The closest airport to Cinque Terre: how to fly to Cinque Terre Italy
Our guide to getting to Cinque Terre by plane. Discover the closest airport to Cinque Terre and how to get from the airport to your Cinque Terre accommodation.
If you have Cinque Terre on your Italian itinerary, you may be considering flying into this area and then travel from here.
There are 3 airports close to Cinque Terre however, there is no Cinque Terre airport as such, which means you will need to find a combination fly+train or fly+bus/car to get to your destination.
This is easily done however, it will require a bit of time, patience and train changes, so it is a good option especially if you don’t have a lot of luggage and you don’t mind indirect connections.
This is our guide to picking the closest airport to Cinque Terre and how to get to your hotel from there. If you are not sure where in Cinque Terre you should pick your hotel, you can find our guide to Cinque Terre towns here.
The closest airport to Cinque Terre Map
The closest airports to Cinque Terre are Pisa and Genoa.
The closest airport to Cinque Terre is Pisa. This is 84km from Cinque Terre and it a small airport served by budget airlines: this is a good option if you are coming from Europe as you can get some very good deals!
The second closest airport to Cinque Terre is Genoa. Genoa’s airport is called ‘Cristoforo Colombo’ and it is about 112km from Cinque Terre, with connections by road, train and bus. Genoas’ airport is an efficient and well-organized international airport with good flights from/to many locations in Italy, Europe and the world.
Due to the good train connections to this area, you can also consider other airports to fly into Cinque Terre however, they will usually entail longer and more convoluted transport options and a few changes of trains. These airports are Florence, Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa.
Good to know – from all airports it is possible to reach Cinque Terre by rental car, heading to La Spezia and then following local directions. This option is only recommended if you have a place in Cinque Terre where you can leave the car. We highly recommend not to drive to this area because of traffic and lack of parking.
How to get to Cinque Terre by plane
How to get from Genoa airport to Cinque Terre
From Genoa airport, you can reach Cinque Terre:
By train – by far the best way to reach Cinque Terre from Genoa airport, via Genoa train station. From Genoa airport, you can use a taxi or the bus service ‘VolaBus’ to get to Genoa Piazza Principe train station or Genoa Brignole.
From these stations, you can either get the train to La Spezia and then change and take the Cinque Terre express train or hop on a regional train.
Genoa airport official website is here
How to get from Pisa airport to Cinque Terre
From Pisa airport to Cinque Terre the connection is by shuttle bus+ train.
When you land in Pisa airport, you first catch the Pisamover shuttle to Pisa Centrale (train station). From here, you catch the train to La Spezia and then change to the local Cinque Terre Express train that stops in all Cinque Terre towns.
Official website of Pisa Airport is here
How to get to Cinque Terre from Milan Linate
You can reach Cinque terre fro Milan Linate airport using a bus + train combination.
Milan Linate is a small and easy to navigate airport, which a handy shuttle bus that connects it to Milano centrale Train station. From the airport, catch the shuttle bus then, once in Milan, get a train to Genova Porta Principe.
From Genoa train station, you can either get the train to La Spezia and then change and take the Cinque Terre Express train or hop on a regional train to your town of choice.
Milan Linate airport official website is here
How to get to Cinque Terre from Milan Malpensa
Milan Malpensa is a large airport and pretty far for almost anything (including Milan) which means arriving here adds to your transport time. However, many flights get to this international airport so it can be a good option.
From Milan Malpensa, you can reach Cinque Terre by train.
From Malpensa airport, first you need to get the train to Milan centrale.
This is a handy train and the journey takes about 1 hour. From Milan centrale train station, you need to catch a train to genoa porta Principe. Then again from genoa, you can get the train to La Spezia and then change and take the Cinque Terre Express train or hop on a regional train to your town of choice
Official website of Milan Malpensa airport is here.
Tips for getting to Cinque Terre by plane
As you can see, getting to Cinque Terre by plane is possible but it can be a bit of a trek, especially if this is the very first time you are in Italy and therefore may find trains and changes daunting.
I recommend you pack carefully to avoid lugging around heavy bags, if traveling this way: you can find our recommended luggage for Italy here.
If you have the time, I also recommend you take your time and spend one day in Genoa and/or one day in Milan on your way to Cinqe Terre. They are both worth it!
Marta Correale
Marta Correale is an Italian mama of two. Born and raised in Rome, Marta has a passion for travel and especially enjoys showing off Italy to her kids, who are growing up to love it as much as she does! A classics graduate from the University of Rome, Marta channeled her passion for culture and travel into the creation of family travel websites that inspire, support and help curious visitors to make the most of a trip to Italy and learn about Italian culture on the way. Marta also manages the thriving online community of parents 'Italy with kids' who turn to her for expert advice and competent Italy travel planning support. She is the author of the travel guides 'Best of Rome with kids' and 'Best of Florence with kids' available on Amazon and of an array of kids printables (scavenger hunts, info booklets etc) available on her Etsy shop 'Mama Loves To Print'
