The summer calendar for the Cinque Terre is teeming with events. Below I am posting schedules and fliers for the months of July, August and September. Keep checking back as I will continue to update this post as new calendars and fliers are released.
Enjoy!
Amy
Hello, July!
Below you’ll find the July 2018 schedule for the Cinque Terre guided tours & excursions.
If you have the Cinque Terre Card you can join these tours and excursions for free. If you’d like to buy the Cinque Terre Card in advance you’ll want to check out my post on the subject here. If you don’t plan to purchase the Cinque Terre Card you can still participate by paying €6.50 per person. As these tours have picked up in popularity, you’ll definitely need to book in advance (details on how to do that can be found at the bottom of this post).
The calendar is color coded:
BLUE: A historical and cultural tour of one of the Cinque Terre villages (in comparison to the hikes this is a less strenuous experience)
YELLOW: A hike
GREEN: A hike which requires the purchase of the Cinque Terre Card (as you’ll be hiking on a portion of the coastal trail which requires a pass)
PINK: An e-bike tour
PURPLE: A plogging* hike
*Plogging is a movement that started in Sweden in 2016 and has since spread worldwide. It’s an eco-friendly activity where joggers, hikers or walkers pick up litter while they are out and about. It gets two thumbs up from me!
Keep an eye out for the asterisks on the calendar:
To reserve your space you’ll need to either ring (+39) 0187 743 500 or email visiteguidate@ati5terre.it
You can follow Cinque Terre Walking Park on Facebook! Chiara (one of the local guides) does a great job of posting photos, schedules and updating in case of cancellations (due to weather conditions).
Enjoy!
Amy
Hoping to take the ferry from the Cinque Terre (or Lerici, La Spezia, Portovenere or Levanto) to Portofino and back? You’re in luck! This seasonal service will start on July 2nd and continue until August 31st, 2018. The ferry will pass by picturesque San Fruttuoso and then stop for 3 hours in Portofino before heading back.
Considering it’s an all-day affair, the rates are quite reasonable: €30-38 per adult and €15-20 for kids ages 6-11 years (rates fluctuate based on where you’ll be catching the ferry). Kids 5 and under travel for free when they are accompanied by a paying adult.
Keep in mind that passengers catching the ferry in Riomaggiore, Manarola or Vernazza will need to change ferries once they reach Monterosso.
Heads up: The 9:25 ferry will stop in Manarola only on Mondays (so if you want to go to Portofino on a Friday you’ll need to pick up the ferry in Riomaggiore, Vernazza or Monterosso). The opposite holds true for Vernazza, the 9:35 ferry will only stop on Fridays (so if you are wanting to go to Portofino on a Monday you’ll need to catch the ferry in Riomaggiore, Manarola or Monterosso).
Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to purchase ferry tickets online in advance (unless you are part of a large group of 20+ people) so you’ll need to do so day of. FYI: Only cash is accepted for payment.
As always, sea and weather conditions will dictate whether or not the ferries will run on any given day.
Enjoy and don’t forget the sunscreen!
Amy
Are you lucky enough to be in the Cinque Terre this weekend? If so, you won’t want to miss the San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) patron saint festivities in Riomaggiore and Monterosso. Here are their respective calendar of events:
What you won’t want to miss:
Wondering when Manarola, Corniglia and Vernazza have their patron saint celebrations? Check out my previous post here.
Divertitevi!
Amy
Monterosso’s ProLoco has come up with a rich schedule of events for June:
To help you out, I’ve translated the schedule to English for you:
Saturday, June 2nd:
Sunday, June 3rd:
Monday, June 4th:
Monday, June 11th:
Saturday, June 16th:
Sunday, June 17th:
Monday, June 18th:
Friday, June 22nd:
Saturday, June 23rd:
*San Giovanni Battista Patron Saint Festivities*
Sunday, June 24th:
*San Giovanni Battista Patron Saint Festivities*
Monday, June 25th:
Friday, June 29th:
Sunday, June 30th:
My recommendation? If you’re here for the dates, don’t miss the Corpus Domini or the patron saint festivities (they are my favorites)!
Enjoy,
Amy
I know many have been eagerly awaiting the release of the June 2018 schedule for the Cinque Terre guided tours & excursions. Here it is!
If you have the Cinque Terre Card you can join these tours and excursions for free (woot woot!). If you’d like to buy the Cinque Terre Card in advance you’ll want to check out my post on the subject here. If you don’t plan to purchase the Cinque Terre Card you can still participate by paying €6.50 per person. As these tours have picked up in popularity, you’ll definitely need to book in advance (details on how to do that can be found at the bottom of this post).
