Cinque Terre Express How to get to Cinque Terre by train
Discover Cinque Terre by train
Take the Cinque Terre Express train and let the beauty of the Ligurian coast take your breath away! Departing from La Spezia Centrale, you can reach the coastal villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso and Levanto with ease and comfort! Read on and learn more about the routes, train times and tickets of the Cinque Terre Express.
Why travel with the Cinque Terre Express?
- One-way tickets cost €5 for adults and €2.50 for children aged 4-11 years old
- Available 7 days a week
- Services run every 15 minutes
- Cheap and fast trains
- You can enjoy amazing views from your window seat
- Trains make all stops
Cinque Terre Map
Discover the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and get to the most beautiful beaches of the region with the Cinque Terre Express – you won’t need to worry about traffic or parking at all! Check out our map and plan your next trip to Cinque Terre by train.
The Cinque Terre Express is a fast-regional train offered by Trenitalia which covers the route from La Spezia to Levanto and reaches the main cities of the Cinque Terre National Park – Monterosso, Corniglia, Vernazza, Riomaggiore and Manarola.
There are 99 Cinque Terre trains that run every 15 minutes throughout the day, seven days a week. This year, the Cinque Terre Express will run between 16th March and 3rd November 2024. This means you’ll get to enjoy breath-taking views from the comfort of your seat for just €5! Please note that regional trains operated by Trenitalia are available on the route from Levanto to La Spezia all year round – services run every 30 minutes and stop at all five coastal towns.
Want to know more about how to get to Cinque Terre from nearby airports and the main Italian cities? Check out our page about trains to Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre train tickets
Buy your train ticket to Cinque Terre and let the Cinque Terre Express whisk you through the beautiful villages on the Ligurian coast. Keep reading to find out more.
Between 16th March and 3rd November 2024, if you travel with the Cinque Terre Express, you can get to Monterosso, Corniglia, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore with a Cinque Terre flat-rate train ticket – you can buy it both on our website and via our app. The one-way ticket costs €5 for adults and €2.50 for children aged 4-11 years old.
If you want to reach Monterosso, Corniglia, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore from a station that is outside of the Cinque Terre National Park, you’ll need to pay a supplement of €3 for the adult ticket and €1.50 for the child ticket. Children under the age of 4 travel for free. The ticket needs to be validated before departure and is valid for 75 minutes and for only one route (intermediate stops are not allowed).
Need inspiration for your next trip to Cinque Terre? Check out our brief guide to Cinque Terre – 4 things to see.
Cinque Terre train schedule 2024
Are you looking for train times for the Cinque Terre Express? Check our tables and learn more about how to get from Genoa to Cinque Terre and from one coastal village to the other.
Cinque Terre train timetable
| Route | Journey time | First train | Last train |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterosso to Vernazza | 4m | 04:55 | 00:22 |
| La Spezia to Monterosso | 25m | 04:30 | 01:00 |
| Levanto to Monterosso | 5m | 04:50 | 00:17 |
| Riomaggiore to Monterosso | 18m | 04:39 | 01:08 |
| La Spezia to Manarola | 16m | 04:30 | 01:00 |
| Monterosso to Levanto | 5m | 04:55 | 01:26 |
| Levanto to Corniglia | 14m | 11:17 | 22:57 |
Train from Genoa to Cinque Terre
| Route | Journey time | First train | Last train |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riomaggiore to Genova Brignole | 1h 48m | 04:39 | 23:19 |
| Genova Brignole to Monterosso | 1h 19m | 05:00 | 22:56 |
| Genova Brignole to Vernazza | 1h 23m | 05:00 | 22:56 |
| Genova Brignole to Manarola | 1h 31m | 05:00 | 22:56 |
| Genova Brignole to Corniglia | 1h 27m | 05:00 | 22:56 |
| Genova Brignole to Levanto | 1h 14m | 05:00 | 22:56 |
| Genoa to La Spezia | 1h 35m | 05:10 | 00:02 |
Best things to do in Cinque Terre
Are you thinking of visiting Cinque Terre by train? Here are some suggestions for places to visit and how to reach the main attraction points. Jump on the Cinque Terre Express and get ready for adventures!
Cinque Terre National Park
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Founded in 1999, the Cinque Terre National Park was the first Italian national park. It’s located in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria, and includes the five Ligurian villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, plus a part of the Municipality of Levanto (Punta Mesco) and La Spezia. The Park is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its 4,300 hectares of land, the Park is currently the smallest in Italy but remains one of the most striking. The villages overlooking the sea, the pristine beaches, the beauty of the sea and the connection with the nearby mountains make it a place not to be missed. The Cinque Terre National Park has numerous trails designed for hiking, including Sciacchetrail (named after the famous Cinque Terre wine – Sciacchetrà), and Sentiero Azzurro (“blue path”), a very popular path that connects all the villages and allows you to have a breath-taking view of the Ligurian sea. If you love the sea, make sure to have a swim, snorkel or diving session in the crystal-clear waters. Or, if you prefer to explore, Cinque Terre is a perfect destination for kayaking, with plenty of caves and waterfalls dotting the area.
