Getting to Cinque Terre and Manarola is simple, the five villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso) are well connected both by car and by train.
DRIVING BY CAR TO CINQUE TERRE
Reaching the Cinque Terre by car is easy, the whole area of the five villages is well connected to the motorway network and it is easy to reach them in a short time, both from the nearby cities and towns of Tuscany (Pisa, Siena, Florence, Lucca) and from the ‘Emilia Romagna (Reggio Emilia, Modena, Parma, Bologna, etc.) but also from the main Italian airports (in order of proximity Pisa, Genoa, Florence, Rome, Milan, Bologna, etc.) and from other regions.
The highway system makes it easy to reach the Cinque Terre even from neighboring France, Germany and Switzerland.
Find the best airports to reach the Cinque Terre at this link
WHERE TO GET OUT OF THE HIGHWAY
If the destination of your visit by car to the Cinque Terre are the villages of Manarola, Riomaggiore, Corniglia and Vernazza, or Monterosso, we recommend that you exit the motorway at the La Spezia toll booth, to avoid unnecessarily lengthening the journey.
If you intend to reach the town of Monterosso you can also evaluate the Brugnato exit or the Carrodano exit.
Find useful information on motorways on the “Autostrade per l’Italia“ website
HOW TO GET TO THE FIVE VILLAGES BY CAR
If you want to get to Manarola, Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso by car, you need to cross the city of La Spezia and then take the Cinque Terre provincial road SP370 where the road signs will take you easily to the five villages.
The road distances to reach the towns starting from the city of La Spezia are as follows:
Riomaggiore Km 14
Manarola Km 16
Corniglia Km 27
Vernazza Km 27
Monterosso km 38
If your destination is Monterosso, you have two options:
take the Brugnato exit and follow the signs for Pignone and then for Monterosso
or
take the Carrodano exit and follow the signs for Levanto and then Monterosso
In any case, the route to Monterosso passing through La Spezia is the most beautiful and panoramic.
Find useful information on parking your car in Manarola at this link.
ARRIVING BY TRAIN TO CINQUE TERRE
Reaching the Cinque Terre by train is the easiest and most comfortable solution.
Each of the Cinque Terre villages has a train station along the Rome – Genoa line, which is one of the main Italian railway lines.
During the summer, the Cinqueterre Express service connects the Cinque Terre villages Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso with the stations of La Spezia and Levanto with three trips per hour in both directions.
The advice is to get off the long-distance trains at La Spezia Centrale stations and use the Cinqueterre Express service.
These are the travel times:
La Spezia – Riomaggiore in 11 minutes
Riomaggiore – Manarola in 1 minute
Manarola-Corniglia in 3 minutes
Corniglia- Vernazza in 3 minutes
Vernazza-Monterosso in 4 minutes
How to visit the Cinque Terre by train, fares, cost and validity of the ticket, how to purchase tickets, the Train Card, you can find them at this useful link.
Find timetables and the possibility of purchasing tickets online on the Trenitalia website.
REACH THE CINQUE TERRE BY SEA
They are also reachable by sea, but it is a possibility to consider only for a short day visit; if you intend to stay in Manarola and the Cinque Terre it is not a recommended way to get to your Hotel or B&B.
You can make the most of the scheduled boat service when you are already acommodated in your accommodation.
For timetables and costs, consult the website of the Golfo dei Poeti shipping company.
Find at this link some more indications to reach the Corniglia village.
The best airports to reach the Cinque Terre
To reach the Cinque Terre by plane, the most used and closest airports are those of Genoa, Pisa, Florence-Peretola or Milan-Malpensa or Milan-Linate, or Rome-Fiumicino.
With a click on this link you will find information for the best airports