Port to La Spezia train station?

[Va Gi]

@Hlitner Thank you! We are definitely getting this pass. 

[Hlitner]

7 minutes ago, Va Gi said:

@Hlitner Thank you! We are definitely getting this pass. 

Just a hint that while many folks plan on visiting all 5 villages (on a port day) that can be a bridge too far kind of thing.  On most of our visits we limit ourselves to no more than 3 villages (even when on land trips when we have no time constraints).  My advice is to prioritize the villages in case you run out of time.

 

I will again post a warning about Corniglia (one of my favorite villages).  Visiting this village will involve a lot of extra time since nearly everyone uses the small shuttle bus to get from the train station up to town.  In theory, it can be walked (lots of steep steps) but few want to do that uphill hike.  The problem is the lone shuttle bus is quite small and only runs every 20-30 minutes.  If its a crowded day, you may not be able to get on the first bus which makes that wait too darn long.  Because of this problem it is the least visited village (which is one reason why it is our favorite).

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

1 hour ago, Va Gi said:

If I were to buy 2 bus tickets (1 to go and 1 to come back), does that mean I can only use it the day that I purchase them? Do buying tickets in advance ever expire? 

 

The tickets become "live" when you stamp them upon boarding the bus.  Be sure to do this!  Only stamp the one for the trip you are on, that starts the clock for its validity.

 

I don't know specifically about the La Spezia paper tickets, in other places an unstamped paper ticket is usually good for about a year.

[euro cruiser]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

I should also mention that the popular hiking walkway (Via del Amore) that links Riomaggiore to Manarola, was not yet fully opened during our visit in April.  

 

According to the park website, the Via dell'Amore is scheduled for reopening in July 2024. We shall see.

 

Footpaths in Cinque Terre

[alserrod]

On 6/12/2024 at 3:55 AM, euro cruiser said:

A single use bus ticket is 1,50 euro.  You can buy a paper ticket at local stores or download the app and buy through that.  For a visitor the paper ticket makes more sense unless you like adding apps to your phone for use once or twice.

 

Ask at the cruise terminal where the closest place is to buy a ticket.  You can see the list of authorized retailers here but it's easier to just ask:  Microsoft Word - RIVENDITE_X SITO 070519.doc (atcesercizio.it)

 

The stop closest to the cruise terminal is called Comune and it's located across the park from the terminal (with your back to the water, walk across the street, across the park, across the piazza to Via Vittorio Veneto.  Cross to the opposite side of the street and take either bus #3, #12 or #19, whichever comes first.

 

But honestly, if you're up to it, it's easier and probably faster to just walk.  La Spezia Centrale is one and a quarter miles on foot from the cruise terminal, about a half hour of walking for most people. 

 

ATC, the bus company, has some information in English on their site.  You can see the bus schedules there:  ATC TIMETABLE | ATC Esercizio

 

 

 

 

I have surfed into a lot of webpages and haven't already found where to buy tickets near the port.

Does it means taxi drivers have requested not to sell near the port so people must use a taxi?. I do not know, but I checked all locations and there's nothing near the port.

Conversely, from the station to the port there are several places where to buy it.

 

And they point they do not sell onboard

 

 

 

 

On 6/13/2024 at 2:19 PM, Va Gi said:

Thank you for this! If I were to buy 2 bus tickets (1 to go and 1 to come back), does that mean I can only use it the day that I purchase them? Do buying tickets in advance ever expire? Thanks for your continuous help!

 

One journey ticket. If you wanna they sell 24h tickets but they do not worth if you are going to Cinque Terre.

 

I will be in Cinque Terre by 10 days

 

 

 

[euro cruiser]

The bookstore in front of the Comune stop is one of the ticket outlets, Libreria Paoline, Via Veneto 33.

 

A few doors down the street at #15 the bar also sells tickets.

 

It's really not that hard to find them, and there's no conspiracy to hide them from you.