Here’s the schedule:
The calendar is color coded:
BLUE= A historical and cultural tour of one of the Cinque Terre villages (in comparison to the hikes this is a less strenuous experience)
YELLOW= A hike
GREEN= A hike which requires the purchase of the Cinque Terre Card (as you’ll be hiking on a portion of the coastal trail which requires a pass)
PINK: An e-bike tour
PURPLE: A plogging* hike
*Ok, don’t feel bad if you don’t know what plogging is… I had to look it up myself as this is a brand new entry on the monthly calendar! Plogging is a movement that started in Sweden in 2016 and has since spread worldwide. It’s an eco-friendly activity where joggers, hikers or walkers pick up litter while they are out and about. It gets two thumbs up from me!
Keep an eye out for the asterisks on the calendar:
To reserve your space you’ll need to either ring (+39) 0187 743 500 or email visiteguidate@ati5terre.it
You can follow Cinque Terre Walking Park on Facebook! Chiara (one of the local guides) does a great job of posting photos, schedules and updating in case of cancellations (due to weather conditions).
Enjoy!
Amy
Are you planning to visit the Cinque Terre and wanting a guided tour or excursion? You’re in luck! The Cinque Terre Walking Park offers daily excursions (read: hikes) or tours of the villages themselves. If you have the Cinque Terre Card you can join in for free! If you don’t have the Cinque Terre Card it is possible to participate by paying €6.50 per person.
Here’s the schedule for May 2018:
The calendar is color coded. If the date you’re interested is yellow or green, it’s considered trekking (read: a hike). If the date is green then it is *required* that you have the Cinque Terre Card (as you’ll be on a portion of the trail where you’ll need the hiking pass). If the date is blue, it’s a historical and cultural tour of one of the villages (a less strenuous experience compared to the hikes).
Keep an eye out for the asterisks. one asterisk (*) denotes the possibility to add on a wine tasting with a local vintner. I highly recommend this! TIP: Be sure to mention it if you’re interested when you reserve your spot. Three asterisks (***) is for the option to visit a local farm (for an additional €3 per person).
To reserve your space you’ll need to either ring (+39) 0187 743 500 or email visiteguidate@ati5terre.it
You can follow Cinque Terre Walking Park on Facebook! Chiara (one of the local guides) does a great job of posting photos, schedules and updating in case of cancellations (due to weather conditions).
Don’t forget, you’ll need proper footwear to hike the trails. No flip flops, heels or sandals on the trails (I know this seems like common sense but believe it or not we’ve seen it all!). Hiking boots or shoes aren’t required but at the very least you’ll want a pair of athletic trainers with decent tread on the soles.
Enjoy! And tell me all about it afterwards.
Ciao for now,
Amy
Due to a family emergency and an unexpected trip to the US, I have quite a few posts to publish to catch everyone up on the latest happenings in the Cinque Terre. Please bear with me!
Below you will find the peak-season schedule for the Cinque Terre + Portovenere ferries.
If you are planning on visiting after September 30th, don’t worry! The ferries continue to run (albeit with a limited schedule) up until All Saints’ Day on November 1st. Keep in mind that the ferries will only run when sea and weather conditions permit.
The different pass options are as follows:
Point-to-point ticket prices will depend on the village of departure and where you’d like to go. I’m posting the rates for departures from Riomaggiore below just to give an idea and linking to the rates from the other villages below.
FYI: Prices on the left are for adults and for children ages 12 and up. Prices on the right are for children ages 6 to 11. Small children (ages 0 to 5 years) ride for free with a paying adult.
Here are the links to the other village’s ticket prices for the ferries:
Remember, the Consorzio Marittimo Turistico 5 Terre – Golfo dei Poeti is the only official ferry line in the Cinque Terre. You can visit their website here.
Heads up: I’ve received numerous messages from readers that have found information online stating that the Cinque Terre ferries are not running (a website states that authorization from the Cinque Terre National Park was not received). Keep in mind this information is not from the official ferry line Consorzio Marittimo Turistico 5 Terre – Golfo dei Poeti and the ferries here are authorized and running on schedule.
Ciao for now,
Amy
Update: If you’re looking for the most recent 2018 Cinque Terre ferry schedule check out my newer post here: Cinque Terre ferry schedule April 21-September 30, 2018
The Cinque Terre ferries will start running for the season on March 24th, 2018. The schedule I’ve posted below is in effect until April 20th, 2018. Planning to come later in the season? Don’t worry, the ferries continue to run until All Saints’ Day on November 1st (but the schedules won’t be released until later on). I will update here on the blog as new schedules are released so stay tuned!
Tip: Be sure to keep an eye on those red asterisks on the schedule; one red asterisk means it will only run on Easter weekend and two red asterisks means it will run from March 30th onwards.
