My son and I want to fly to rome for a few days and then take the train to the cinqueterra - hike for 5 days and then get a train to avignon and then barcelona
total time 2 weeks - is there a train that goes along the riviera
Posted by
Reston, Virginia
403 posts
You can get from the Cinque Terre to the French Riviera by train, and you can get from the Riviera to Avignon by train. (Use the resources on this site to explore the DB rail schedules. ) However, you will have to change trains in either Genoa or Milan before going to Nice. From Nice to Avignon there is a direct TGV in the morning, and there are many trains from Nice to Avignon with a change in Marseilles. It is also possible to train from Aivgnon/Arles/Marseilles to Barcelona, but it is still a long trip as the high speed line is not finished. Perhaps I misunderstood your plans, but it sounded to me as though Rome and the CT would take up 7 or 8 days out of your 14. If that is the case, I think you would have to choose between Provence and Barcelona or else spend most of your time looking out of train windows rather than enjoying the places you are visiting. Keep in mind that it is possible to fly via discount airline from several Italian cities to Barcelona (Easyjet, Vueling, etc ).
A really fine trip IMO would be to fly into Rome, then the CT (I assume this is a summer trip), and finish in Nice for several days, flying home from Nice. Have a good time!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33846 posts
5 days is a lot of days to hike around 5 small villages very close to each other IMHO
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
You can walk the CT end-to-end and back in spring/fall daylight. Probably not in winter if you're not used to walking. No matter how you cut it, it's not hiking.
Posted by
Edmond, OK
201 posts
We did a similar trip this fall: Avignon to Nice (spent one night there to break up the trip), Nice to Monterosso for 4 days. Monterosso to Siena for a week, Siena to Rome. I heartily recommend breaking up the train trip from Avignon to Cinque Terre/Monterosso because it would be one really, really long exhausting day if you did it nonstop. The trip from Nice to Monterosso had 27 stops! But it is doable. Spending a night in Nice worked out very well and we had plenty of time to enjoy the sights and stretch our legs. Deutsche Bahn website is invaluable--study the time schedules carefully and you can plan the whole route. Carole