Italian train strike scheduled during my planned travel

September 9, 2011 5:52 PM

Italian travel problem: How do I get from Milan to the Cinque Terre during a train strike next weekend?

I'm going to be in Italy for the next two weeks, and I just found out that there is going to be a Trenitalia train strike while I'm there (September 17-18, 9pm-9pm). The problem: this strike is the exact day that I am planning to go from Milan to Vernazza in the Cinque Terre. Accommodation reservations are already made, so I'm reluctant to just bite the bullet and just stay an extra day in Milan.

Is there any other way I can get from Milan to the Cinque Terre? Renting a car is not an option.

I hear that there is minimal train service still running during a strike, but the details are all in Italian so I can't figure out if any routes will help me. There is a ferry that runs along the Cinque Terre, so if I can somehow get from Milan to a city nearby with a ferry stop, presumably I can take that. I'm willing to entertain all options, no matter how convoluted, short of chartering my own plane (not in the budget at this time...).

posted by wondercow to travel & transportation around Italy (6 answers total)

I hope that someone else chimes in with different/contradictory information, but when I went to Vernazza a few years ago, train was the only way in. Good luck.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 8:40 PM on September 9, 2011

we totally did this in July! (Siena to Florence, but hey, same thing). We didn't even know about the strike until we got to the train station, but it was super easy to snag a bus instead. Google for the italian bus companies like SENA, I'm sure that one of them will have routes from Milan to Genoa/Levante or La Spezia, and you can take a ferry or practically even hike once you're that close.

PS the italian train/bus sites mostly have english versions too, or else google translate works pretty well.

Have fun!
posted by Chris4d at 11:37 PM on September 9, 2011

PS when we were in the 5 terre, the passenger ferry stopped in each town several times a day. I think this is the company (in english!): http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/home.asp?lang=eng
posted by Chris4d at 11:47 PM on September 9, 2011

The page with details of Trenitalia services during strikes is in fact available in English.
In general, the morning and evening commuter rush-hour trains are by law exempt from strikes. Also, trains that are already running when the strike starts will normally reach their destination, unless that is more than one hour away.
I've googled some on bus connections, but haven't been able to find any.
posted by aqsakal at 12:34 AM on September 10, 2011

Some morning and rush-hour trains are indeed exempt from strikes, but only on weekdays. You're traveling on the weekend, so you're screwed in that regard.

Your best bet, IMHO, is to call the bus station in Milan and ask what route you can take to get to La Spezia on that day. Phone number is 02-33910794 or 02-80581354, they ought to be able to give you a schedule (I couldn't find one online).

As an Italian, I'm very sorry. Transportation strikes are the bane of our existance.
posted by lydhre at 2:31 AM on September 10, 2011

Thanks for the help, all! Unfortunately, we did end up getting stranded a day due to the strike, but we made the best of it. Trains still appeared to be running from Milan to Malpensa Airport, but nearly everything else was canceled or "delayed" indefinitely. We decided to cut our losses and enjoy our extra day in Milan rather than sitting at the train station saying, "the next train to La Spezia was delayed an hour and now is canceled? Well, let's just wait 2 hours for the next one to see if that's canceled too..."

I liked the ideas of the bus to La Spezia, but unfortunately, we couldn't find any schedule that would get us there in time for our reservation and, unfortunately, we still wouldn't have been able to get to Vernazza. Turns out, the ferry only runs in good weather (good policy), but since it was a stormy day, we still would have been stranded. Oh well.

Although we got delayed a day, I do sincerely appreciate the responses!
posted by wondercow at 3:02 PM on September 25, 2011