Avignon to Cinque Terre

Hello all,

My mother and I will be in Avignon in a week or so, after Avignon we need to get to Cinque Terre.

I was assuming that we could use the train system however now am a little worried that I should have thought it through a bit more.

Has anyone done or looking to do this trip and have any advice?

At the time I even thought we could stop in Monoco for a wee look.

Many thanks in advance!

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Hi kiwichicknik -

Well, it can be done, but it won%26#39;t be quick. The best routing from Avignon to Monterosso would probably be as follows:

Avignon TGV dep. 10:34 Nice arr. 13:33 TGV6171

Nice dep. 14:05 Genoa arr. 17:06 EC145

Genoa dep. 17:08 Monterosso arr. 19:02 EC175

I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d want to break this journey in Monte Carlo, though it could be done in theory, with an earlier start from Avignon and a later arrival in Monterosso. Instead you could take a morning train to Nice with the intention of spending the night and visit Monte in the afternoon (~20 minutes by train) then have the evening to explore a little of Nice and have dinner before proceeding to Monterosso the next day. If you did this you could probably get to Monterosso earlier in the day, but it will still take at least 5 hours from Nice with at least one change of trains.

You will need reservations for all the long distance trains, but since your trip is only a few days away there is probably not much to be gained by purchasing your tickets before you get to Avignon.

I think all the trains I mentioned have a snack bar, but you%26#39;ll probably want to pack a picnic.

The good news is that much of the trip is along the coast and some of the scenery is truly spectacular. Just relax, take a good book, or write some postcards or whatever - and enjoy the trip!

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A major correction:

Train # EC175 departs Genoa at 17:48 NOT 17:08. That would be an impossible connection the way I typed it!

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Oh thank you so much for your help. I think I was slightly silly in not sorting this sooner, I was trying for the just on a train when you want to go and it would all be okay!

I might try and have a look at booking the train now anyway. Again. THANK YOU!!

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Would love to know how your trip went. My husband and I will be in Avignon next week for 3 nights (2 full touring days). Then we plan to take the train to Genoa (transfering in Nice). Trip is roughly 6 hours. Our hotel is a 30min drive from there in Camogli. (next to Portofino) We spend 4 nights in Camogli and plan to relax and take day trips to Portofino and the Cinque Terre.

Any recommendations or travel tips?

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HI!

This exchange was written a couple of years ago and I%26#39;m wondering how much of this information is still good. Has anyone taken this trip from Avignon to Cinque Terre recently? Like the person who wrote this first request for information, I planned to take this trip without realizing that the journey would not be necessarily quick or easy. If anyone has any information or tips, I%26#39;d be very appreciative.

Thank you very much!!

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The trains are unlikely to have changed very much.

You can get French train times and costs, and make bookings, at www.tgv-europe.com/en but say you are from Great Britain. If you say you are from USA, you get another site that has much higher prices. Early bookings get cheaper prices.

You can get Italian train times and costs from www.trenitalia.com but it does not have information beyond the timetable change on 12 June. The schedules do not change much, so use travel dates next week for your planning.

You will not be able to book through Trenitalia, as it hardly ever accepts cards issued outside Europe. Just buy the train tickets in Italy: the price does not change.

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Hi,

Thanks so much for your help with the train information. How is the train ride from Nice to Monterosso? Would I be able to leave Nice in the morning and arrive by mid afternoon? Since I%26#39;ll be traveling alone with a suitcase and backpack with a computer, I%26#39;ll have a bit of a challenge with trains (or at least I imagine I will). Any guidance about train travel in this area?

TalulaR.

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Nice to Monterosso takes around 5 hours: you can get the times from the Trenitalia site.

If you are travelling by train, do not have more luggage than you can handle comfortably by yourself. There is no-one to help you, and it is usually quite a step up into a train.

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To minimise changes of train on this route, you might wish to depart Nice on the 10.02 or 17.59 trains. These run direct to Genoa, where you change for Monterosso.

These connections to Monterosso (but not the remaining ones which require a change at Ventimiglia) can be booked online at http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

However they cannot be booked for dates after June 13, as the French train company SNCF is waiting for the Italian train company to get its act together and decide on timetables for after that date. Times shouldn%26#39;t change much, if at all.