Hello!
My husband and I will be traveling to Italy in October and we are considering staying in CT for part of our stay. Where is the best place to stay, considering we would be arriving via train from Florence? Would you recommend staying in one of the 5 towns or would it be best to stay in La Spezia and travel into the towns? We plan to spend either 2 or 3 nights. Thank you!
If you are going to CT, stay in CT! Many have their favorite towns but I like Monterosso al Mare. Lots of restaurants, beaches, a monastery with a painting by Van Dyck and great views!
Any recommendations for Monterosso? So, where does the train come into CT from Florence? Trying to also figure out how we navigate with our bags :)
If you have a lot of bags, you might want to look for a place with an elevator and not too high up in the hills. We stayed in a place in Riomaggiore once that had 90 steps up to our room.
I've stayed twice at Hotel Pasquale on RS tours. The tour groups are usually divided so some stay at the other hotel the family owns, Villa Steno. It's higher up the hill than Pasquale but not too bad. I also stayed at another hotel on the RS 21 day Best of Europe tour at Albergo Punta Mesca which is nearer the train station in the "new" town and does not have a view of the sea.
There are trains from Florence that go to either La Spezia or Levanto which are at either end of the small train line that runs along the CT. You'll have to change to the local train at either of those stations. Monterosso is one stop from Levanto.
I do recommend that you have yourselves pickpocket-proof before you change to the train to CT. Have your passports, extra money, credit cards in a money belt under your clothing. Have money, phone, valuables in your purse in a zippered inside pocket inside a zippered purse with your hand on the zipper end. The pickpockets are looking for distracted travelers and getting off/on a train with luggage is a big distraction!
This article has pros and cons of the different towns. I'm staying in Monterosso 3 nights in April.
hey hey akobussen
pick the town you want, read pros & cons. you can look at booking.com with your dates. if you find something look at website of place and email them with your wants and needs. many may have steep steps/stairs, no lifts/elevators to carry luggage up (pack light)
incinqueterre.com
cinqueterre-travel.com
acasa5terre.it
pick language, lodging, town
hope you find something to take it off your bucket list
aloha
You can check in Prevo, a tiny hamlet of Vernazza, right along the famous Blue Path (Sentiero Azzurro), in halfway between Corniglia and Vernazza.
There are some beautiful properties for rent, totally sea views, with amazing reviews.
They offer transfer service, for free, from/to Corniglia train station.
We stayed here: https://www.theheartofcinqueterre.com/
If you insist on going to CT, I recommend Monterosso al Mare. Hotel Pasquale is convenient and not too far from the train station and close to the coastal ferry. Comfortable rooms and affordable.
The response I get is very interesting regarding our interest in Cinque Terre. Seems like some people really like it but most people seem to think it is not worthwhile and too crowded. We’ve had several people basically try to convince us to just skip it…
Hotel La Spiaggia in Monterosso al Mare is in a great location only a short walk from the train station. We reserved a sea view room with a balcony. There is a beach right across the street. Wonderful memories here!
October in CT will certainly be less crowded than summer, but also, some facilities may be closed for the season. Because of that, I might be more inclined to stay in Monterosso al Mare, even though we loved our stay in Manarola.
I have friends that stayed at Villa Steno and loved it.
CT is a love/dislike area. Three nights gives you a far better feel than a quick stay. Once you find an accommodation, I would reach out to see what they may know about restaurants, etc., that remain open further into the fall.
