Cinque Terre

Personally, Manarola was my favorite of the villages and if i were to ever return that is undoubtedly where I'd stay. It was big enough to have options for eating and shopping but much less touristy than Vernazza or Monterosso, neither of which my friend or I liked very much (we stayed in Vernazza). Manarola does have a hill but the town is so small from end to end you're not talking about having to walk that far. Both my travelmate and I found Manarola particularly charming though I'm not sure why. lol! one thing to keep in mind is that if you are going "soon" as you say, I assume that means sometime during the winter. CT kind of shuts down during the winter. I was there in late October 2009 and some hotels and restaurants were already talking about closing in the following couple of weeks. as a result, you might be better staying in one of the bigger towns just so you have more options for things being open. A rental car will be the same problem anywhere, although some villages have more parking than others, but you should know that you really don't need a car in that region b/c of the excellent train connections. It seems silly to rent a car and be paying for it just to leave it in a lot during your stay.

Susan, I agree with the points made by Debra/ Winter is not the best time for travel in the Cinque Terre, although I'm sure it will offer some unique lighting for photography (I'm also an enthusiastic Photographer). As some lodgings will be closed at this time of the year, pre-booking would be a really good idea. As previously mentioned, having a car in the C.T. is somewhat of a nuisance as you'll be paying for not only the rental but probably parking as well for the duration of your stay. You may wish to have a look at This Website for some information on access and parking for Manarola. You could also park in La Spezia and take the local train to whichever village you choose to stay in. If you use train and stay in Manarola, you will probably have to walk uphill for a short distance to reach your lodgings, as the street kind of "winds" uphill a bit from the station. I don't recall any stairs, but you may have to access your Hotel by stairs (depending on which one you choose to stay in). Happy travels!

Thanks Debra and Ken for the prompt input. I'm aware that it is off season. No crowds! In searching for lodging, I am running into closed hotels/B&Bs. I may have to go to the larger towns, as suggested. I'm now wondering about restaurants... Regarding car v. trains, I have investigated fuel cost, etc. There will be two of us and we haven't calculated whether it will be better to split the cost of the car+fuel+parking or buy the saver rail passes. Traveling Italy is all new to me, but this site is a great start, thanks to info from you. I'm excited about my first trip there.
If anyone needs information about Scotland, maybe I can help, at least from a photographer's viewpoint. But, I also have an excellent resource if I can't answer your travel questions.

Susan, It's not surprising that you're finding some lodgings closed for the season. Are you using the Italy Guidebook to choose Hotels? What time of year will you be travelling there? You didn't indicate which Hotels you've tried, but one that may be open in Manarola is This Hotel (check Trip Advisor to see if it meets your criteria). Staying in Monterosso will provide two benefits: - it's the largest of the five villages and has the best parking options - it has the best selection of Hotels (and therefore more likely to find one open) One thing to keep in mind is that in some ways it doesn't matter which of the villages you stay in, as the local train runs fairly frequently, so easy to get back and forth. You can easily take day trips and explore all the villages (I'm not sure if all the hiking trails will be open at this time of year - that will likely depend on weather). Times and ticket information for the local trains is listed in the Italy Guidebook. I'd highly recommend packing a copy of the Guidebook along, as I find it to be valuable reference both during planing (hotel & restaurant listings, etc.) and during travels. Cheers!

Traveling to any of the Cinque Terrs towns from La Spezia is very inexpensive-a few euros. On day of parking will cost you more than that, apart from the rental cost of the car. You should look into picking up your car after Cinque Terre if you need it for other parts of your itinerary.