A Photo Journey to the Cinque Terre

I heard of the Cinque Terre (pronounced CHINKWEH-TEH-RAY) while planning my very first trip to Italy. After seeing some pictures online and immediately falling in love with the colored coastal towns, I practically took an online photo journey to the Cinque Terre! And then I wondered how to reach the “Cinque Terre“?? I found the right information online and locals who helped me to reach. So here’s a post on how to reach Cinque Terre from Venice, Rome and Florence. Hope you enjoy it with a little photo journey!

How to Reach the Cinque Terre

How to Reach the Cinque Terre From Florence:

Reaching Cinque Terre from Florence is very simple. Buy your tickets online from Trenitalia or from the ticket counter at the train station  “Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station”. Make sure you buy a train ticket for “La Spezia Centrale” .

Once you have the ticket, don’t forget to stamp/validate them by placing them inside the black line (picture below). Once you have your ticket, board the train to La Spezia Centrale and in about 2.5 hours you’ll be there. After this, take a smaller local train to the Cinque Terre village you are staying in. I suggest you to first go to the towns of Cinque Terre where your accommodation is booked. (or where you want to first go!)

Validate your ticket

For instance, if your accommodation is booked in Monterosso al mare, take a ticket from La Spezia Centrale to Monterosso al mare. It is the last station of the Cinque Terre villages and usually takes about 15 minutes to reach from La Spezia Centrale.

Similarly, if you are staying in Riomaggiore or want to stop there, it happens to be the first stop from La Spezia Centrale. All train timetables are available on the website of Trenitalia. There are trains every few minutes to take you to the Cinque Terre from La Spezia.

How to Reach the Cinque Terre From Rome:

If you’re visiting Cinque Terre from Rome, book a train ticket (as explained above) from Roma Termini/Roma Tutte le Stazioni to La Spezia Centrale. The fastest train takes only 3.5 to 4 hours from Rome and I highly recommend booking the Frecciabianca especially if you want to save time. The journey will be more comfortable, direct and super fast!

How to Reach the Cinque Terre From Venice:

If you’re visiting Cinque Terre from Venice, remember you’re taking a journey to the opposite side of Italy. Applying the same methods to book tickets as mentioned above, take a train from Venezia Santa Lucia/Venezia Tutte le Stazioni to La Spezia Centrale.

There is usually a change of trains at Bologna or Florence (Firenze). The journey is long and will easily take about 5-6 hours. There are other options to reach Cinque Terre by hiring a private car or booking a tour.

Personally, I would recommend a train journey to everyone as it is not only breathtaking but also comfortable and easy!

Did you know??

Cinque Terre means “Five Lands” in Italian. The villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso el Mare are part of the five lands. These villages are located in the Northern part of Italy’s Liguria region!!

A Photo Journey to the Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore station

Monterosso al mare

Hiking views in Cinque Terre

A view of Vernazza

View from Corniglia

A view of Manarola

There’s more!

Stay in less touristy towns such as La Spezia or Biassa. I also recommend taking a trip to the sleepy colorful village of Tellaro or visiting the much bigger town of Lerici.

Did you know- After Rick Steves visited the Cinque Terre, the place became very famous among the Americans!

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