GETTING TO THE CINQUE TERRE FROM PORTOVENERE
The classic combo during a holiday in the Cinque Terre. Portovenere is many (too many) times included in the Cinque Terre, but it is not part of it, being the westernmost village in the Gulf of Poets.
- 1. By car
- 2. By train
- 3. By bus
- 3. By boat
- 5. On foot
1. BY CAR
The convenience of the car collides with the difficulty of finding parking, both in Portovenere and in the Cinque Terre. Undoubtedly the view is very beautiful and the road is simple up to Riomaggiore and Manarola, becoming narrower and more winding towards Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. From Portovenere, travel times by car are:
From Portovenere, follow the SP530 coastal road, which passing by Le Grazie, Fezzano, Cadimare and Marola, it reaches the beginning of La Spezia in about 12 km. Immediately you see the brown signs indicating the Cinque Terre, make the roundabout completely and take the SP 370 uphill, toward the Via delle Cinque Terre, which leads quite comfortably, along not very pronounced and straight bends in another 10 km up to the junction for Riomaggiore and Manarola.
Further proceed to Groppo and Volastra, continuing towards Corniglia and Vernazza. From here the road becomes more complicated, narrow and with many curves. The same till Monterosso.
Now you have to park.
2. BY TRAIN
Portovenere does not have a train station, the railway does not go up to here. It is therefore necessary to travel to La Spezia by car or bus, as explained below, to be able to take the train to the Cinque Terre. We recommend to use the Cinque Terre Card Train.
It is possible park in La Spezia near the train station.
The Cinque Terre by train
Train timetable in PDF
Trenitalia
3. BY BUS
As for the train, there is no bus that directly connects Portovenere with the Cinque Terre. It is therefore necessary to arrive in La Spezia and then take the train. The bus service of the ATC company is convenient, with several stops in La Spezia along the 11/P Casano-Portovenere line. in Marola, Fezzano, Le Grazie, Cavo (where there is a parking space). The bus stop closest to the train station is in Via Garibaldi, an 8-minute walk away.
Line 29 La Spezia-Volastra starts from Piazza Chiodo and arrives at the junction of Riomaggiore with Manarola, high up along the coast road, and then to the towns of Groppo and Volastra. The rest of the bus lines in the Cinque Terre are for internal movements within the municipalities themselves.
4. BY FERRY
The real classic combination, however, and by far the most comfortable and evocative is the boat. From Portovenere, the Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti company operates several daily trips to the Cinque Terre.
Average travel times by boat from Portovenere to the Cinque Terre (Corniglia naturally excluded):
Departures from Portovenere:
Scarica gli orari in versione pdf: Cinque Terre boat timetables
Cinque Terre by boat
5. ON FOOT
Finally, for nature lovers, lovers of unforgettable panoramas and incurable romantics, here is one of the most beautiful routes in Liguria, which from Portovenere climbs towards Campiglia and the Colle del Telegrafo along the High Route of the Cinque Terre and then descends towards Riomaggiore along the path 593.
