Cinque Terre Ship tour - have you taken it?

[luvtravel]

We will be on the Riviera in June and one stop is in LaSpezia where we have booked ships tour to Cinque Terre. It is probably easy to go on our own, but feel it would be more convenient to take the ship tour as we should have designated seating, etc. in a very crowded area. The written description of the tour is very vague..unlike the descriptions of other tours. It does emphasize its not for people with mobility issues - which we do not have. The Oceania customer service only have the same written description. Wondered if anyone has taken this on a previous cruise and would you share your experience. Thanks!

[JimandStan]

We will be on the Riviera in June and one stop is in LaSpezia where we have booked ships tour to Cinque Terre. It is probably easy to go on our own, but feel it would be more convenient to take the ship tour as we should have designated seating, etc. in a very crowded area. The written description of the tour is very vague..unlike the descriptions of other tours. It does emphasize its not for people with mobility issues - which we do not have. The Oceania customer service only have the same written description. Wondered if anyone has taken this on a previous cruise and would you share your experience. Thanks!

First of all, nobody has designated seating while touring Cinque Terre; they are five gloriously picturesque little villages nestled into a rocky, cliff lined section of coast.

An Oceania motor-coach will painlessly transfer you from the Cruise Ship to (usually) the most Northern village. Then a guide will assist you in making your way by foot or ferry to the Southernmost. It's all very informal and free form.

For example, there is a Ferry Schedule, but because it is tough to estimate walking times, one generally waits for the next ferry as they would wait at an unfamiliar bus stop at home.

Alternately, some of the walkways between the villages are VERY SCENIC and have gained notoriety as lovers lanes.

 

It's a lot of walking up and down very steep inclines, interspersed with long promenades between towns. Some people insist on visiting all five towns, others lose steam after two or three, and eventually stay on a ferry until the end of the line.

Everyone meets up again at the last village by a pre-selected time for the ride back to the ship.

 

Hope that this helped-

 

Edited February 16, 2016 by JimandStan

[luvtravel]

Thank you for such a great detailed response. Gives us more of a sense of what is offered..but by their description you would never know.

All the Oceania's description says is,

'This tour includes a short cruise to Vernazza. It has narrow, steep paths descend toward the main road, which leads to a charming waterside square. Please note: this tour includes considerable walking as well as embarking and disembarking local boats. It is recommended comfortable shoes with non-slip soles be worn.' Total tour length 4-1/2 hrs.

 

We booked it but can cancel....and maybe just take train from LaSpazia to different towns and hopefully a ferry back.

 

Thanks again.

[KirkNC]

A little heavy on the Photoshop for those pictures. While the villages are lovely the colors are more subdued.

 

Be aware that many of the trails between villages are still closed due to mudslides a few years ago.

[Marmaduke]

The advantage of taking the ships tour is that it usually includes a boat ride so you can see the villages from the sea but the Cinque Terrre is very easy and cheap to do by train on your own providing you are fairly mobile and don't mind walking. The station in La Spezia is about a 15 min walk from the quay and there is a Cinque Terre tourist office by Platform 1 where you can by a day pass which acts like a Hop On Hop Off ticket. Two years ago it cost 10 euro pp. The staff speak English and will give you a timetable. The trains are frequent and the travel time between each station is only about 10 minutes. Your day pass also coveres the walking trails but theses are often closed due to landslides etc. and some of the trails take a couple of hours or more to cover. The best one is between Riomaggiore and Manarola, a 15 minute walk along a beautiful paved cliff top path. The village of Cornigila is up on a hill so quite a hike from the station although there are steps (several hundred) up to it. We found it easier to walk up the road then take the steps down back to the station. You could always get a taxi to the village.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Marmaduke

[jo-b]

An article this weekend about the area may add another reason for a ship's tour, if they are limiting numbers one assumes (maybe wrongly) that pre booked large groups will have tickets ahead of time

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/17/italy-to-impose-limits-on-visitors-to-cinque-terre-with-tourist-ticket-system

[harryw]

We enjoyed the train option...service was frequent and the train schedules which are online are easy to read. It provides independence and permits last minute variations.

 

Harry

[Mura]

Maybe off the track a bit but we did Cinque Terra from Portovenere (we were on a self-drive trip) and the ferry worked very well for us. (Obviously NOT from Spezia.) We used the ferry to go from port to port rather than walking, although we walked around the stops themselves. We cut the day short when it started raining (we were there in early May) ... but I certainly recommend a visit there.

 

Mura

[ORV]

Keep in mind that if you are there at the end of the season that they will not do the boat part,even if the O description says it does. The ship's tour we took was by bus and train, from Livorno.

[wripro]

If you do the tour from Livorno be prepared to spend most of your time in the bus and much less actually seeing the five towns. It's too far imo.

[ORV]

Not really any further than tours to Sienna or San Gimignano, or other Tuscany towns. Like most tours in this area it was an all day tour

[JPR]

We most enjoyed the farthest town from La Spezia, Monterosso al Mare. Really two towns joined by a walking tunnel.

[Tansy Mews]

It is easy from La Spezia. Just go to the train station and get a train ticket and a park pass from the National Park information office on the platform.

As you see on this page, there is only a few minutes between towns.

http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-timetable

 

More info:

http://www.cinqueterreonline.com/tips.htm

http://www.parco****onale5terre.it/Earr.php

 

Really worthwhile. You may not have time for every town, but some people did walk part of the way along the paths.

Just double-check the train timetable and don't take the last possible one! There is always a chance it could be late.

