How to get to Cinque Terre: the complete guide from the main Italian cities

Riomaggiore, Manarona, Corniglia, Vernazza e Monterosso: these are the five ancient seaside villages, perched on hills that slope steeply towards the bluest sea. All around, vineyards and olive groves rest in the sun on the terraces crossed by the Sentiero Azzurro, a spectacular hiking trail that connects the five villages. Between Riomaggiore and Manarola is its most famous and romantic stretch, Via dell'Amore, the Path of Love.

This narrow stretch of rocky and jagged coast, nestled between the mountains and the sea, is twenty kilometers long and is located almost on the border between Liguria and Tuscany. The Cinque Terre are all part of the province of La Spezia from which the closest village, Riomaggiore, is only about thirty kilometers away. The furthest, Riomaggiore, is located near the promontory of Punta Mesco, about one hundred kilometers south of Genoa, not far from other Liguria's bauties such as Levanto or Portofino.

The Cinque Terre are Natinal Park and also a UNESCO heritage site and a first glance will be enough to understand why. The beauty of these places strikes straight to the heart, and the presence of human settlements is perfectly harmonized with the territory. In addition to the natural wonders, you can visit the narrow streets that climb the hill between the colorful houses, the small ports with the fishermen's boats, churches, castles and even a literary park dedicated to the great Eugenio Montale. 

The “gateway” to the Cinque Terre is La Spezia, a beautiful seaside town in southern Liguria. Once in La Spezia, visiting all of the Cinque Terre is very simple, especially by train. The Cinque Terre Express is the local train that, with three trips per hour, takes you from one village to another in just a few minutes. This way, you will also avoid driving on narrow, curved roads and having to deal with the problem of parking.

La Spezia has a station that connects it quite easily to many other Italian cities, however, it does not have an airport; the closest is Pisa, seventy-six kilometers away. Therefore, even to get to La Spezia, the best way is by train.

Genoa is a city that is definitely worth a visit, thanks to its museums, the famous aquarium, the beautiful historic center and its waterfront, and it also has the advantage of being quite close to the Cinque Terre, which is about one hundred kilometers away.

From the two stations Genova Porta Principe and Genova Brignone, in an hour or so you can get to La Spezia, but also to Levanto or Monterosso. Trains are frequent, with one every hour. If you get to Genoa by plane, both stations have frequent connections (every forty-five minutes) with the Genoa airport. The journey lasts thirty minutes, the ticket costs six euros.

Getting to the Cinque Terre from Genoa by car is quite easy and quick. The A12 motorway towards Livorno offers two options. The Bruganto exit leads to Monterosso, Vernazza or Corniglia, the La Spezia exit to Riomaggiore and Manarola. The journey lasts an hour and a half or so.

About 230 km separate the Cinque Terre from Milan. After visiting the museums and monuments of Italy's most contemporary city, jump on the train and head towards Liguria to reconnect with nature. Intercity trains leave every hour from Milan Central Station to La Spezia, Monterosso and Levanto. The journey lasts three hours, the cost of the ticket varies between twenty and thirty euros.

For those arriving by plane, Milan Central Station is also well connected with the Malpensa Express train or buses. In both cases the journey from Malpensa airport lasts fifty minutes with buses every half hour.

By car, drive along the A7 to Genoa and then take the A12 to Levanto or La Spezia. The journey lasts three hours but in high season, of course, traffic can cause delays

Florence, the cradle of art, is the city you would never want to leave, however you could think about a day trip to the Cinque Terre. From Florence you can reach La Spezia with a journey of variable duration, from two hours to two and a half hours and from there move with local trains.

From the Florence Santa Maria Novella station there are direct regional and Intercity trains to La Spezia starting from 4:30 in the morning. The cost starts from twenty euros. Alternatively there are regional trains with a change in Pisa, and always arriving in La Spezia. The cost in this case is fifteen euros.
If you prefer the car, take the A11 to Viareggio and then the A12 to Genoa until the Carrodano-Levanto exit. If you prefer to start the tour from La Spezia, continue on the A15 for a few more kilometers.

Getting to the Cinque Terre from Venice is a bit more complicated but certainly not impossible. For those who choose the train, the most convenient way and with fewer changes is to get to Florence and from there to La Spezia. From the Venice Santa Lucia station to the Florence Santa Maria Novella station, the train takes two hours and ten minutes. The total journey time to La Spezia is five hours, the cost is about sixty euros, but booking well in advance can save you money.

The first fast train to Florence leaves at 7:20, with trains every hour until 18:20.
Remember that between Venice and Florence you can stop in many fascinating and interesting cities of art: Padua, Ferrara, Bologna just to name a few. A road trip would allow you to get to know many famous or less famous places, but always incredibly fascinating. The direct journey by car from Venice to the Cinque Terre takes four hours in normal traffic conditions along the A1 motorway towards Parma, then on the A15 towards La Spezia.

Even when you are surrounded by the splendor of the Eternal City, do not give up the natural paradise of Liguria. If you want, you can choose InStazione to reach the Cinque Terre from Rome. You will have a tour entirely tailored for you, totally stress-free because it is organized by a personal concierge who can take care of everything and can satisfy each one of your request, even last minute. You can find the InStazione desk in the Roma Termini station as well as online, at any time, wherever you are and with miltilingual assistants.

From Roma Termini, fast trains also leave and arrive in La Spezia in less than four hours. The first train is at 6:20 and the trains are very frequent, with a departure every half hour. From La Spezia with the Cinque Terre Express in less than ten minutes you can reach Riomaggiore, the closest, and in thirty minutes Monterosso, the furthest. The cost of the train to La Spezia varies depending on when you book, and is around 50 euros. Intercity and regional trains are cheaper, but the journey lasts six hours.

By car, from Rome to Riomaggiore, you can get there in four hours and forty minutes by driving 440 km of motorway. Start by driving on the A1 to Florence, then take the A12 towards Livorno and finally the A15 to La Spezia.