Help!! My husband and I are traveling to Rome for 10 days and we would like to take a short trip to Cinque Terre because we have heard WONDERFUL things about it. This will be at the end of July, which is quickly approaching. We do not know the best way to travel and into what part of Cinque Terre to go to. Our immediate thought was train because I am researching and see that it takes quite a bit of time to get there. Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Could you clarify: are you thinking of trying to do a day trip from Rome to Cinque Terre, and back to Rome, in the same day?
Posted by
OP
Palatine, IL, USA
4 posts
Ideally, yes, BUT we would definitely stay for 1 night. Thanks!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Very few people posting here attempt Rome to Cinque Terre and back as a day trip. Staying overnight will be more fun.
Posted by
OP
Palatine, IL, USA
4 posts
Yeah for sure! But how do we go about doing that, do we take a train and which stop in Cinque Terre do we use?
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Take the train.
Go here to see train schedules: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en The train stop in Cinque Terre depends on which of the 5 villages you decide to sleep at. To decide that, go here to Cinque Terre 101: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/italy_menu.htm
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Kim, That's not ideal as a day trip, but as you're spending one night, it should be an easy trip. There's a direct train from Roma Termini to La Spezia with a travel time of ~3H:45M. That's the one I'd use. You'll know you're getting close when the train "breaks out" onto the coast! From La Spezia you can take the local train to whichever of the five villages you want to use as a "home base". At this late date, it could be a problem finding accommodations, especially for only one night. If you have the Italy Guidebook, you can start researching Hotels, but at this point you may have to take what you can get. Monterosso is the largest of the villages and therefore has the greatest number of Hotels, so I'd start there. Vernazza is one of the most popular destinations, so I doubt you'll find too many vacancies there at this time of year. To provide an example, I started looking for a room in Monterosso in about February, for a visit at the end of September. It took me about four days and a slight change to my Itinerary to get something arranged. If you don't have a copy of the Guidebook at hand, I can make a few suggestions. You could also check Trip Adviser. Good luck and happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Palatine, IL, USA
4 posts
Thank you very much for your suggestions!! We have been so busy this summer, that our "travel research" is now crammed into 2 weeks!!
Posted by
Collierville, Tennessee, USA
517 posts
Take a look at the Amalfi Coast. similar in some ways to Cinque Terre, views of the sea, precipitous cliffs, etc. I have been both places, and like both but I think the Amalfi Coast is prettier. Biggest bonus is that it is closer to Rome than the CT.
Posted by
Collierville, Tennessee, USA
517 posts
If you decide to go to the CT, check out SoleTerraMare in Corniglia. We stayed there last month and loved it. Corniglia is probably the least popular town with tourists, I guess because it is really small and not on the sea. We thought it was great. Good restaurants and some of the best gelato I have had in Italy. At any rate, since it is not as popular it might be easier to find lodging there.
Posted by
Santa Barbara, CA
8 posts
Kim, I recently traveled from Cinque Terre to Rome.... You should stay in Cinque Terre at least 1 night, 2 would be better :) Train is really the only way I know of to get there, I guess you could hire a boat but I'm not familiar with that... I think the train takes about 3-4 hours if my memory is correct (of course I was sleeping for part of it). Vernazza is one of the biggest (I mean like 2 blocks long big) villages in the group of 5 there. It's got some great food, hiking trails to the other villages, and nice locals. Cinque Terre is for relaxing and unwinding, spending time in nature, soaking up the sun rays. You guys deserve at least a couple relaxing days there. Happy trails! Robin