Cinque Terre

Avoid eating in Corniglia unless it's the pizza place. We stayed in Corniglia 1 week and were quite disappointed with the food there. Had much better and cheaper meals elsewhere. Loved Manarola. Vernazza seemed touristy to me, although not as bad as Monterosso. Portovenere was a neat town too. Have fun!

We stayed a night at Da Baranin (http://en.baranin.com/) in Manarola which is the second town from the south. We went in early April last year and found it clean and comfortable although on the small size. I think we paid around 95 euros for the night but cost depends on period of the year. What I heartily recommend Da Baranin for was for the breakfast, the best breakfast I've ever had anywhere in Italy! You had your own personal bread basket with various types of fresh bread, coffee made to order and juice brought to your little table as soon as you walked in. Lots of choices to eat with the bread. We started from Florence by train and arrived in Monterosso around 10, we had a late breakfast and walked a little around Monterosso then did the whole five towns hiking down, leaving around 11am, stopping in Vernazza for lunch (had a terrific pizza with pesto on top) and arriving in Manarola around 6pm - we took our time and actually were slowed down because a thunderstorm blew in while we were in Corniglia and soaked us to the skin. After a shower, we went off to dinner in Riomaggiore doing the easy flat walk on the "via dell'amore" at sunset and back in the dark - the path is lighted so there is no danger doing it at night, actually very ROMANTIC with the waves underneath ;-). Saw Riomaggiore and Manarola better the following morning, headed back to Florence in the late afternoon. I also thought Vernazza was very touristy, Corniglia was the least touristy and liked Riomaggiore and Manaraola best. Didn't really see much of Monterosso. We had a good dinner in Riomaggiore at Trattoria La Grotta, don't remember what the place where we had lunch at in Vernazza was called but it was along the main street near the corner where the hiking path continues out of Vernazza.

We were recently in Cinque Terre for 2 nights. We stayed in Manarola and enjoyed it very much. We stayed at Locanda Guiliana, very small, high on the the hill with a great view from a small balcony. We spent a day seeing all of the villages. Both on foot and by train. Vernazza was very crowded.

In July 2009 we stayed at Francamaria's in Vernazza, rms 1 and 2 have great harbor/square views. Is more than 70 Euros/night though.

Oh, I forgot, one of the best views was in Vernazza at the cemetery. Don't waste your money at the fortresses for the views. I found all the towns bury their loved ones where the views are the best. They seem to live long lives as well! Must be the hikes and the wine :)

I prefer to stay in Monterosso. It's more walkable than the others..... From the promenade along the sea the lights of all the other 4 villages are visible after dark.....From the Castello restaurant in Vernazza sunsets are spectacular.....From several of the towns ferries run between towns and further south, in summer at least.....

In Vernazza, try www.elisabettacarro.it

We spent 3 nights in Monterosso because it is so walkable and offers the most, we felt, of things to see and do. We really lucked out on lodging: A two room apartment a few feet off the main drag (Via Roma)and about a hundred and fifty short flat yards from the beach in the old town. The cost: 70 Euros a night. The apartment had all the conveniences, including a washing machine hidden in the kitchen cabinetry with clothes lines outside both of the windows (just like all our Italian neighbors). We found the place by going to the Tourist Information office by the train station and told them we wanted a place without a lot of steps to climb. The fellow there called Jalentina, who along with her husband, own the Enoteca Interazionale on Via Roma. We walked over, looked at the place, and were sold on it. I'm sorry I don't have a phone or email for either the Tourist Inforamation office or Jaletina.