Line 02 Boat Between Portovenere and Monterosso

Seeing the villages from the sea is seeing the real postcard: coloured houses piled on the rock and the vine terraces above. The coast's scheduled boat stops at four of the five villages and links with Portovenere, La Spezia, Lerici and Levanto. You buy a ticket and get on: it is not a guided excursion, it is transport.

Who operates it and how it works

The line is operated by the Consorzio Marittimo Turistico Cinque Terre – Golfo dei Poeti, which brings together the local shipping companies. The boats stop at Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso. They do not stop at Corniglia, which is high on a cliff with no harbour: for that village, take the train.

You can buy a single journey or a day ticket, which lets you hop on and off without limit at all the line's stops. The day ticket is the one to get if you want to see several villages from the water and get off at them. It is bought at the ticket offices on the quays or on the consortium's website, where advance sales open in February and tickets can be bought until the day before. The price depends on the leg and the type of ticket: check it on the website before going.

When it runs

The service is seasonal. In 2026 there was a reduced timetable until 27 March and the season timetable from 28 March. Outside spring, summer and early autumn the boats are greatly reduced or suspended: if you go in November or in winter, check the current timetable on the consortium's website before counting on it.

The boats do not sail in a heavy sea, and on the open Levante coast that often happens in autumn and spring. Cancellations are decided on the same day; do not rely on the boat to come back at a fixed time, because the train is the safe alternative.

A plan for the day

1. Portovenere. Start in the south, at Portovenere, which has no train: the church of San Pietro on the rocks and the castle deserve the morning. You arrive by bus from La Spezia or by boat.
2. Coast northwards. The boat passes the island of Palmaria and continues along the cliffs to Riomaggiore. Sit on the port side, on the left looking forward, to have the coast on your side heading north.
3. Riomaggiore or Manarola. Get off at one of the two, walk up through the village and return to the quay.
4. Vernazza. The arrival by sea, with the tower and the church above the harbour, is the best-known view of the coast.
5. Monterosso. The village with a sandy beach. From here you return by boat or by train.

Allow about five hours if you get off in three or four villages. In a hurry, the whole journey from one end to the other, without getting off, takes less time.

Boarding and accessibility

The quays at Vernazza and Monterosso are next to the village; those at Riomaggiore and Manarola are landing stages on the rock, with steps and, in a choppy sea, a tricky step between boat and quay. With a pushchair or wheelchair it is awkward at those two stops. With children it works well: the trip is short and the view keeps them entertained.

Combine it

The boat and the train complement each other: go by boat one way and return by train. If you have a morning left, the Sentiero Azzurro between Monterosso and Vernazza ends right at the Vernazza quay.