Cinque Terre

[Artemis17]

Just looking for any opinion on the P&O shore excursion for Cinque Terre. It is very reasonable considering its an all day outing with the peace of mind of not missing the ship should it be a late return.

 

Would you get a better experience/see more of the villages by doing it yourself bearing in mind any restrictions on numbers allowed etc?

 

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Thanks

[Marmaduke]

I have not looked at the P & O excursion to see what it includes and you don't say which port you will be berthed in, but Cinque Terre is very easy to do on your own from La Spezia train station. When we did it a couple of years ago the 1 day train ticket which works like a hop on, hop off ticket cost about 10 euros. The time between each station was no more that 15 minutes. The ticket also covers the walking trails between each of the villages although these are often closed due to land slides. If open I recommend the trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola. Its only about a 20 minute walk, along a nicely paved cliff top path.

[mickey89]

If you are docked in La Spezia I would recommend DIY.

If Livorno, don't attempt via public transport, either use the cruise tour or better still organise your own. We used http://www.tuscanytastetours.com and were excellent, half the price of the cruise ship.

Remember the mystic of the Cinqueterre is well known these days and is overrun with tourists. If you go be prepared for long queues at the train stations, packed trains and if you are luckly maybe the water ferries are operating. The water ferries are frequently postponed even with the slightest sea swell.

 

The Lovers Walk (Via dell'Amore) that Marmaduke talked about is CLOSED and probably will be for many years to come due to severe landslides which killed a few people. If you are interested there is some good facts on http://www.cinqueterreinsider.com

Edited April 18, 2016 by mickey89

[Artemis17]

Thank you both for your replies. I think the ships tour seems like the best option as its only £34 for the whole day (9-4) including getting between the villages on train/ferry etc.

 

Mickey, I will certainly read up on the place using the link you kindly posted.

[annieuk]

We stayed for a week in Manarola, one of the five towns of Cinque Terre back in 2001 - in fact we were there on 9/11. They are amazing places but it does take time and queueing to get between the towns. Personally I would go for an official excursion that will give you a flavour of the places and get you back to the ship on time. If you like what you see then consider a land based holiday there.

[brillo]

Cruise tour every time far less trouble !