By bus in the Cinque Terre
All the bus routes in the Cinque Terre are marked on the map and, as you will see, there are no connections between the various villages. Each village has its own bus. In all villages the buses begin their runs at 7am and continue until 8pm (7.30pm in winter) and pass approximately every half an hour. The timetable is posted at the bus stops, but quite often is not respected, as buses leave earlier, as soon as they fill up with passengers. The bus stops are literally every 100-200 m (yd.).
Cost of the ticket: 1.50 €. For Cinque Terre Card holders (cost in 2024: 7.50 €) - free of charge. Attention! Prices may be doubled in high season.
Article was last updated in December, 2024.
Bus La Spezia - Porto Venere
Buses leave from the city of La Spezia for Porto Venere and return every 20-30 minutes from 5am until 11pm. The indicative timetable is displayed at the bus stop. You can buy a ticket in the tobacco shop close to the bus stop for €3. If the tobacco shop is closed, you will have to buy your ticket from the driver and pay double.
The bus in Riomaggiore
The main route goes from Riomaggiore to the Castle of Riomaggiore or, more precisely, through the ruins of the castle. Some trails lead to Colle del Telegrafo, from where you can walk back to the village, visiting the ancient sanctuary along the way (more information on the page “Hiking Trails”).
The bus in Manarola
This bus goes to the small hamlet of Groppo (known for its wine cellars, where you can do some wine-tasting) and Volastra, from where it is an easy stroll to Corniglia (otherwise, if you walk from Manarola to Volastra there are 1200 steps).
The bus in Corniglia
The route connects the center of Corniglia, located at a height of 100 m (330 feet) above sea level, to the station. It takes approximately 20 minutes to walk this trail, but getting to this ancient village means climbing up 385 steps, therefore it is advisable to take the bus. The bus departs from Corniglia immediately after the train arrives and the tourists get on board (if there are not enough seats, don’t worry, the bus returns 5-8 minutes later).
The bus in Vernazza
There are two routes: one connects the town with the parking area (1 km / 0.6 mile from the train station), the second with the hamlet of San Bernardino. Upon arrival to Vernazza, please check the timetable in the tourist office at the station, since the departure time of the bus to San Bernardino often doesn’t agree with the timetables on display at the bus stop (there is a run approx. every 2 hours). The last bus is at 6pm approx. Trip time: 10 minutes.
The bus in Monterosso
Monterosso is divided into two parts: the new part which is modern (Fegina) and the old part. The distance between them is not more than 1 km / 0.6 mile and buses run frequently. About once every 4 hours there is a bus to the oldest sanctuary in Liguria, Soviore, although it is much more interesting to walk this trail.