La Spezia, Italy Port Reviews

Walk to the train and take it to Cinque Terre/Vernazza! It is breathtaking! We climbed up the hillside and took amazing photos! We also ate lunch there under the umbrellas by the water. They had homemade pesto! Loved it!

Visited: Jun 04, 2017

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Don’t bother with excursions to Florence (2 hour drive each way) or Pisa (too crowded). We bought our Cinque Terre train passes in the port and walked out of the port very early on a mild October morning and caught a 15 minute taxi to the local train station. We spent about 7 hours visiting 4 of the villages (Manarola, Riomaggiore, Corniglia, and Vernazza). This included a beautiful 90 minute walk among olive groves and the coast, after lunch and gelato in Corniglia, ending in a spectacular descent into Vernazza. There is a bar halfway on the hike to stop for a beer or even fresh lemonade. Caught the train back to La Spezia from Vernazza and returned to the ship for dinner. Advice: Watch for pickpockets during busy times. Bring water, snacks. Coins for train station bathrooms. First stop was the harbor in Manarola to catch the amazing view of all the colored buildings. Warning: This journey is not for those who can not hike. The 90 minute hiking path involves inclines and declines and there is a series of 385 small steps to climb from the Corniglia train station to reach Corniglia.

This port really surprised me, didn't look like much from the coach drop off but a short walk down by the harbour front and into the city centre reveals beautiful streets and great shopping spots. Loved the place.

Got a taste of the Cinque Terre, hiked one trail, and visited 3 towns. Want to return one day to spend more time. This was one of the highlights of our trip! Breathtakingly beautiful.

Visited: Aug 23, 2018

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LaSpezia -Florence is too far away. But you can easily catch train from LaSpezia Central station to Pisa (Pisa S. Rossore station is the closest. Train schedule check trenitalia.com/tcom-en). About 5€ each way. Trip takes about an hour each way. Cinque Terra villages are also another option by train that is not too far away.

Visited: Aug 17, 2017

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Friendly city - easy to get around. Took excursion to Tuscany for wine tasting. Found it more enjoyable than a US winery tour

Visited: Jul 01, 2018

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Hiring car in advance or booking a cab is crucial as Florence is very far. Nothing opens in La Spezia before 9am so even if you disembark early and you don't have an advance booking then you will have to wait until shops open. Pisa is an hour drive from the port. Florence is 2 hours drive from the port.

Visited: Aug 18, 2018

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It's easy to visit the Cinque de Terre by train and boat. Free bus to the port terminal, taxi to the station then take the train. Buy the Cinque de Terre card in the port terminal as this allows unlimted travel on the train and saves time figuring out the confusing ticket machines.

Visited: Jul 30, 2017

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We took Celebrity's guided tour of Florence: It was well done and while we had done this tour before, the guides provided so much interesting information and history, it was well worth the revisit.

Visited: Oct 11, 2019

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RCL offered free shuttle to take you off the peer into edge of town. Nice place to walk and visit locale cafe or stores. Major attractions are 1-2 hours from the port.