By train to the Cinque Terre
In these areas the train is an irreplaceable means of transport, and is the fastest and easiest. The villages of the Cinque Terre are very small, so the stations are located close to the center. In each station there is a tourist office, where tourists can pick up a map of the place, consult timetables and find all necessary up-to-date information on hiking trails. It’s not by chance that the train is very popular with tourists in this area.
All the stations of the Cinque Terre and neighboring areas are marked on the map.
Note:
In Liguria there are very few localities which are not connected by the trains. There are stations in all the villages of the Cinque Terre but, for example, you must go by bus to Portofino, leaving from the nearest station which is in the town of Santa Margherita Ligure.
Article was last updated in November, 2024.
Train timetables in the Cinque Terre
Bear in mind that due to the large number of tourists, trains are often late, so you will have to wait at the station for longer than the foreseen 2 minutes.
Trains run every half an hour and you can see the timetables on the site trenitalia.com. But do not rely too much on timetables published a couple of months beforehand; not all trains are included in it, because in summer (especially on weekends and holidays) many trains are added. We advise you to pick up the timetables on arrival!
How to use the train
You just have to buy a ticket from the cashier or the automatic vending machines and validate it in the station.
You do not need to buy tickets in advance, except tickets for high speed trains which run throughout Italy, for example Milan - Rome.
Ticket price: €5-10 for single use between the villages of the Cinque Terre, as well as to La Spezia and Levanto.
Advantages of the Cinque Terre Card + Train
2024 price: €19.50 - €32.50 (prices are variable based on the day of travel, read more here).
Holders of the Cinque Terre Card + Train can visit the Blue Trail, use the Cinque Terre buses (a ticket costs €1.50 in 2024) with unlimited train travel between Levanto and La Spezia. These tickets also must be validated before commencing the journey so that the date is shown.