How Do You Get To Lerici From The US?

First of all where is Lerici?  It is located in the region of Liguria (one of Italy’s smallest) on the Mediterranean cost between Genova and Pisa.  Two nearby towns have train service, Sarzana and La Spezia, which is the larger and is a major departure point for Cinque Terre.

Airlines with direct service:

  United                          Delta                         American                    Alitalia                 Emirates

IAD to FCO                 JFK to FCO                JFK to MXP                JFK to FCO           JFK to MXP

EWR to VCE               JFK to MXP                ORD to FCO               JFK to MXP

EWR to MXP              JFK to PSA*                MIA to MXP               ORD to FCO

EWR to FCO               ATL to FCO                                                    MIA to FCO

ORD to FCO               ATL to MXP                                                    BOS to FCO

                                     DTW to FCO                                                   LAX to FCO                      

Direct service is not the best alternative (in my opinion), with the exception of summer service that Delta offers to Pisa*.  Rome is too far away to be convenient.  Milan is not too far if you are renting a car, but it is still an hour by train just to the main station in Milan.

Pisa and Genova are my favorite choices if you have a good connection through Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, London or other European gateways.

I have connected into Turin, Genova, Bologna, Florence, Milan, and Pisa.

Pisa is less than an hour by train, Genova about an hour+, the rest are about 2-3 hours to Genova and then change to La Spezia (Malpensa adds an hour to get to the main station in Milan).

Train Travel Times From La Spezia

Train travel is generally reliable, but can be confusing.  The really fast trains called Frecciabianca are reserved 1st and 2nd class and travel between the major cities of Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Bologna, and Naples.  InterCity trains are also reserved 1st and 2nd class that are the next level and are faster between larger towns.  The Regionale trains serve all the stops, are unreserved, and are generally slower and often late.

Genova - (Genoa) between 1 hour and 2 hours

Firenze - (Florence) about 2 hours via Pisa

Milan  - a little over 3 hours

Rome - between 3¼ and 4½ hours

Venezia - (Venice) between 4 ¼ and 5 hours via Milano

Pisa - about 1 hour

Lucca - about 1¼ hour via Viareggio

Parma - about 2 hours

Bologna - about 3 hours via Parma

Genova has two main train stations, Piazza Principe which is closer to the waterfront and has a shuttle bus to the airport and Brignole, which is closer to the shopping areas and old city.

Firenze Santa Maria Novella is the main train station in the center of the city.

Milano Centrale is the main station in Milano and connects to the metro as wall as the train to Malpensa airport.

Roma Termini is the main train station in Roma

Venezia has two train stations; Santa Lucia Train Station is the closest to the boat terminal.

Tips, tricks, and advice:

1.     Always validate your ticket BEFORE boarding the train.  There are small machines near all the tracks or near the ticket office.  You can be fined or arrested for tickets not validated.

2.     If you have a credit card with a chip, you can buy train tickets from the vending machines.  This is particularly handy if the ticket window is closed or there is a long line.

3.     There is a smart phone app called Prontotreno that is very useful for getting schedules, updates on departures, and even buying tickets.

4.     Many larger cities will have a daunting number of train stations, so know which station you want.  If you are not sure, just say Centrale (central).

Taking The Bus To/From La Spezia

There are two bus routes that serve Lerici from La Spezia, the L or S.  There is no difference except that one ends in Lerici and the other continues on to Sarzana.  The busses run about every 15 minutes during the day and stop just before midnight.  The trip is less than 30 minutes.

Tickets are available from vending machines, tabaccaio shops, and at the tourist office at the train station in La Spezia.

Tickets cost around 2 euros each, a bit cheaper if you buy a book of 10.

Tickets must be validated by punching them in the little yellow machines on the bus.  On almost every trip to Lerici, I have seen the police check tickets and there is always a scofflaw who gets cited (why they risk it I have no idea).