Cinque Terre Card Battello and Pet Questions

by Suzanne
(Houston, Texas, USA)

Is it possible to pre-purchase the Cinque Terre Card Battello? We will be on holiday in May, and I will need to purchase cards for a group of 10 people on May 16, and then for up to 15 people on May 23.

In addition, one of our group is from France. He has a dog (with an international license) and is wondering if the dog will be able to accompany him on the hiking trails, train, and ferry.

Thank you very much!

Answer:
Hello Suzanne,

We contacted the Cinque Terre Information Centre today ( Apr 14, 2011) and they advised us that unfortunately the Cinque Terre Card Battello has been discontinued and is currently not available for purchase.

You can still take a ferry service to/from and around the Cinque Terre villages as provided by the Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti company but this ticket is for the ferry service only. You would need to purchase separately the Cinque Terre Card or the Cinque Terre Card Treno option if you want to go on the hiking trails and get unlimited train travel on the Levanto - La Spezia Centrale - Levanto line for the day.

With regard to pre-booking the tickets, you can indeed pre-book the ferry tickets by giving a ring to the Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti company on tel. 011 39 0187732987. We were advised that there are discounts available for groups of over 10 persons and especially if you pre-book the tickets in advance. So I will definitely recommend that you give them a call.

You can also pre-book the Cinque Terre Cards but it is done through a bank transfer via the National Park Office in Riomaggiore. To get the exact details, please contact them on tel: 011 39 0187 762 187 or 011 39 0187 920 633. We were advised that there are only group discounts for the Cinque Terre Card giving access to the hiking trails only but applicable for a group of over 25 persons.

Concerning your question as to whether a dog will be able to accompany this owner on the hiking trails, train, and ferry, the short answer is yes but there are a few things to be aware of.

You can take the dog on the trains but it needs to be on a leash. In addition, if it is quite a large dog, the owner might be asked to buy a separate train ticket for the dog as well.

On the ferry, the owner will be required to have the god on a leash as well as put on a muzzle but there will be no extra charge applied. In both cases though, the owner will need to make sure that he carries the international passport for the dog with details of its vaccinations.

He will be able to take the dog on the hiking trails of the Cinque Terre as well.

I hope this helps and let us know how your trip went.

Gianfranco
LiguriaGuide.com