Cinque Terra crowds

When are you going? Where are you travelling from that day? Have you considered a day ticket for the ferry instead of the train between La Spezia and Monterosso? (Ferry can't stop at Corniglis because it isn't on the coast)

You can buy tickets via the Trenitalia app - no need to stand in line anywhere. CT is probably going to be crowded through September. Even then, CT is still relatively crowded. Best of luck. Been there once, no need to ever return, unfortunately. Its popularity has made it, to me, unvisitable.

I've been to the Cinque Terre on four separate occasions. It's lovely. But yes, it gets very crowded in the towns especially during the days. They are much quieter at night once the day trippers leave. Much of the Italian Riviera is wonderful, and there are plenty of other places worth visiting in the region that are less crowded than the Cinque Terre. I wouldn't go there JUST for a day JUST to see the Cinque Terre villages, unless you have a lot of extra time and have already seen everything else of interest to you.

If you want to hike, you can find some less crowded hikes than the "usual" hikes between towns that get mobbed with tour groups. E.g. hike between Levanto and Monterosso...or between Manarola and Corniglia via Volastra, a little town high above the sea, so you have to climb up, up, UP a zillion steps...but it's not so bad if you take it slow, and the views down are breathtaking, possibly the best of any CT hike I have done.

Welcome to the forum!

Tell us more about your trip, such as where and when you are going and how long you will be there.

As others have mentioned, CT is over-touristed, especially with all the cruise ships stopping there and dislodging thousands of passengers. A day trip would put you in the thick of things at the worst possible time of day.

Yes, the scenery is gorgeous, but there's really not a lot to do. To me, it's matter of budgeting my time and getting the most out of what time there is. Going to CT will eat up a lot of resources that could be spent elsewhere.

This is what you're up against.

We are renting a farmhouse near Lucca for a week. Will be there September 25 to October 5. We will be doing day trips in the area.

Thank you for all your responses…this is great

We were in Cinque Terre in mid-May pre-COVID and stayed in Monterosso. It was crowded but most places we went in Italy were. For a couple of days, we bought a Cinque Terre pass that gave us unlimited ferry and train rides. We took the ferry to Riomaggiore and then took the train through the villages back to Monterosso. It was a fun trip.

In late September / early October, I doubt that the Cinque Terre will be as busy as during the high part of the tourist season. Of course if there are cruise ships in the area that may change the situation, however they normally leave in the late afternoon. At that time of year, the ferries may not be running, so probably better to plan for train travel.

If you want to see all five towns, you'll have to decide which town you want to start in. Travel time is a bit more than two hours to either Riomaggiore or Monterosso (often two changes from Lucca). Once you're there, travel between the towns only takes about 10 minutes. I'd suggest starting in Riomaggiore and ending in Monterosso in the late afternoon so that you can have a fine hot meal before heading back to Lucca. Cantina di Miky in Monterosso is a big favourite with many here, and it's in the "new town" close to the train station. There are other good restaurants through the tunnel in the "old town".

I have been to the CT twice. Both times in May.

Walking in Vernazza was like trying to walk through a crowded NYC subway train at rush hour.

The best part, for me, was the ferry between the towns. That's how you really get to see the beauty of the area.

That being said, I'm not sure I would go just for the day especially if it is a hassle to get there and back. Look at the train schedules.

... we bought a Cinque Terre pass that gave us unlimited ferry and
train rides

CT, could you link the info to the pass you used? I am familiar with the CT Treno passes for regional trains + trails, and the 1 day or 1/2 day afternoon passes for the ferries but have never seen one for trains + ferries or ferries + trails so I'm interested in where you found that one!

Keep in mind that the ferries don't run every ten minutes - maybe once an hour? Sometimes the trains are just more convenient if you are ready to get to the next town...and oops, you just missed the ferry, so you have to wait for the next one an hour later. So unlimited ferry rides may not be as useful as you might think.

We are renting a farmhouse near Lucca for a week. Will be there September 25 to October 5. We will be doing day trips in the area.

That sounds wonderful! We stayed at an agriturismo south of Florence. It was in December and we had the place to ourselves. We really wanted to visit Lucca, but just ran out of time.

CT is 90 minutes from Lucca. That's 3 hours if you drive straight through. I suggest looking at something closer. Torre del Lago is 30 minutes away. No, it doesn't have the charm of CT, but it or something closer might be a better choice.

Our second trip to CT was this past May. Both trips have had 2 night stops, which does give you a chance to see a different side of CT after the day trippers leave. On our first trip we skipped Corniglia because we had opted to take the ferry back and it doesn’t stop there. We made it a point to check it out this trip and loved it. Because it is not as accessible as the other villages, there were fewer tourists and so less crowded and fewer shops dedicated to souvenirs.

Patty, I like the feel of Corniglia too. I remember having dinner there one evening in a square and it was not busy at all. Very peaceful. During the day it still gets some tourists because it is a starting or ending point for hikes, despite the lack of a ferry stop.

Patty and Andrew, we liked Corniglia very much too! Tiny but so lovely, and two of the prettiest chapels in the region, IMHO. I do have an acquaintance who landed into that one when crowds were uncomfortably heavy - and it wouldn't take much to overwhelm its diminutive space! - but it wasn't busy at all the early morning we were there. You also do not HAVE to get there via that looooong stairway if not hiking in: there is a bus form the train station that zips up and down the hill.

Don't know if this will be useful or not but here's a recent TA thread with reports "from the ground" regarding crowds in the region. Most recent post was on 9/12.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187817-i997-k14077840-Real_time_crowd_update-Cinque_Terre_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

Just to add a datapoint. We trained into Manarola on Wed, Aug 24 around noon. Don't know if it was a cruise ship day? but it was absolutely packed. We have stayed there several times in previous years, and it was more crowded than we had ever seen it. Lower part of town was wall to wall people; path up to the playground / lookout point was wall to wall people. Top of town was less crowded, nice to see a new restaurant at top of town next to the hostel. Trains were packed / standing room only, but do handle the crowds now that the shuttles run every half hour or so.