How to Get from Milan to the Cinque Terre (and vice versa)

Milan isn't usually the highlight of a first Italy trip, but it has two of the country's busiest airports, so plenty of people land there and head straight for the coast. If that's you, the good news is that the Cinque Terre is one of the easiest seaside escapes from Milan. A handful of direct trains a day do the trip in about three hours, with no changes.

Take the train. The rest of this page explains which one, how to book it, and when driving or a bus might make sense instead. Everything works the same in reverse if you're finishing your trip in the Cinque Terre and flying home from Milan.

The short answer

• Best option: a direct Intercity train from Milano Centrale to Monterosso or Levanto, just under 3 hours on the fastest runs.
• Backup: any train to La Spezia (or to Genoa), then the local Cinque Terre train along the coast.
• Only drive if the car is going somewhere else afterward. You won't use it between the villages.
• No flights. There's no airport close enough to make flying worth it.

Taking the train from Milan to the Cinque Terre

Trenitalia runs roughly six or seven direct Intercity trains a day from Milano Centrale down the Ligurian coast. They call at Genoa, then Levanto and Monterosso (the northernmost and largest of the five villages), and most continue to La Spezia. The fastest take just under three hours to Monterosso or Levanto. The first leaves Milan around 6am and the last in the evening, but check the current timetable because the pattern shifts between summer and winter.

Intercity trains come with a reserved seat, and their fares are priced like airfares: book a few weeks out on trenitalia.com or in the Trenitalia app and you can find seats from roughly 15 euros in 2026. Buy on the day in August and you'll pay a lot more, if there's a seat at all. The cheap ones go first on summer Fridays and Sundays.

If the direct trains don't suit your timing, go via Genoa or La Spezia. Faster trains run Milan to Genoa, and from Genoa or La Spezia regional trains work their way along the coast. Allow three and a half to four hours with a change. Italo, the private high-speed company, doesn't serve the Cinque Terre, so this is a Trenitalia trip.

Which village? The direct Intercity trains stop at Monterosso and Levanto (just north of the park, and a cheaper place to stay), but not at Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola or Riomaggiore. If you're staying in one of those, ride to Monterosso or La Spezia and hop on the regional train. It runs up and down the coast all day, roughly every 15 to 30 minutes, and the ride between neighboring villages is a few minutes. Search your actual village on the Trenitalia site and it'll build the connection for you.

Flying into Malpensa? Take the Malpensa Express to Milano Centrale (about 50 minutes on the Centrale branch) and change there. Read our guide to getting from Malpensa into Milan, and leave yourself a buffer: a late flight plus a missed Intercity means a long wait on a summer afternoon.

Getting around once you're there: the Cinque Terre Treno Card covers the regional trains between Levanto and La Spezia plus the paid hiking paths, from about 17 euros in low season to about 35 on peak days in 2026. Buy it from the national park if you'll ride the train several times a day. It doesn't cover the trip from Milan.

>> More on Italian trains: Italy train travel tips and getting around in the Cinque Terre

Driving from Milan to the Cinque Terre

Milan to Monterosso is about 225 km, and route planners like ViaMichelin call it a bit under three hours, most of it on the A7 and A12 motorways. ViaMichelin will estimate your tolls too.

Don't trust that three hours. Once you leave the motorway, the roads down to the villages are narrow, twisting and slow, and a short hop on the map can eat an hour. The villages themselves are mostly closed to outside traffic, and parking is scarce and expensive in summer. The sensible move is to park in La Spezia or Levanto and take the train in.

So a car only makes sense if you're collecting it in Milan anyway and carrying on afterward, say to Tuscany. Before you pick one up, read up on driving in Italy, especially the camera-enforced ZTL zones in historic centers, which catch a lot of rental drivers.

Taking the bus from Milan to the Cinque Terre

Look at a map and a bus seems like it should be the budget move. It isn't really. Long-distance coaches from FlixBus and Itabus can get you from Milan to Genoa, but no coach goes into the villages, so you'd finish on the train anyway. An advance Intercity fare is often close to the bus fare and gets you there faster. Use the bus only if the trains are sold out or you've found a fare too cheap to ignore.

>> More on bus travel in Italy

Now that you're in the Cinque Terre…

• Start with the guide to the Cinque Terre, which covers each of the five villages.
• Figure out where to stay in the Cinque Terre. It's mostly rented rooms and apartments; for a traditional hotel, look in Monterosso or Levanto.
• Plan your walks with the guide to hiking the Cinque Terre. Trail sections close often (Manarola to Corniglia along the coast is still shut in 2026), so check the park site on the day.
• Short on time? Here's a two-day Cinque Terre itinerary, and things you should know about the Cinque Terre before you go.

photos by Richard, enjoy my life!, Jess & Peter, pizzodisevo (therapy, terapia, Therapie)