[Va Gi]

@euro cruiser @Hlitner Hello! When doing research on how far Monterosso is from la Spezia central, this website said it is about 25 minutes with the train (https://cinqueterre-travel.com/getting_there/train/#:~:text=The journey between the villages,Manarola to Corniglia 4 minutes). However, when looking at the distance on google maps, the estimated time to get to Monterosso is anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour and a half with the train. We want to go to Fegina beach in Monterosso, can someone please confirm which is the right estimated time to get to Fegina beach? Thank you in advance!

[euro cruiser]

It's 22-23 minutes according to Trenitalia from La Spezia Centrale to the Monterosso train station, and the train station is basically on the beach.

 

Google doesn't know everything.

Edited July 2 by euro cruiser

[Va Gi]

@euro cruiser What a relief, thank you!

Also, I took a look at the ATC website for more information on tickets, and I'm wondering which tickets is best to buy? I'm either debating between getting two single tickets (to go and to come back) or the "La Spezia Urban Ticket" or the "All Zone Daily Ticket". Any insight would be much appreciated!

 

For reference: https://www.atcesercizio.it/en/biglietti/

[Hlitner]

On 7/3/2024 at 7:53 AM, Va Gi said:

@euro cruiser What a relief, thank you!

Also, I took a look at the ATC website for more information on tickets, and I'm wondering which tickets is best to buy? I'm either debating between getting two single tickets (to go and to come back) or the "La Spezia Urban Ticket" or the "All Zone Daily Ticket". Any insight would be much appreciated!

 

For reference: https://www.atcesercizio.it/en/biglietti/

If you plan on only going to a single village by train (i.e. Riomaggiore) than two single tickets make the most sense.  But if you plan on 2 or more villages we think an all day ticket is a better buy.  And keep in mind that the all-day ticket (Cinque Terre Card) does include a few other items (besides train fare).  I also suggest, that if you are going during the high season, you consider purchasing a Cinque Terre card, online, since that avoids having to wait in the queue at the La Spezia train station.  When we last visited, in April, the queue to buy a ticket was about 30 minutes...and this was not high season.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

ATC tickets are only good in La Spezia, they won't do you any good in the Cinque Terre, so you'd only need two one ways, to the train station and back.

 

The tickets for La Spezia are sold by Trenitalia or the park pass that is sold in conjunction with Trenitalia, see Hank's note above.

[Va Gi]

@euro cruiser Thank you so much for this! By any chance, do you know if it is possible to buy several one way tickets on this website: https://shop.dropticket.it/ ?

I tried to buy tickets, but it seems as though it only allows me to buy one at a time. I'm wondering if there are other ways around this. Thanks in advance!

[euro cruiser]

I see the problem you're having but I don't see a solution, unfortunately.  

[Va Gi]

@euro cruiser I just purchased a ticket and it seems like it went live immediately and lost my ticket since it went live...is there a way around this?

[euro cruiser]

Not that I know of, sorry.  I didn't realize it would do that.  I am personally stuck in the world of paper tickets so I don't have a lot of experience with the apps or on-line purchases.  I did note that the purchase by text option is only available to Italian cell phone numbers from specific providers.

 

Is there a reason you don't want to wait and buy a paper ticket?

[Va Gi]

@euro cruiser I want to avoid waiting lines, as Hank mentioned above, especially that mid-end July is high season… 

[euro cruiser]

I don't think you have to worry about lines for bus tickets, the line issue is at La Spezia Centrale for train tickets.  Definitely get them in advance.

[DLWood]

On 4/25/2022 at 12:41 PM, dleafy said:

Hi all,

last time we visited Pisa in 2014, we were on Indy and docked at Livorno.

in two weeks were on Wonder of the seas and docking at la Spezia.

does anyone know the best way to the train station from the port. It looks to be around a mile and a half walk, but one of us has a dodgy knee.

mare there any buses?…. Are taxis readily available?

 

cheers

Dave

Did it today. We took a shuttle from the ship to the cruise terminal. Best is to take a taxi to the train. Very hot and longer than you want to walk if the train to Pisa is your goal. 15 Euro for four of us each way. there is a marked taxi stand outside the terminal. We had to wait about 5 minutes for a taxi. 
 

Train to Pisa is comfortable with an onboard washroom. Train is just over an hour from La Spezia to Pisa. Get off at the first Pisa station not the Centrale one. The tower is a 10 minute walk.