train from Venice to Cinque Terre

Kathie, relax! Taking the train is by far the easiest and most relaxing way to get from Venice to the Cinque Terre! Which of the five villages will you be staying in?

You will likely need a reservation for at least part of that trip, but it should be perfectly fine to purchase your tickets (which include any necessary reservation fees) at the time you arrive at Venice train station. If you're arriving in Venice by air and boat, use one of the travel agents near Piazza San Marco listed in Rick's book.

One train that you might consider departs Venezia S.L. at 08:43, arriving La Spezia at 14:30 (Time 5H 47M, one change at Firenze S.M.N., 35 minutes to change trains, runs Mon.-Sat., first train requires compulsory reservations). That's the shortest trip I could find, and I tried to find one with the least number of changes.

On arrival at La Spezia, you'll transfer to the local Cinque Terre train. The departure times are listed on page 287 of Rick's "Italy" book.

I'm not sure what to make of your comment that "the train is not good for people with weak stomachs". Except for a few "minor" issues, I've never had any problem with the trains in Italy. It's a wonderful way to get around and enjoy the beautiful scenery!!!

Happy travels!!!

Here's the best train schedule website, you can use the website to answer any additional questions you have: click here

Your stomach will like the train ride; dont worry about it. There are several stops on your trip.

Go to the RR station and tell the clerk what you want; he will ticket you on the express train as far as he can and then put you on the local that stops at the 5 villages.

Ask for a computer print of you itinerary so you will know exactly where you change trains and what the time schedule is.

My daughter and I took the specific train recommended by Ken from Venice to Cinque Terre. It was great. We bought our tickets (second class) a day or so ahead at the American Express office in Venice near San Marco. They only have a slight surcharge and you won't have the language barrier or nervousness with the ticket machines. My only advice--- we left our hotel near San Marco at 7:15 a.m. and took the public water boats (not private water taxi) to the train station. We barely made it because everything takes longer during rush hour on the public transportation. Allow plenty of time and have fun. It is a great ride to Cinque Terre.

I took that route mentioned as well in May and had no problems . Bring your own toilet paper as none of the bathrooms had any!!! We made our reservations that morning and had no problems getting a seat.

The Cinque Terre is a bit out of the way. Thus, there is no such thing as a non-stop or direct train. You will change trains 1-3 times depending on the run you select. Ken's train recommendation above is a great run with only 1 train change in Florence. You'll be stunned and amazed at the fine train system in both Venice and Florence. These stations are not like any quiet AMTRAK station you may have nearby. Florence has 16 tracks into their train station. Put all fears and anxieties away about the Italian train system.

If you select the train run suggested by Ken, and you are staying somewhere on the main islands, make sure you allow enough time to take the vaporetto (water bus) to the train station. It's the Ferrovia stop.

Next, you can buy the tickets when you arrive in Venice. Buying as soon as you arrive gives you the opportunity to try for the AMICA fare which is a limited 20% discount on fares. However, you really can walk up, buy your tickets, and get on the next train. Another reason that you want to buy early is that there are nine of you. I bet that you would like to sit together. The better category trains require seat reservations. If you buy early, you have a great chance of getting seats together. If you wait, you may not get adjoining seats. Note that the first leg of your train journey is most likely a Eurostar. This train requires seat reservations. Expect a standard one-way fare of 41.40Euro per person to La Spezia Centrale.

In the Venice train station, Trenitalia has a helpful tourist office. They don't sell tickets but you can tell them what you want and they will print out an itinerary for you to take to the ticket window to buy your tickets. If you go to the ticket window instead, make sure that you have your information written down. You will want your date of travel, time, To: From: info and train number. Agents at the ticket window often do not speak great English. Hand them the piece of paper instead.

(Second Message) I should have done this above but if you CLICK THIS LINK you can see what the train schedule looks like.

You might want to know that there is a special travel card for the Cinque Terre. It's called the Cinque Terre Treno card. You buy them for 1,2,3 and 7-days. Since you're there for 3 nights, it might be useful. It provides unlimited train travel from La Spezia in the south to Levanto in the north. It covers all of the five CT towns. And, you will be traveling between the towns on the train. It also covers the fares on the coastal walking/hiking trails between the towns. It also covers the fares on the mini-buses in the towns that go up and down the steep hills. It's a good value. To get them, make your desintation La Spezia Centrale from Venice. When you arrive in La Spezia, walk into the Tourist Information (TI) office in the station and buy them. Then, you walk out onto the platform and hop onto the next train to your CT destination. Your card will cover the trip. CLICK THIS LINK to see what they look like. Yes you will want to walk some of the trails between the towns. The first two north out of Riomaggiore are very flat and easy. They're longer and steeper as you go north from Corniglia to Monterosso. If you're young, go for it.

On the trains, there is luggage storage in racks overhead. The 3-4 steps onto the carriage are narrow and a bit steep. Get your luggage up into the carriage and then place them overhead. Avoid placing your luggage at the ends of the carriages. Not to frighten you but luggage theft can occur from that location. Place them overhead. In the Eurostar, they can go between the seats.