Two Weeks In Italy Itinerary By Public Transport – Part 2

In the previous post (which you can find here) I shared with you the route I took during the first week of my trip to Italy by public transport. In this post you will find the continuation of the route for the second week in Italy by public transport. At the end of the post I have attached general tips for you.

So let’s continue.

Day 8 – the Vatican

This day was basically dedicated to the Vatican. The Vatican is a huge, impressive place and there is so much to see. We wandered around the place for many hours and I would recommend that you start the day there and move on from there according to your power and time. When we were done we took a long lunch break and from there we continued to Santangelo Castle. We then went to the Spanish Steps and then visited a nice park in the city, passed through the Pinciana Gate towards Villa Borghese and enjoyed the lake that is in the park.

Day 9 – the Colosseum

The Colosseum defined area actually combines 3 different areas – the Colosseum itself, the Romano Forum and Palatine Hill. We spent the first half of the day wandering around the various areas. It was interesting and beautiful, I recommend that you not give up entry to these complexes. During the other half of the day we went shopping at my sister’s request.

Day 10 – Museum of Art and Culinary Wandering in the city.

In Rome there is an art museum which is open to the general public only on Saturday between 9: 00-13: 00. If you are in Rome on Saturday I recommend that you visit this place – Palazzo Colonna. The place is impressive in its beauty and I think it is the most beautiful art museum I have ever been to. The accuracy of the small details was exceptional and the artwork was so beautiful that it gave me goosebumps. From there we continued on a culinary tour of the city, Rome has a lot to offer in terms of good food. I suggest that you pick up recommendations for good restaurants or take a culinary guided tour in the city.

Where to sleep in Rome?

The first nights in Rome I slept in the Duca Dalba Hotel which was located in the tourist center of the city, less than a five-minute walk to the Colosseum, the location was excellent and close to all the interesting places in Rome. Furthermore, the hotel was clean and cozy.

On my last night in Rome after my sister and mother had left, I moved to the hostel ‘Beehive’ which was located a bit further away from the tourist area (25 minutes walk from the Colosseum, but 2 minutes walk from Termini train station) The hostel was clean and had activity evenings for travelers.

Day 11 – ride to La Spezia, sunset at Portovenere

From Rome I took a train to La Spezia, a central town near Cinque Terre. I honestly did not imagine it would be the highlight of my trip and I really recommend that you not miss it. I arrived relatively late in La Spezia so there was no point in starting to explore the five towns of Cinque Terre. On the recommendation of the amazing hostel I stayed in I went to see the sunset in Portovenere. I was sorry I did not have more time to take a ferry to the island that was close by (there is a ferry every hour) I recommend you arrive before to the area or extend the trip in the area for another day.

– For a bus ride to Portovenere you need to buy a ticket in advance, the ticket does not indicate an exact time and day so you can buy and use later. Purchases are made in tobacco stores and supermarkets.

The route I took by train –

I boarded a train at Termini station in Rome at 11:57 and arrived at a train station in La Spezia at 15:44. I would recommend that if you have had your fill of Rome, you get on an earlier train (there are direct trains before 12).

It is important to know:

Cinque Terre has 5 coastal towns that can be visited by train (every 20 min) or hiking trails. One-way trains cost 5 euros while a day pass costs 18 euros and a two-day pass costs 30 euros per person. The ticket also includes entry to the national park and hiking trails. I recommend buying the ticket so that after the route you can choose where to see the sunset and move freely.

Day 12 – hiking trail between Corniglia to Manarola

The first day in the area I started in Corniglia, I got there by train walked around the area and then went up to a hiking trail towards Manarola. The route is challenging and has many ascents and descents, but from this direction (Corniglia to Manarola) it is easier than from the opposite direction. The route stops in the intermediate town – Volastra which allows a stop for refreshment or taking a bus to the town even though from there, there are only descents so I would waive the bus. The walk is very impressive and worth the effort, but if you can not do a long route I would recommend you take a bus from Manarola to Volastra and from there continue on foot to Corniglia (I think this is the more beautiful part of the route). I recommend doing the walk with a swimsuit (or bringing one in your bag) and jumping into the water in Manarola at the end of the route. Then I went by train to Riomaggiore for a walk around and to see the sunset there – highly recommended.

