I and my wife will rent a car ( in September ) from Florence and first stop it will be Vernazza in Cinque Terre.
I just read that the routes in Cinque Terre are a little bit narrow and windy .
Has somebody drove there recently?
Are there any restrictions or route closures?
Should we chose train instead of car?
Thanks
Dorel
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32757 posts
They are not a little bit narrow and windy.
They are very narrow and very winding.
Parking is very rare and expensive.
Is there a reason you think the car would be better than taking the train?
Posted by
USA
4 posts
Better take the train!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15810 posts
Echoing Nigel, driving in the Cinque Terre is not usually recommended. If one must have a car, it's best to park it in La Spezia or other town near but not IN the CT, and take a train.
Just curious: where else are you planning to take the car on your trip? If you itinerary is mostly cities, trains will be a much better option.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
The reason that I rent a car is that the place where I already booked a room ( 6 km to Vernazza ) is reachable only by car, that is the trip advisory recommendation .
From CT we intend to visit Tuscany , Milan and Venice.
We noticed when we were looking for accommodation in CT because of high season is hard to find a place .
Any suggestions for booking in CT?
Thanks a lot for your reply .
Dorel
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
If your room is up in the hills, you'll probably have a great sea view, but not easy access to the Cinque Terre towns, and limited-parking problems when you drive down. If you've searched all five towns without finding rooms, then try another location with train service, such as Levanto (also has ferry service maybe 1x/day in September).
Posted by
Coquitlam
220 posts
To each his own. We have traveled five times in Europe and traveled by car each time. One trip included the Cinque Terre and other remote parts of Italy, as well as Spain and Portugal. We prefer small towns and back roads. Often they are narrow and twisting. As long as you drive appropriately you will be okay.
If you are going only to big cities, other than the CT,,the use a car form that portion and the use trains. Driving in large cities is no picnic, I did it a couple of times
It is your choice as to what you do; remember we all are giving you advice on our own background and experiences.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32757 posts
A current thread giving a person's current experiences trying to park in the Cinque Terre is at
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15810 posts
A car is also of no benefit in Venice or Florence (Tuscany), and can't be driven into the centers of towns which have large ZTL zones. They can be a plus for exploring the countryside but not for Italian cities.