We are traveling to Italy for the 1st time. My friend and her kids will be joining us in Tuscany and we will travel together to Cinque Terra. We will both have rent cars, which means we need a place to stay with parking big enough for 7 people, 4 adults and 3 kids over 6yrs old. We will be traveling to Cinque Terra on October 21-24. Any recommendations for places or even best town/village to stay in would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Posted by
California 🦋
5226 posts
Tatiana,
I'd suggest staying in Monterosso as this is the largest of the 5 villages in Cinque Terre & therefore, it has the most accommodations, restaurants & amenities.
Monterosso is also the only village with a sandy beach.
You will not need a car in CT, so I'd suggest returning it in La Spezia (unless you plan to drive elsewhere after visiting CT)
You can easily travel to the other villages via train as they run frequently & it only takes a few minutes from one village to the next.
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
tatiana,
In the latter part of October, things will be winding down for the season in the Cinque Terre but some of the accommodations and restaurants should still be open. One other concern at that time of year is that the weather could be an issue.
Especially with a group of seven and requiring parking, I would also suggest staying in Monterosso for the reasons mentioned by Priscilla. If your budget will allow, you might consider staying at Hotel Villa Steno for the following reasons.....
- It's a very comfortable hotel with fantastic views over the beach and the owners are wonderful.
- They have different types of rooms to accommodate your group, including both doubles and quads (I'd suggest booking as early as possible).
- They offer a limited amount of parking at the hotel (about six spaces as I recall).
- If the hotel parking is full, there's another lot a short distance away.
- It's an easy walk from the hotel to both the old town and new town areas.
Monterosso has the best beaches of the five towns, but I doubt that will be an important consideration in late October (aside from the view).
Again as Priscilla mentioned, there's no benefit to having a car in the Cinque Terre, as travel via the local trains will be much faster and easier, especially as parking is somewhat limited in all the towns. For the duration or your visit there, the cars will be gathering dust and attracting rental charges.
You may already be aware of this, but note that each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also have to be vigilant to avoid the dreaded Zona a Traffico Limitato areas, as hefty fines will result if you pass through them.
Posted by
PA
52 posts
I agree with the others that Monterossa is the best place to stay in Cinque Terra, but I would add the suggestion of staying in Levanto. It's just beyond the Cinque Terra, and would be a quiet place to return at night. Monterossa is easily accessible via boat or train, and there are many hotels and restaurants in that town. I think that the beach is nicer than Monterossa's.