Hello,
My mother and I will be visiting Cinque Terre for two nights in late September. I am 35 and she is 55. She does not like to hike so I think we would spend most of our time doing very easy hikes and relaxing, eating, drinking, and strolling. If anyone could offer advice on which of the towns would be best for us to stay in I would really appreciate it! All the towns look fantastic so I'm sure we cannot go wrong!
Thanks in advance!
Amber
Amber,
Monterosso is the largest of the towns and therefore has the greatest choice of accommodations, restaurants etc. and the best beaches. It's also the only town that has conventional hotels (ie: elevators, desk staff, etc.). Many of the lodgings in the other towns are small private rooms, and many don't serve breakfast. Monterosso is relatively flat so it's easy to walk between the "old town" and the "new town".
You'll get a variety of opinions on which is the "best" town, but Monterosso is my favourite.
Voting with Ken: Monterosso, for all the reasons he listed.
"Very easy" hikes could be a bit few and far between.
Great - thank you so much!
With only 2 nights - 1 full day - I would not bother with any actual hikes. I think I'd just take the train or boat (if it's running) to a couple of the other towns and just walk around and explore the towns.
Thanks for the tip! My mom is a tiny thing and not athletic so she would prefer the boat.
Most of the hikes I've taken included rather steep drops at the end. Even in dry weather I was concerned about sliding on stones and twisting an ankle. There are buses that will take you to upper trails but even those are a bit dicey with narrow trails and steep drop offs. I wouldn't even attempt them during or shortly after rain.
Don't over look the charm of touring each of the 5 towns. Rick Stevesà guidebook has self-guided walks of each town that are not demanding and offer some incredible vistas.
Just a suggestion, even though you may not be "hiking", it's advisable to wear proper footwear, especially for lining up and getting on and off the boats between the towns. I saw many tourists ill-prepared wearing flip-flops, slipping and sliding on the cobblestones and wet rocks near the boat docks. Hope this little tip adds to your enjoyment of this beautiful place.
Thanks everyone for the advice!!
Monterosso is amazing. Its where we stayed and is lovely as is all of Cinque Terre. Best wine ever at Enoteca. Little resturant directly across is absolutely delicious. Can't remember the name but incredible.
