are no "proper" beaches in Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore (although if you take the trail around the corner of the harbour in Riomaggiore, there's a small bay with a beach, but I've never used it).

When you arrive there, I suspect you'll be wishing that you had booked more time!

Happy travels!

Ken, we will be staying two nights in Monterosso. Any restaurants you can suggest would be great. My hubby loves all kinds of seafood/shellfish. I don't, so if any good restaurants had chicken, beef or pasta without shellfish that would be great.
Thanks,
B

We loved Il Pirate for breakfast (great pastries and capuccino's and ate dinner there too. The Blue Marlin serves eggs & sausages as well.
Our worst meal was in the Castle at the top and our best dinner was at Trattoria da Sandro ( I don't know whether it re-opened after the flood but I am sure Il Pirate did.
Hope this helps.

In June, I had a wonderful dinner at Ristorante Belforte in Vernazza. It was my splurge dinner. I called ahead and requested a table on the terrazza con vista (terrace with spectacular views). The service, food, and wine were so great! More information in Italy.

Sharon

I second Sharons reply about the Belforte. We ate there and it was my favorite meal on our italy trip last year that was in a restaurant. We had an amazing antipasti which was Mussels in a garlic white wine sauce.. We also had the Insalata di Mare Calde alla Vernaza (hot seafood vernazza style) and the Trofi di pasta fresca, mantecata con pesto alla genovessi futto dalla Michele (Trofi with pesto, fresh pasta Michele style). We meet a couple next to us traveling and they ordered the fish of the day that was covered and baked in salt. They had a big portion, too much for them that they gave us some of the fish. That was great too.
I still remember the first bite of that meal. http://www.ristorantebelforte.it/en

In Monterrosso go see Lorenzo at Cantina du Sciacchetra. We stopped in after hiking and Lorenzo was telling us about, and giving us samples of the 20+ different homemade pesto and the different wines he has.

Thank you Robert and Sharon! I have made a reservation at Belforte. Cannot wait!

Buon viaggio!