cinque terre or almafi coast for real Italian village feel

I haven't been to the Amalfi Coast yet (though I have been to Sorrento). I've been to the Cinque Terre a few times. It's lovely and beautiful but very busy with tourists nowadays. (Less crowded at the end of Sept/early Oct but still not empty.) One thing to consider is that there is more to the Italian Riviera than the Cinque Terre. Last May, I spent three nights in the lovely town of Camogli about an hour north by train of the Cinque Terre. This town is not well known by Americans so doesn't feel touristy at all compared to the Cinque Terre. (Another option: the town of Rapallo nearby, which I didn't get to visit.) Camogli has a beach. I'm guessing you could stills swim in early October - I didn't try in May but have been swimming in early October at the Cinque Terre and the water was still warm enough.

If you stayed in Camogli you could still day trip by train down to the Cinque Terre - good train service up and down the riviera, so it's easy to explore different towns.

I haven't been to CT and I don't have any desire to go as it has been saturated with tourists and seems nothing more than a tourist attraction rather than a living, working village.

The Amalfi coast is nice but again, places like Positano, Sorrento etc also suffer from their attractiveness but there is a reason why they're so popular. Of course there are many towns and villages along the Italian Riviera that do not attract such volumes of tourists and you can experience a more 'authentic' feel. Last summer we took a day trip from Nice to San Remo, spending our time walking along the promenade, exploring the old town centre and having lunch. It was very busy, bustling with lots of traffic, some old architecture, some new, plenty of people enjoying the beaches. It wasn't as scenic as Sorrento or Positano et al but it certainly felt like we were in a town where people were going about their daily lives and perhaps this would be the 'authentic' feel that you would be seeking.

We were at the Amalfi coast a year ago. We thought Sorrento was a bit disneyesque (we are from Florida!). It didn't seem like a real place--too perfect. Positano is mostly shopping, although we spent a very pleasant day on the beach. I liked Amalfi much better. It was still touristy but it has a medieval feel to it that I enjoyed. An Italian friend of mine and his wife spent a week in Amalfi and used it as a base. We spent 2 nights in Sorrento (went to Pompey and climbed Mt. Vesuvius), 2 nights in Amalfi, and 2 nights in Positano. I would have stayed in Amalfi for four nights and not moved to Positano.

Will you drive? The Amalfi coast is crazy curvy and difficult to drive. We took a bus from Sorrento to Amalfi. It passed by Positano.

One of our favorite things was a ferry ride from Positano to Amalfi. You got to see the coast line that way.

We were there in July which is the height of the tourist season.

Beth

Here's another opinion on Cinque Terre (too crowded):
https://www.frommers.com/blogs/arthur-frommer-online/blog_posts/an-excess-of-tourism-has-now-eliminated-much-of-the-appeal-that-the-medieval-cinque-terre-once-possessed

I agree with goodorf’s post. I’ve visited the coast twice staying overnight in Positano on my first trip and Amalfi last year. Positano is beautiful to look at and very touristy. Amalfi is more like a village - definitely my favorite. Don’t forget to also make a stop in Ravello - near Amalfi with spectacular views of the Coastline and the sea from the historic villas.

I stayed at the 6 room Hotel Villa Annalara and recommend it highly; it is owned and run by two brothers who are enthusiastic about by their hotel and their town. There is a magnificent terrace with a million euro view of the town and sea. The hotel is on a mountain. When you get there, you’ll walk from the street through a tunnel and take an elevator up to the hotel If you’re driving, they provide valet parking for a reasonable charge. Great seafood at ristorante IL Tarí a short walk from the hotel.

Personally I would visit either CT or Amalfi but not both. Amalfi would be my choice.

I have been to Cinque Terre about five-six times and the Amalfi coast 3 times.

I find these locations magical.

If you get up early, like 7am, you have the whole place for yourself. Around 10am, go back to your hotel/aribnb, relax. Come out again in the evening. There is nothing disney about these places.

I have visited Cinque Terre and have no intent to return. But for Rick Steves, would these towns see 20 percent of the tourists who currently visit? On the other hand, the Amalfi coast is magical. I don't think there is any comparison between the two, but that is obviously one person's opinion.

I spent a few nights in monterosso July 2016. It was as I had hoped. I worried about "crowds" too. You can find the cruise schedule to see which days they won't be docking to know the best days to stay. I had one day with the ships arrival and it wasn't bad though I didn't take the train which I hear is packed those days. Avoid the trails those days too. The view I had from my patio made it all worthwhile 😍