We will be staying in Monterosso al Mare and will travel to Venice from there. Is it possible to catch the train in Monterosso and head for Bologna on our way to Venice? It seems like we would be wasting time (going in the wrong direction) if we had to go back to La Spezia to head for Venice. What is the fastest route possible from Monterosso to Venice?
Thanks for any advice you can help me with.
You have to go to La Spezia or Genoa to go anywhere from the CT. The trains don't go over the mountains.
Same as Doug: when you check the train schedules (see the hypertext below), you'll see that most if not all of the trains, including the fastest (~5hrs 45mins station to station), go through Genoa or La Spezia. Note that it's not necessary for you to designate which intermediate cities you go through, once you select a train then Trenitalia takes care of the routing for you. Use this website to look at the schedules and see maps of the routes http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/enOnce on the website, enter exactly Monterosso (don't add Al Mare) and Venezia Santa Lucia, for time arbitrarily enter 0600 (you're not using this site to purchase tickets), the day doesn't matter, just arbitrarily pick a day this week (unless you know you're traveling on the weekend); when the schedules come up, click show details for all and then show map.
Vicki, almost all train runs from La Spezia (yes, you must either go via La Spezia or Genoa) either go through Bologna and stop there or require a train change at Bologna. CLICK HERE to see the morning schedule. The fastest run is the 7:52am from La Spezia Centrale. Only one change in Bologna to a Eurostar. From Monterosso, you have 2 early trains to make to La Spezia in time for the 7:52. Or, you you can take a later train from La Spezia.
If you are traveling from Monterosso to La Spezia by train, don't rely on the trains running on time. They are frequently late. Allow extra time to get to La Spezia; take an earlier train than you think you will need.
Hello Vicki, I found 2 trains from Monterosso to Venezia Santa Lucia. Both require one change of trains. First one leaves Monterosso at 7:35 arr Bologna 10:40 and leaving Bologna at 11:38 arr 13:17 at Venezia. 5 hours and 42 min. The second one leaves Monterosso at 10:55 arr at Milano Centrale 13:55 leaving Milano at 14:35 and arriving 17:10 in Venice. 6 hours and 15 minutes traveling time. The first train travels through La Spezia and the second through Genoa.But you do not have to change trains at these places. See above. Good luck and bon voyage. Karin
Karin, good catch. The 7:35am that you describe is actually the 7:52 from La Spezia Centrale that I mentioned above. You just catch it in Monterosso.
Thank you soooo much. You answered my original question perfectly. If only I had come to this site earlier....Anyway, now that I've checked out the German train site, I see that my itinerary could have been better planned. I did look at a map, but I guess I thought I'd just ride a train as the crow flies--straight to my destinations. Now I see that is not how the trains work. I'm going from Rome to Monterosso, then to Venice and on to Florence. As I see now, the train will go through Florence to get to Cinque Terre! I'm backtracking for sure. And just think, yesterday I was worried about a few miles back to La Spezia.:)
As a result of what I have learned in the last 24 hours, I now have three more questions about trains. First, is there any reason to chose/avoid particular train stations in Rome? I see I have three different ones to choose from. Secondly, I understand that ES is the fast train, but how do IC and R train experiences compare. Are they all pretty much the same except for speed? Third, do they sell food that a vegetarian can eat on the trains?
Once again, I really appreciate your thoughtful responses.
Vicki, first, all train runs from the CT to Venice do not go through Florence. Many runs go through Parma and Bologna and do not go to Florence. As metioned above, the 7:35am from Monterosso to Venice does this.
Second, the Eurostar-class (ES) train is the fastest and most expensive. The InterCity (IC) train is more regional. It is less expensive and takes longer as it stops more often. The Regional (R) train is the local. It stops at every stop. It's the cheapest ride of all.
In the middle is the ICPlus train. Fewer stops but not as expensive as the ES. For your trip from Rome to the CT, many of the runs go west to the coast and then north to the CT. Others will take you to Florence where you change trains. The coast routes can be slightly faster.
Given you itinerary, you most likely would not be on a ES train if you take the coast route from Rome. Also, from the CT to Venice, you won't hit the ES train until Bologna. Your trip from Venice to Florence will most likely be on the Eurostar.
