We are traveling to Orvieto(2 nights), Siena(2 nights) and then to Cinque Terre in September. We are wondering how many nights would be ideal in Cinque Terre. We love to hike and were thinking of staying 3 nights. Would that be too much time or not enough? (We could spend up to 4 nights there if there was enough to do & see.) Thanks!!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32222 posts
Joann, The Cinque Terre is a good place to relax, but also offers some activities such as hiking and exploring the five villages. You can also use it as a "home base" to explore other places in that area (Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, etc.). Depending on what you want to do, either two or three nights would be ideal. When will this trip be taking place, and which of the five villages are you planning to stay in? I'd suggest getting some reservations arranged ASAP! I started in March to try and get a booking in that area in September. Happy travels!
Posted by
Alta Loma, CA, USA
1446 posts
Hi Joann. We visited the CT in Sept 2009 & loved it. I'm assuming when you say 3 nights, it means 4 whole days. I would probably suggest 2-3 nights (3-4 days) but not 4 nights/5 days because there's not a whole lot to do there unless you plan to explore the surrounding towns (Portofino, Portovenere, Camogli, etc.). One thing to keep in mind is that September can be hit or miss when it comes to rain & there's really not a lot to do in the CT when it's raining. Unfortunately it rained when we were there on our last trip and it really put a damper on the CT portion of our trip. So, I would say spend 3-4 days in the CT & add the other day to Siena. You can do a day trip with the extra day to a neighboring hill town. Have a great trip.
Posted by
OP
Sun Prairie, WI, US
8 posts
I understand what you mean about booking early, I wish I had started sooner! We are planning to be in 5terre on Sept 16, 17 & 18th and I'm having a hard time finding an available room in Vernazza for a modest price and that have good reviews on TripAdvisor. We are planning to get to some surrounding towns(Portofino, etc.). Thank you for the advice and I'll pray for no rain!
Posted by
Victoria
73 posts
You might want to try Riomaggiore rather than Vernazza as a base. Riomaggiore is much better set up to do apartment rentals via the Internet. There are several private owners with multiple apartments plus rental agencies which represent multiple owners. Some Google searches should get you started. Because of the good train service between towns, any of the 5 (except Corniglia) are a god base but Riomaggiore is the best organized for apartment rentals.