Cinque Terre in December

I realize this is not what you want to hear but it's important that we give accurate information here so that you can make plans for the best possible trip--and so we just have to face the fact that early January is, on average, one of the worst months to spend time outdoors hiking the trails of the Cinque Terre. If the unpaved trails (some of the best ones for hiking) are wet they can be slippery and dangerous. I wish I could come up with something supportive of your plans but wishful thinking won't allow you to plan the best possible trip.

Teri, the winter months are not the best time to enjoy the Cinque Terre, but if that's the only time you have, I suppose you'll have to make the best of the opportunity.

The fact that you have a Hotel already booked is a good move, as some tourist facilities (lodgings, restaurants) close during December & January. If the weather is really bad, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to hike the trails from Monterosso to Vernazza or Vernazza to Corniglia, as they're the most difficult and could be "slippery" in wet weather. However the "via del'Amore" should be accessible (Riomaggiore to Manarola).

As far as "a good location as a base", Riomaggiore is probably as good as any of the other villages and it's an easy trip by train from La Spezia.

Cheers!

I agree with the other poster that you should skip the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso in January. This trail is VERY narrow and if it is wet could be dangerous. Two nights should be fine to explore the towns as each one is quite small.

That time of year two nights will allow you enough time to see all that you want - since many of the summer activities will not be there. The other posters already commented on the trails but I would check in advance on the train schedules to make sure they operate at full capacity then.

Thank you all for your advice. This isn't the optimum time, but may be the only time our whole family will be able to do the trip and everyone really wants to see the area. We'll keep our possibilities open as our plans progress.