Lucca or 3 nights in CT

Hi Nancy. I haven't been to the CT so I can't comment on that, but I would spend the extra night in Florence. There's just so much to see, and 3 nights = 2 full days.

Nancy, I agree with Sarah. Firenze! It's so wonderful. Of course, I haven't been to the CT, either. Given recent comments on this board, I am sort of wondering if I will ever go. It sounds like the whole place is SLAMMED constantly with tourists - even more than all the other "touristy" places we discuss here. Anyway, I vote for Florence/Firenze. SO MUCH to see and do.

Thank you for your help. I was in Firenze 4 years ago, can not wait to back. I can taste the Limon Gelato already. CT looks beautiful, however many of the posts are making me wonder if it not the same anymore. I agree 2 full days in Firenze will be fabulous! Nancy

Depends on if you're a "country mouse" or a "city mouse." To me, Lucca is a day trip and not worth a night; you didn't say when you were going-we spent 2 great nights in the CT in November and it was absolutely delightful and empty and the weather was gorgeous! Florence is always near the top of anyone's list and should be, so I guess I would go for the 3 nights there and 2 in the CT, however, when you change trains in Pisa, do see the tower and the Duomo.

I am a country mouse, cute! Do enjoy the city briefly. I will be in CT in two weeks. We are staying in a Hostel for the first time ever. I want as true of an experience as one can have in the Terra. The plan is to stop in Pisa. I have heard mixed reviews on Lucca. Nancy

Nancy, Having been to all of those locations a few weeks ago, and since you're a "country mouse", I'd suggest adding an extra night to the Cinque Terre. With travel times, you may end up spending 2.5 days in each place. While the C.T. can be crowded at times, at this time of year I suspect that will be less of a problem. I stayed in Monterosso this time, and even with the crowds it was still one of the highlights of my trip. Which Hostel are you staying in? While Lucca does have a few interesting sights, I don't think it's worth the effort or the travel time to stop there for one night, given that you only have a few days to work with. One point to mention. Be prepared to be "flexible" regarding the trains in the C.T., as they don't always operate in the expected manner. Happy travels!

Nancy...agree with Ken if you generally prefer the country. I have also been to all the places mentioned a number of times, and given the chance I would be hanging out in the CT for an extra day and enjoying the Sea and nature...should not be so busy right now.
The crowds in Florence drive me as crazy as the crowds in CT appear to bother others. But, at least in CT you have one side without people, and that is the Sea. I would not move my stuff just to spend one night in Lucca... I spent a day there once, but don't know if I need to return. Definitely spend a few hours in Pisa....Yes, just to check it off the list!

We are staying at the Hostel 5 Terra. I do realize it is a ways from Monterosso. There are many reasons why I decided to go this route. Mainly about the experience I want out of this stay in the Terra. We will stop off in Pisa on the way to Firenze. I live on the coast of Northern California. Never can one get enough of the ocean. You have all been helpful! Thank You,
Nancy

Nancy, Thanks for the additional information on which Hostel you'll be using (there are two in the C.T., so I was curious). I've never stayed at the Ostello 5-Terre in Manarola, but I did make a brief "inspection" on one of my trips in that area, and spoke with the staff. It's clean and well run, so I'm sure you'll have an enjoyable stay there. One reason I haven't stayed there yet, is the fact that they have a strict lockout in the afternoon (13:00-16:00 as I recall), and the doors are locked! That's a problem for me as I sometimes like to return to the room to rest in mid afternoon (us "old folks" like to do that sometimes). One other benefit of staying in Manarola, is that you'll probably have less of an issue with crowds there than in Vernazza, especially at this time of year. The Hostel is at the top end of the town, so most of the "day trippers" don't bother venturing that far, especially now that the trail from Manarola to Corniglia is closed. You may find it interesting to read http://blog.ricksteves.com/?p=4435 from Rick's Blog. Happy travels!

Nancy, I think you will be happy at that hostel. Its about my favorite of all I have ever stayed at. You will find the guys really nice, an interesting mix of travelers most likely. I have used it as my laundry stop in the past. Its been a couple years since I stayed there but the meals were also pretty good as I recall.

All of the posts here make me more excited for my holiday. You have all been positive. I am happy that I made the correct decision. Thank You!

I have been to both CT and Firenze. Just returned from 5 days there as a matter of fact. My vote is Firenze. So much to see and do. Extremely walkable city which matters to me. Easy access to other Tuscan locations if time permits. Ah me, I miss it now.

Hi Nancy, I think you should spend your extra night in Florence. In March we did three nights in Florence and two nights in Lucca. Wow, what a mistake. I found Lucca to be very unwelcoming, boring, a general waste of time. Had our innkeeper not controled the gate of the lot our car was parked in, we would have left after three hours and never looked back. To me, Lucca is a neat place to spend a couple hours-it was fun to walk around the wall of the city. But for us, that was really the only positive of our time in Lucca.

Nancy, I hope you got to spend some time in CT before the flood. If you haven't left yet, look at this link. Horrible sight! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBtv7dhjWBM

My friend and I were in Manarola during the flood. The morning of the storm we traveled to Monterosso to try and sight see. All of the trails had already been closed. After a few hours drinking coffee in a cafe we decided to return to Manarola. There was no way we could do a thing in the heavy rain. The train closed down as soon as we made it to Manarola. Fortunately for us we were traveling to La Spezia the next day. For many you know what the situation was. I will return to the Cinque Terra. Kudos to the Hostel 5 Terra. What a lovely stay we had. I highly recommend. There are many nice spots to eat in Manarola inexpensively.