Getting Around The Cinque Terre

The province of La Spezia and the Cinque Terre enjoy a mild climate aided by the Apennine Mountains which provide shelter from the north winds. The climate of the Ligurian sea during winter is usually mild.

The weather is pleasant and warm from April through until the end of October. Try to avoid Cinque Terre in the busy high tourist season, which is July, August and September. These are also the hotest months with daily temperatures reaching over 30 C.

Showers are usually short but frequent during Spring and Autumn. In winter, however, these rains turn to snow even at low altitudes where winter-sport-lovers often spend their holidays.

The only true way to enjoy the Cinque Terre at its best is on foot. In fact, the Cinque Terre is crossed by a network of footpaths. The coastal footpath links all five villages, allowing fit walkers to hike from the first village to the last village in about five hours.

Large part of the Cinque Terre's tourist success is due to the paths and walks which curve round the coast or reach the sanctuaries above each village. The view is breath-taking and anybody can enjoy them: young or old. You can return from these walks using public transport, like the train, the ferryboat or the bus. You needs only minimum equipment: shoes with anti-slip soles, long trousers to protect legs from the thorn bushes, some water and, according to the season, a large straw hat or a sports jacket. And to end the day a relaxing, invigorating dive in the water. All in all this is the ideal marriage of sea and mountain.

The Cinque Terre can be easily reached by train through the Ventimiglia-Genoa-Rome line. The Genoa - La Spezia line stops in all the villages along the coast. For further information on timetables and rail connections you may visit the Trenitalia web site.

By car, the "Litoranea" (coast road) takes you to Riomaggiore and Manarola and, through Volastra, you may also reach Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. But after the junction for Vernazza the road becomes very winding for a stretch.

If you take the A12 Motorway Genova-Livorno:

• - exit the gate Carrodano-Levanto or Brugnato to reach Vernazza and Monterosso; take the SS1 and follow the directions for Pignone; then follow the signs for the Cinque Terre.
• - exit the gate La Spezia to reach Riomaggiore and Manarola.
• - exit the gate Carrodano-Levanto or La Spezia, depending whether you come from North or South, to reach Corniglia.

If you arrive by plane, the nearest airports are the "Cristoforo Colombo" international airport in Genoa (71km) and the "Galileo Galilei" international airport in Pisa (76km). The Parma airport is (90km) from the coast.

During the summer there is a daily boat service, which allows you not only to view and admire the whole of the Cinque Terre coastline, the Italian Riviera and other inland places nearby, but also allows you to move about from village to village. For further information on timetables and connections visit the Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti web site.

The Cinque Terre ferry card enables an unlmited number of journeys on the ferry-boats in the Cinque Terre Marine Reserve from Riomaggiore to Monterosso. The cost is Eur 13.60/day. Ferries only run during daylight hours so check ferry schedules to make sure that you leave yourself time to get back to your hotel.

The maritime consortium of "5 Terre, Gulf of the Poets" offers tourist trips on their boats along the incredible west ligurian coastline. The consortium owns a fleet of 16 boats of various sizes and capacity which transports tourist passengers from the ports of La Spezia, Lerici and Portovenere to the villages of the Cinque Terre. There also connections to other locations on the west coast : Levanto, Bonassola, Deiva Marina, Moneglia and Portofino.We also have connections from La Spezia to the island of Palmaria.During the summer season there are departures from Marina di Carrara, Marina di Massa, Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio for the Cinque Terre and Portofino.

The National Park operation offers an extension to the Cinque Terre Parks Card that includes local train services and other attractive travel options. You should check current prices before you travel. The prices below are for the 2007 season.

• Take an unlimited number of train trips (2nd Class) on local "Regional, Interregional and Direct" trains from Levanto to La Spezia Centrale and back.
• all pedestrian paths and the picnic areas of the Park
• the Nature Observation Points
• the museums of the territory
• the museum of Sciacchetrà in Manarola,
• the history museum of the Cinque Terre in Riomaggiore
• the old olive press and mill at Groppo
• the "Protected Marine Area" research centre and the multimedia virtual aquarium in Monterosso al Mare
• the anchovy-salting centre in Monterosso al Mare
• discount on all products purchased at the Park's Information Points.
• Use the environmentally-friendly buses operated by the Park as well as the public lifts
• Free mountain-bike hire for three hours on routes of medium – high altitude (and according to availability)

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