Via dell'Amore – The Road of Love
Hiking trail
The famous Via dell'Amore (Road of Love) is a hiking trail popular with climbers and trekkers all over the world. Perhaps the most famous stretch of all Cinque Terre, Via dell'Amore is the section of Sentiero Azzurro (a stretch connecting Riomaggiore and Monterosso) that stretches for 1 km between Riomaggiore and Manarola. The path has a magical atmosphere, it seems almost carved into the hard rock of the Ligurian coast and winds along the rocky wall overlooking the sea. The history of the path of Via dell' Amore dates back to the early 20th century during the modernisation of the railway from Genoa to La Spezia, when railway workers needed a path to move between Riomaggiore and Manarola during the construction of the tunnel between the two villages. Legend has it that this path became a meeting point for lovers of the two cities. Via dell' Amore is today the most famous site for tourists visiting Cinque Terre. Today it’s a flat pedestrian path, suitable for a pleasant walk that offers spectacular views of the cliffs, the vineyards and the sea. To access it, you need to purchase an admission ticket.
Monterosso Cinque Terre
Visiting the city
Monterosso al Mare is the most famous village among the five municipalities of the Cinque Terre Park, as well as the most densely populated. It’s in the middle of a small natural gulf in the westernmost part of Cinque Terre. Built on the ruins of an ancient pre-Roman settlement, the village dates to the 9th century and still preserves monuments dating back to that era. If you love culture and history, you can’t visit Cinque Terre without stopping in Monterosso! Here you can find the statue of Neptune, also known as the Statue of the Giant, an imposing reinforced concrete structure dating back to 1910 built to celebrate the well-known God of the Sea. You can also find the Aurora Tower, a watchtower built in the 16th century to protect the Republic of Genoa from pirate attacks, as well as the Church of San Giovanni Battista and the Convent of the Capuchin Friars. As its name recalls, Monterosso al Mare is also well-known for the beauty of its beaches: from Punta Mesco, the mountain by the Gulf of Monterosso, you can admire the cliffs of the Cinque Terre Park, while on the beach of Fegina you can rest and enjoy a day at sea. Monterosso is also the arrival point of Sentiero Azzurro, an invaluable hiking trail.
Cinque Terre beaches
The best beaches
Cinque Terre are famous all over the world for the beauty of their sea and beaches. Incredibly popular with tourists during the summer, the Cinque Terre coasts are characterised by a rocky and jagged profile, enclosed by two headlands. This shape creates small bays and inlets between the rocks, with absolutely crystal-clear seas. The most famous beach is in Monterosso Al Mare, Fedina, which is sandy, unlike the typical rocky beaches of the Ligurian Riviera. In Vernazza, you can find two small beaches near the centre of the village, from which you can admire the Castello dei Doria, an ancient building that dominates the whole village. In Corniglia, you can also find Guvano beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the whole region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I take the train to Cinque Terre?
The Cinque Terre Express train runs from La Spezia to Levanto, on the Genoa - La Spezia line. It’s a regional train that stops at all 5 coastal towns that are part of the Cinque Terre National Park. You can choose to take the train to Cinque Terre from either La Spezia or Levanto station and stop at Rio Maggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza or Monterosso for as long as you want, and then get back on the train and continue your journey. Please note that the single fare ticket is valid for one journey only: if you decide to stop in one of the towns and then get back on the train, you will need to buy another ticket.
How can I get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre?
To get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre, you can take the Cinque Terre Express regional train. From La Spezia, the train stops at Rio Maggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. You can admire the Cinque Terre directly from your window seat or decide to stop during your trip.
How long does it take to visit Cinque Terre?
By train, you can travel on the entire route from Genoa to La Spezia aboard the Cinque Terre Express train in less than 1 hour and 30 minutes. You can enjoy the view from your window seat or choose to get off wherever you like. If you want to visit the whole area, we suggest you spend at least 3 days, so you can admire all the coastal towns, enjoy some of the most famous hiking routes, such as Via dell'Amore, or just have a swim!
How can I get around Cinque Terre?
The Liguria region is well-known for its beautiful scenery and delicious cuisine, but also for the lack of parking and traffic. For this reason, if you want to visit Cinque Terre, we suggest you choose the train! With Trenitalia and Italo high-speed services, you can reach Genoa or La Spezia in total comfort, and then take one of the Cinque Terre Express regional trains departing from La Spezia and Levanto.
Cinque Terre Express: the best way to visit Cinque Terre in one day
The paths that connect the Cinque Terre villages are wonderful and offer breath-taking views. However, the train is certainly the best way to visit this corner of paradise if you can only stay in the area for one day. For this reason, the Cinque Terre Express is a great choice – not only does it reach Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, but also La Spezia and Levanto. Don't take our word for it - read a review or two!
