::.. Mar-Mar - 5 Terre ..::

Don’t worry, we’re easy to find!

FOR THOSE ARRIVING BY TRAIN:

Our office is just a two to three minute walk from the Riomaggiore train station. In order to find our office, you will need to:

Get off the train at the Riomaggiore train station.
When you exit the train station (& have the tracks to your back) you will find yourself in a small piazza with a fountain & two large murals on the wall to your right.
Head in the direction of the murals and go through the tunnel when you reach it.
At the end of the tunnel, the main street of Riomaggiore (via Colombo) will be on your left.
Walk up this main street approximately 25 meters (it should take you less than a minute) and you will see our signs & office on your left, next to La Lampara restaurant.

Tips for those traveling by train:
The trip from La Spezia to Riomaggiore takes just 8 minutes, so don’t get too comfortable on the train! Riomaggiore will be the very first stop after leaving La Spezia.

It is possible that when the train stops in Riomaggiore you will find yourself inside a tunnel (which will make it difficult to see the signs for the station). Double check with other passengers on the train to make sure that you have reached the Riomaggiore station, then exit the train (following the sidewalk until you reach the exposed platform).

To check Italian train times, schedules & fares go to official Trenitalia website at www.trenitalia.it This website is available in English and is very user-friendly! Type in where you will be leaving from (remember to use Italian names for cities, e.g. Firenze and not Florence) and where you would like to arrive (in this case, Riomaggiore). The site will do all of the work for you, your connections included!

FOR THOSE ARRIVING BY CAR:

Please remember that Riomaggiore (as well as the other four villages of the Cinque Terre) is pedestrian-only, so you must park at the top of the village & walk in on foot.

To reach Riomaggiore from the autostrada:

Exit the autostrada in LA SPEZIA.
Follow the directions on the signs that indicate the CINQUE TERRE and/or RIOMAGGIORE through the city center of La Spezia.
After you have passed through the city of La Spezia, you will find yourself on a rural road.
While driving on this rural road, you will pass through two tunnels.
Less than a kilometer following the second tunnel, be sure to watch for the sign indicating the turnoff for Riomaggiore (the turnoff will be on your right).
After turning onto the road to Riomaggiore, proceed with caution (the road is quite narrow and has a few blind turns).
You will arrive at the top of Riomaggiore (our village is situated on a hill, the historic center being downhill from where you will arrive by car).

To reach the Mar-Mar office from the top of the village of Riomaggiore:

Once you have parked your car, you will need to walk down via Santuario (the street that runs downhill from the parking gates & attendant booth and directly in front of the multi-level parking garage).
As you walk down this street, you may notice that the street changes from via Santuario to via Colombo as you approach the historic center of Riomaggiore.
Continue down via Colombo until you see our office on the right, next to La Lampara restaurant.

INFORMATION REGARDING PARKING

Because of the unique geography of Riomaggiore, parking is very limited & is therefore quite expensive. We’ve tried to clear up any confusion on parking by outlining the different options for you below.

Payment Parking

Mar-Mar has a limited number of spaces available (by reservation only) in a secured parking area. The spaces are for Mar-Mar guests only and the price is €10 per day. Sorry, we cannot accommodate vans or oversize vehicles. Please note that we require the car keys to be checked-in at the front desk while you are parked with us. As our parking is located at the top of the village and our office is located in the historic center, guests will need to contact us upon arrival in Riomaggiore so that we can come up to assist with parking.

For those who prefer to keep their car keys & have easier access to their vehicles (the Mar-Mar parking area is secured & can be accessed only by key), Riomaggiore offers a multi-level communal parking garage for €17.50 per day.

There are also payment parking spaces near the parking attendant booth & stretching alongside the road further down from the cemetery (you’ll need to buy your ticket at the booth as the machines seem to always be out of order).

Free parking

There are only two free parking options in Riomaggiore:

Just before entering Riomaggiore, you will see an above-ground cemetery to your right. Directly beneath the cemetery there are approximately 25 free parking spaces (keep in mind that these are prime real estate & available spaces are scarce).
If there are no available parking spaces beneath the cemetery the only other free option is to parallel park on the side of the narrow road that leads to Riomaggiore (if you are at the cemetery, you will need to turn around and go back up the hill). Road signs are posted where it is permitted to park. TIP: Be sure to tuck your side mirrors in. If you choose this parking option we recommend dropping your luggage off as close to the village as possible & then parking (as it’s a bit of a trek back).

Tips on parking in Riomaggiore:

Avoid costly parking tickets or (worse yet) having your car towed by watching for…

signs that indicate “no parking” (divieto sostare/parcheggiare) or “private parking” (parcheggio privato).
the color in which your parking place is lined (typically, blue=payment required, white=free parking & yellow=handicap parking).
the gated parking areas in Riomaggiore, which are for residents only (all cars parked here must display a special sticker). The only reason you should pass beyond one of these gates is to park in the multi-level communal garage (in this case, the lower gate will be raised for you by the parking booth attendant).

During holiday periods and the busy summer months of June, July & August it is not uncommon for the Riomaggiore parking areas to fill to maximum capacity. When this happens, the municipal police will re-direct traffic (not allowing you to drive down the narrow road to Riomaggiore). If you have reserved parking with Mar-Mar, it is important that you let the police officer know so that they will allow you to proceed to Riomaggiore. If you have not reserved parking in advance, the police will direct you to either park at the top of the road or along the rural road that leads to La Spezia. During such times, there is usually a bus that will run between the overflow parking area and the village (as it is about a kilometer to walk). If in doubt about the bus service, ask one of the municipal police officers.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE NATIONAL PARK TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

The national park offers transportation services which include the green eco-buses & the small porter trucks.

The green eco-buses run from the historic center (the main stop is in front of the Mar-Mar office) to the top of the village & back. There are also periodic buses that run to Biassa (a small village just outside the national park). Those who have parked at the cemetery or further up on the road can take the bus to Biassa & be dropped closer to their vehicles than the regular route. The price for a ticket on the eco-bus is €1.50 and can be purchased onboard (if you‘ve purchased & validated a Cinque Terre card, there is no extra fee to use the eco-buses). The bus times are clearly listed at the main stop in front of the Mar-Mar office.

For those guests who require assistance with transporting luggage either into or out of the village, it is possible to hire a national park porter. The porter charges a per bag fee (€1.50 per bag, or maximum of €5.00 per trip) and will take your luggage from the top of the village (in the vicinity of the parking attendant booth) to our office in the center of the village (or vice versa). Please keep in mind that reservations are not taken for this popular service, so you may have to wait in queue.