Genoa Travel Forum

Hi there,
we are arriving at Aeroporto Cristoforo Colombo and are trying to work out the easiest and quickest route by train in the early afternoon from the airport to Vernazza. The information I have found is a bit confusing. Can someone please help?

The options I have found are:
1) Take the Volabus to Principe Station in Geno and take a train to Vernazza from there (but there doesn't seem to be a direct train so where would I swap? Monterosso???)

2) Take a train from Genova Sestri Ponente to Vernazza via Monterosso.

I find the Trenitalia website difficult to navigate so any help would be greatly appreciated. For a start, which is the best station to be departing from? Do we buy tickets from that station? As there do not appear to be direct trains to Vernazza where is it best to change trains?

Thank you in advance.

Well, the bus from the airport goes to Genova Principe, so this is the "best" station. (http://www.aeroportodigenova.com/pagine/mezzipubblici.asp as you probably already know)

Then take either:
1. ICPlus dep 12:52, arr Sestri 13:32, Regional dep Sestri 13:46, arr Vernazza 14:25
2. ICPlus dep 13:47, arr Monterosso 15:02, Regional dep Monterosso 15:24, arr Vernazza 15:27
3. Regional dep 14:11, arr Monterosso 15:42, Regional dep Monterosso 16:07, arr Vernazza 16:12
4. a direct train Regional, dep 15:39, arr Vernazza 17:34
and so on.

Note that these are all for a Monday afternoon; Saturday and Sunday could potentially have a slightly reduced schedule.

Tickets for regional trains, you buy them at the station. These trains don't take reservations, and you can get on as long as there is a place to stand (standing is not likely necessary at that time of the afternoon, I'd guess).

The ICPlus trains technically require reservations, but you can often (often "usually") get the reservation when you arrive at the station, as long as there are empty seats. Since you have solutions that are a direct regional train or a combination of regional trains later in the afternoon, you will eventually get to where you're going to, even if by some chance the first ICPlus train is full.

The trenitalia website is better than a lot of the European rail websites (please don't roll your eyes ;-) ); but it does one thing funny (as most of them do) - it provides "solutions" rather than "timetables", which is probably what you expect. So the trains it lists are not all the trains that run up and down this line, but these are the best solutions for what you want.

So just follow the solutions it offers you. If you have any questions about using the trenitalia website, you might visit my Italy page and look at Transportation Tips, then come back and ask us any remaining questions that you might have...

Bill

The trains run between the five cities often every day, and there is no problem getting on one to go to another city. It might be a bit more crowded in the summer than during my September visit last year, but I would think if you were there at the station, you would get on a train soon.
You will love Cinque Terre. I walked between the five towns, north to south,and then caught the boat back to the most northern village.

The Tourist Information Centers are very helpful also; they will sell you a train ticket, too, in the cases where they can.

I know you will have a great holiday.

Hello
take the volabus to GE.P.P. from there take train to La Spezia.
Sometime the train no stop in Vernazza OK you go down in Monterosso
the station before Vernazza -- where you take local train to Vernazza
The trains Monterosso - Vernazza running every hour
Buy the ticket in Genova PP station
giacomo from vernazza