Day 13 – hiking trail between Levanto to Monterosso

Levanto is not included as part of the Cinque Terre, but there is a beautiful and slightly lighter hiking trail than the day before heading towards Monterosso. The route takes about 2.5-3 hours and in this case too, this direction (Levanto to Monterosso) is easier than the opposite direction. Monterosso has a sandy beach (compared to other places where the beaches are rockier) I recommend you also come here with a swimsuit and at the end of the route, jump into the water in Monterosso. There is the main beach where you will also find changing rooms, toilets and showers and there is a beach located closer to the end of the hike where there are fewer people, you will find the entrance next to ​​the “Barabba in white” restaurant. Later I went by train to Vernazza for a walk around and from there took a train to see the sunset in Manarola (its location allows for a more beautiful sunset than in the remote towns).

Day 14 – flight home

I was debating that day whether to go to the island next to Portovenere or to relax at the beach, because it was the last day of the trip and my legs ached from the hiking of the last few days I decided to go to the beach in Monterosso. I had enjoyed the quiet beach the day before and decided to spend the morning there. I’m glad I chose this because I think another hike would have probably been too much for me and also because the ride there is longer and requires precision for the ferry so I think I would have been too stressed about being on time for my train to enjoy the day. At the beach I had more time to relax and a shorter ride back to La Spezia, so I really enjoyed the time I had.

The route I took by train –

I wanted to get directly to the airport so I boarded a train from the train station in La Spezia at 13:52 to the Ostiense train station in Rome (after checking that there is a train to the airport frequently) I arrived at 17:55 and boarded the train at 18:02 and arrived to the airport at 18:33.

Where to sleep in La Spezia?

I slept in a super cool hostel, ‘Grand Hostel’ in the city center, next to a bus stop and about a 15-minute walk from the train station. A fun and clean hostel, there are really nice joint activity evenings. You get a detailed explanation of the hiking and travel options available in the area and the staff helps with any and all questions. I really recommend it.
 
As I wrote in the previous post, this is the route I took, of course you are welcome to adapt the route to the nature of your trip and shorten or extend the stay in different places.

Here are some general tips that will upgrade and make your next trip to Italy easier.

– I booked all the train journeys through the ‘Trainline’ app which allowed me to see the various arrival options and build the route. Of course I also used ‘Google Maps’ to find the names of the desired stations and easily check what time a direct train leaves. But I did the whole ticket booking process on the trainline app which sends a clear ticket to your email with a scan code, train details, coach number, seat number and on the app you can see your journey in real time and check departure platforms.

– I recommend that you buy a train ticket in advance in order to reduce costs. As you get closer to the planned date the prices will go up.

–  I found the hostels through the ‘Hostelworld’ app which has a list of many hostels around the world along with recommendations from travelers. You can book a room according to what is left in the hostel and its offers. In Italy almost every hostel offers a room for women only.

–  I recommend that you book a ticket in advance to the Vatican and the Colosseum in Rome, otherwise the queues are very long. When arriving with a pre-purchased ticket the queue is drastically shortened and those who arrive without a ticket spend a lot of time in queues. The price is the same, but it is necessary to plan and arrive on time and it is worth the time saved.

– As you can see I started my trip in Milan and finished in Rome, at any ticket buying site you can buy a ticket that lands and takes off from different destinations, this option is called multi-city. It usually lowers the cost of the flight and in this case shortens the time, allows for a larger deployment and a trip to furthest parts of the country and in addition lowers the costs of getting back to the landing destination.

For any question feel free to comment here in the post and I will answer soon. If you know someone who is planning a trip to Italy please share with him the route that can be easily done with the help of public transport only.

More on topic:

The ultimate guide to a trip in Scotland by public transport.