Here are the hop-on hop-off day & afternoon ferry pass rates (these rates should apply for the entire 2018 season):
If you prefer to do point-to-point or just a single round-trip ticket you’ll need to consult the price list for the specific village that you’d like to depart from. For the sake of simplicity I’m posting what I like to call the “à la carte” ticket prices for Riomaggiore and I’m linking the other villages’ price lists below.
Manarola’s point-to-point price list
Vernazza’s point-to-point price list
Monterosso’s point-to-point price list
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to book ferry tickets in advance (unless you are a group of 20+ people) so yes, you’ll have to queue up to buy your tickets (and heads up, only cash is accepted for payment).
Of course, don’t forget that the ferries will only run in favorable sea and weather conditions.
Enjoy!
Amy
Photo credit: Sciacchetrail
Mark your calendar… Sciacchetrail, the Cinque Terre’s very own ultra trail race, is back for the 4th edition on Saturday, March 24th. The ultra trail begins and ends in Monterosso (the fifth village of the Cinque Terre) and this year it’s a grueling 49.9 kilometers with an elevation change of 2,229 meters (*gulp*). Needless to say, Sciacchetrail isn’t for the faint of heart.
Photo credit: Sciacchetrail
I proudly support this local, grassroots event and I’m pleased to see that it keeps getting bigger and better each year. Joining Sciacchetrail this year are big international names like Sally McRae from the US (a Nike Trail Elite, this will be her fourth Sciacchetrail race), Gitti Schiebel from Germany (a Patagonia Trail Running Ambassador), Clare Gallagher from the US (a Patagonia Trail Running Ambassador), and Amanda Basham from the US (an Altra Running & Gore Running Wear athlete). Anton Krupicka from the US (a La Sportiva athlete) will be cheering on runners from the sidelines.
Sciacchetrail has received the seal of approval not only from local town halls and the Cinque Terre National Park but also from UNESCO. Just a few weeks ago Sciacchetrail won the category for Sustainability in the Winning Ideas for Outdoor Awards at the Outdoor Expo in Bologna.
Just another reason I love Sciacchetrail… check out these race medals made from repurposed chestnut (*swoon*). Who needs a shiny, new medal when you can have a piece of local history hanging around your neck? In their previous life, these medals were wood stakes holding up the grape vines in a Cinque Terre vineyard (the stakes had been replaced with new ones by a local vintner). Photo credit: Sciacchetrail
Want to get involved? There are lots of ways to show your support for Sciacchetrail:
–Simply cheer on runners at the start/finish line or along the course! As Schiacchetrail is actually one big loop through the Cinque Terre, the start and finish lines are one and the same in Piazza Belvedere in Monterosso. Runners will depart at 7:30am and are expected to start crossing the finish line at around 11:30am. The awards ceremony will take place in Piazza Garibaldi (in Monterosso) at 4pm. Check out the Sciacchetrail course below or click here for more details.
–Participate in the Sciacchetrail Walk & Wine (+ Pasta Party!) on Saturday, March 24th. While Sciacchetrail is taking place you can enjoy a 3 hour guided trek from Vernazza to Monterosso, stopping along the way to visit the villages’ sanctuaries. The cost to join is €15 per person and includes a break for wine & focaccia at Monterosso’s Soviore Sanctuary as well as lunch upon arrival to Monterosso (at the Sciacchetrail Pasta Party, where you’ll be elbow-to-elbow with Sciacchetrail runners). Participants for the Walk & Wine trek will have two meeting points and times, either a La Spezia Centrale at 8am or at the train station in Vernazza at 8:30am. To reserve your space, you can either phone (+39) 0187 22 873 or email cailaspezia@libero.it
–Check out the Sciacchetrail Outdoor & Family Village in Monterosso. The village will open starting at 10am on Saturday, March 24th, and at 9:30am on Sunday, March 25th, and offers fun for the whole family!
–Buy a raffle ticket! Tickets are €5 each, which might seem a bit expensive until you see the extensive prize list (plus, don’t forget that it’s a worthy cause):
You can find a list of who’s selling the raffle tickets here. Guess what? I’m on the list, too. If you won’t be in the Cinque Terre this month but you’d like to buy a ticket anyway you can email me at amy@cinqueterreinsider.com and we’ll figure something out.
You can find more details on Sciacchetrail by checking out their blog here. They also have a YouTube channel that I *love.* Most of the clips were made by fellow American expat and Sciacchetrail organizer Christine Godfrey; her videos are truly inspiring and worth a watch! For the social media savvy, check out Sciacchetrail on Facebook or on Instagram or Twitter as @sciacchetrail.
Interested in learning more about the event and what it represents? Check out my previous posts about Sciacchetrail here,here and here.
Cinque Terre Insider 