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Riomaggiore - Cinque Terre Copyright Vittorio Garatti- www.imagesnowords.com |
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La Spezia waterfront |
Cinque Terre have been the fabulous background of my childhood, in fact I've been so lucky to be born in La Spezia the town that is just 10 minutes by train far from the five stunning villages and I get back there 2-3 times a year because my mother still lives there and also because I simply love that part of Italy!
Here below my advice to spend an unforgettable week end in Cinque Terre , any season fits, however if possible avoid the crowded August and July timing.
Day 1 : Lerici and La Spezia I suggest to you leave Geneva early in the morning, like 6 or 7 a.m. so to get there at 1-2 p.m. take Mont Blanc Tunnel and then pass Aosta and continue towards Alessandria , then Genova till the city of La Spezia that is where you will exit the motorway.
I would recommend to set your base in La Spezia , and from there to visit the Cinque Terre , the town is nice , it offers a variety of nice and cheap accommodations and great restaurants and it's very well connected with the 5 villages.
In la Spezia book the NH hotel or alternatively the Corallo hotel (3 stars) ; these two places are very close to the pier from where the boats to Cinque Terre leave , if both are full, then choose an hotel in the central pedestrian area , but avoid the Train Station area that is not very nice.
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Lerici Castle |
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www.lidodilerici.it - beach club Lido in lerici |
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St Agostino square from wikispedia.it |
Day 2: the fabulous Cinque Terre. Get up early and go to the beautiful La Spezia Palms waterfront to the pier from where the boats (called Vaporetti in Italian) to Cinque Terre leave. The Company that operates the transport is called Navigazione Golfo Dei Poeti . Buy a daily ticket that will allow you to get on and off the boat as any times as you want and get a timetable to check the boats schedule.
Cinque Terre cannot be reached by car so the only ways to go there are by boat or by train from La Spezia Train Station, check timetable at the Italian Trains Company , Trenitalia website ; although the boat is more expensive and it takes more time to get there, I would definitively recommend it because the experience of seeing the Cinque Terre from the sea is simply unforgettable. That said, if you are in a hurry , then the train is the fastest way to visit the villages , however the experience is not comparable to the one of the boat.
Once on the boat, after 30 minutes you will arrive in Portovenere, this village deserves a half a day stop , so don't get off the boat and continue your journey to Cinque Terre, the view of Portovenere from the boat is superb, especially when the boat passes in front of St Peter church .
After another 20 minutes navigation with spectacular view of the cliffs you will arrive to the first of the five villages, Riomaggiore.
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Vernazza |
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Manarola copyright Vittorio Garatti www.imagesnowords.com |
After the nice break in Vernazza , take the next boat direction Monterosso , this is the last one of the five villages , probably the less characteristic one, but certainly the largest and most organized to host tourists .I like Monterosso and I think it's worth spending some time there to walk its seaside promenade , to explore its old city center and to experience its beautiful sea and beaches . Watch out the world beach in Liguria is misleading , there is no sand , you find instead small rocky colorful little stones.
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Monterosso |
It's late afternoon, get on the boat to go back to La Spezia and sit outside to smell the breeze and have another last look at the beautiful pastel color houses that in the sunset are even more charming. During your trip you might see dolphins swimming around the boat , the seaside around the five villages is a protected area with unique natural fishes and plants ecosystem.
Once arrived in La Spezia, exiting the boat on the left, at the end of the waterfront you will see many people queuing. They are patiently waiting to have a dinner at the Pescatori, a very basic seafood restaurant where you choose your dishes fist and then get a table . The Pescatori restaurant is owned by the fishermen of La Spezia so you can enjoy the freshest fish for as little as 20 Euro each. If you prefer a more elegant place then cross the white modern bridge nearby and reach the waterfront called Mirabello , an elegant harbor where you can find good although more expensive restaurants and nice bars.
Day 3 : Portovenere and back to Geneva. Get up early and take either the boat to Cinque Terre until the first stop in Portovenere, or take one of the very frequent buses that in 30 minutes reach this magnificent medieval village that it's for me of of the world's most beautiful places.
Portovenere |
St Peter church is unique in the world , and cannot be described, it must be seen!
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copyright www.howtogeneva.com -St Peter Church in Portovenere,I took this picture last summer |
If you are hungry and prefer to have a lunch instead , then stop in Portovenere and eat at the Trattoria Le Tre Torri Restaurant in the main square or atResturant La Chiglia , 15 minutes walk towards the exit of the village.
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www.howtogeneva.com Palmaria Island beach |
If you still feel the energy, on your way back you could stop and do some shopping in Serravalle Scrivia Outlet, 30 minutes north of Genova on the A7 Motorway , it's a huge place open 7 days a week , with tons of famous Italian and International Brands at super discounted prices.
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La Spezia , il Golfo dei Poeti, Poets Gulf -copyright Vittorio Garatti www.imagesnowords.com |
Hello! I've been looking for a weekend excursion for these two long weekends that we have in May and I found your post! Do you think things will be open on Ascension (this!) weekend? We would go on Friday and come back on Sunday. I love the ideas you have on your blog.
ReplyDeleteSarah, thanks so much for your nice feedback, any advice to improve my blog is also welcome, I know I ceratnly have to improve the webdesigner aspects. Yes everything is open this week end because in Italy it's a normal week , so only on Sunday something will be closed but not the main attractions.
DeleteI'll be enjoying the place as well and weather is going to be great, and looking for additional feedback from you, thanks again
Daniela
great information thanks. I am visiting in June. Any train recommendations from Geneva to Portovenere ?
ReplyDeleteHi.. Such lovely and detailed blog and exactly what we are looking into.We are a family of 3 and would like to do Cinque Terre from Geneva (We live in Geneva). Only thing is we would like to combine Pisa along with this trip ? So what and how to do ?Your suggestion Please ? Can we do Lucca or another place as well ?We have full 4 days. We dont mind driving getting up early to avoid traffic.
ReplyDeleteI heard the tolls are really expensive driving from Geneva to Cinque Terre, any idea how much are we talking about?
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the info provided in your blog.