How To Travel To And Get Around The Cinque Terre

The five spellbinding fishing villages that are known as the Cinque Terre are one of the most popular destination for travellers to Italy. All of the five towns are no more than a few hours by train from Florence and Milan. The entire area that makes up the Cinque Terre is quite small and is a national park, a protected waterway and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This means that most vehicle traffic is restricted inside the villages so be prepared to park the car and move around by foot, train or boat. This guide will tell you how to travel to and get around the Cinque Terre.

By Plane

The closest (and easiest) airport to the Cinque Terre is Pisa in Tuscany. The cities of Genoa, Florence and Milan also have international airports.

By Train

Once you arrive at La Spezie Centrale, there is train service to the five Cinque Terre towns. Each town has its own train station, but not every train stops in every town. The trip from La Spezie to Riomaggiore takes about 10 minutes. If you are planning on using the trains between the towns, you might want to get a Cinque Terre Card, the cost of which includes train and bus travel.

By Bus

Explora 5Terre is a small, electric bus with routes connecting La Spezie to the towns and smaller outlying villages of the Cinque Terre. The route doesn’t not include a stop in the town of Monterosso. Each bus has 22 seats and is air conditioned. There are a number of ticket choices from an entire day, combined with a Cinque Terre Card and even one that includes a trip to a vineyard for a wine tasting.

By Ferry

In the high season, particularly in the popular summer months the trains and buses can get very crowded. Ferry service between the fishing villages can be one way to avoid the crowds. The views from the sea are wonderful and give you a completely different perspective than from the hills and trails above. Boats run between La Spezie and Portovenere to Monterosso and stop in every village except Corniglia. Service begins at the beginning of April and runs through the end of October, but depends on the weather and sea conditions.

By Foot

All five of the villages are actually pretty close together, so it is best to base yourself in one town and take your hikes from there instead of moving from town to town with all of your luggage. There are over sixty miles of trails for you to explore. They are managed by a national park and go through villages, along sea cliffs and on tops of mountain ridges. There is even a “path” for swimmers. Trails and parts of trails are often closed due to storm damage. Make sure you check what is open (and bring plenty of water) before you set off.

By Bike

Despite being more vertical than horizontal and having thousands of stone steps, the Cinque Terre has a few trails inside the Cinque Terre National Park that are perfect for the mountain bike enthusiast. If an easier, flatter course is what you are after, then the route between Levanto and Framura which are pretty Ligurian towns just beyond the boundaries of the Cinque Terre is a lovely four mile ride.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.