Hello All.
I will be on my Honeymoon in June. We plan on being in the Alps for a few days and then off to Cinque Terre. Our place is in Manarola.
Our depart day is June 20 and we don't mind leaving early.
What would be the best route to take? Genoa to Manarola? Monterosso to Manarola? or something else...?
Thanks a bunch!
Kevin
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You're better off using the Swiss Rail web site:
www.sbb.ch/en
It's an eight hour journey with 3 or 4 changes depending on when you leave. The route with 3 changes includes Spiez, Milan, and La Spezia.
Kevin,
That particular trip is a bit lengthy, but not too complicated. Several train changes are required, so be sure to pack light as you'll probably need to use the "sotto passagio" (tunnels) to get from one track to another!
The shortest trip I could find departs Interlaken Ost at 07:29, arriving Manarola 14:34 (7H 5M, 4 changes at Spiez, Milano, Genova & Sestri). Note that three of the trains require compulsory reservations (should be OK to buy when you arrive at Interlaken, unless it's a holiday or whatever). Also, this route is not covered every day (probably not Sunday?). Check the www.bahn.de site for all the details.
One word of caution. If you choose this trip, be "prepared for" Milano Centrale. It's one of the most chaotic stations I've encountered so far (not sure the best word to describe it?).
Hope you have a great time in the Cinque Terre!
Good luck and Congratulations!
We have purchased Eurail passes...
Do I still have to pay for reservations?
If so, can I do it all at one station?
Kevin, you should be able to get all of your ticket arrangements taken care of in the Interlaken Ost train station. Does your pass cover both Switzerland and Italy? If yes, you will be charged a reservation fee for the faster trains on the run. These will include the ICPlus, EC, CIS and IC trains. You will not pay extra for R trains on any run. If your pass does not cover both countries, you will be charged a standard fare for that part of the journey not covered by your pass.
CLICK HERE to see a current schedule. Note the train category column. If you spend about 10-15-Euro more, you can get on the CIS "tilting" train (leans into the turns). It's a bit more expensive but it's much quicker.
Larry,
Our passes are covered in both Swiss and Italy.
Are you saying I can take care of reservations for any leg of that trip from Interlaken?
How much are the reservation fees with a Eurail pass usually?
Thanks!
Kevin, I'm not really sure but I suggest that you go to the ticket window at Interlaken Ost and see what takes place. I've done the reverse journey from Italy and everything, including the ticket and seat reservation, was taken care of in Italy. I find it weird that I can pay for travel in Switzerland from Italy but that's the way it works. I assume it works that way in reverse. Reservation fees can range from 3Euro on the IC trains up to 30Euro on the top-of-the line EuroCity or Eurostar trains.