 

My sister took the ship's bus tour and she wasn't particularly enthralled with Cinque Terre. I think that you don't get the full flavour doing it that way.

[Iamthesea]

A little heavy on the Photoshop for those pictures. While the villages are lovely the colors are more subdued.

 

Be aware that many of the trails between villages are still closed due to mudslides a few years ago.

 

That's what I was thinking about the photos. We were slightly disappointed in the scenery after viewing photos online. Many of the trails were still closed, as well.

 

We took a private tour with members from our roll call and think that's the best way to go. However, we did not get to see the villages from the sea and I do think that a highlight. Our guide did give us an overview stop high up on a hill before entering the villages. :). In addition to our CT tour, we also had time to go to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and tour around for about an hour.

[SellaVee]

We stopped at La Spezia in 2012. We took the ferry from there to Portovenere then took another ferry along the coast. There was some commentary from the captain. We skipped the first town, walked between two of the five towns and ferry hopped the rest. We then took the train from Monterosso back to La Spezia and walked back to the ship (Regatta).

 

I did a lot of research on Tripadvisor before I went, so on the day I had a clear idea of where we were going and when. We enjoyed seeing the towns from the sea, but most of all we liked going at our own pace. We had lunch in one of the towns and the walk we did was the lover's walk. We found the trains efficient but I hadn't worked out our route back to the ship from the station so we never quite knew when we would come upon it, but we got there in the end. Next time I'd make sure I knew where I was going when I got off the train!

Edited February 23, 2016 by SellaVee

[Oyster Bar]

We had the same question as you and we, too, appreciate the colourful & informative response.

[riandei]

If you do the tour from Livorno be prepared to spend most of your time in the bus and much less actually seeing the five towns. It's too far imo.

 

 

I disagree...we went from livorno and had a wonderful day in Cinque.

 

We also saw all the beautiful hills filled with carrera marble. While it was a long drive....it was so worth it.

[buggins0402]

An article this weekend about the area may add another reason for a ship's tour, if they are limiting numbers one assumes (maybe wrongly) that pre booked large groups will have tickets ahead of time

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/17/italy-to-impose-limits-on-visitors-to-cinque-terre-with-tourist-ticket-system

 

Here is the latest information regarding limits from the Cinque Terre specialists on Trip Advisor:

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187817-i997-k9328108-Limiting_Tourists_starting_this_summer_Anyone_concerned-Cinque_Terre_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

[MOTB]

As far as I can tell, it isn't very far to walk to the ferry terminal. Very easy and much cheaper to DIY. I've done it from Marina di Massa, further along the coast. It's a lovely trip, if the weather is good (it was a glorious hot sunny day in July when I last did it; I'm next planning to do it at the end of October. The villages are delightful and you can do as much or as little walking there as you wish (not a lot for me as I have painful knees). You won't have time to stop at more than 2 or 3 of them.

[ellbon]

different cruise line and we use the ferry. .went only to two towns but better than nothing. one had a church built into a rock. i run thru both town taking pictures and even stopped for coffee. when we got back to where the ship was i had time for lunch and an ice cream. i want more time there too.

[JPR]

We particularly enjoyed the "divided" town of Monterosso al Mare as well as Vernazza.

We hiked from the first to the second but it is quite rigorous; takes 3 hours. Take the train instead unless you are very fit and have the time. Two of the southernmost towns are a short and easy walk apart.

[buggins0402]

We particularly enjoyed the "divided" town of Monterosso al Mare as well as Vernazza.

We hiked from the first to the second but it is quite rigorous; takes 3 hours. Take the train instead unless you are very fit and have the time. Two of the southernmost towns are a short and easy walk apart.

 

I believe the walk between the first two towns is still closed from the flooding a few years ago.

[Adeles1]

We did the trip with Oceania from Livorno in the summer. Unfortunately the sea was too rough for the ferries which was a shame but even just using the train it was enjoyable. I think from La Spezia it would be just as easy and doubtless considerably cheaper to do it under your own steam . Lovers lane was closed and we were told it had been for a few years so we were surprised Oceania still used it in the description. That for us was major disappointment still worth doing the trip though .

 

Unless you have mobility problem easy to get around and how much steep walking you want to do is really up to you . The stations didn't appear to require any significant up hill walking .

[TrulyBlonde]

I have taken the tour with Azamara from Portovenere. By water/ferry is the best way to see the villages. Due to large crowds, I would suggest taking the O tour because you will want to make sure you get on the correct ferry as it can get confusing. It can get complicated especially with the huge # of tourists and O will be responsible for getting you to the ship on time. We did it early May and the ferries were loaded with people.

[Baandb]

We visited Cinque Terre in June this year on the Riviera. We found it very straight forward to DIY.

 

We walked to the ferry terminal from the boat, where we bought our tickets at the booth. We then took the ferry that goes to Porto Venere and then onto each of the five villages.

 

We got off the ferry at the furthest village having had great views of each of the villages along the way.

 

We then then bought a day pass for the train at the village (Monterosso) and took the train back to La Spezzia - stopping at each village along the way. The trains are regular, so we never had to wait more than 5 mins for each train.

 

We had plenty to time to meander around each of the villages - enjoying a pleasant lunch at a waterside restaurant at Vernazza.

 

We chose to walk back to the cruise terminal - which took us about 20-30 minutes.

 

We'd fully recommend this approach as you get the great vista's from the water on the way to the villages - with the convenience of train on the return trip.