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Cinque Terre

We live in Rome and now with the pandemic and so many of our travel plans cancelled, we decided to travel around Italy this summer as there shouldn't be that many tourists. Cinque Terre is one of the places we've always wanted to go to, but we've hesitated because it's always so crowded. Would it be best to go now in June or in July and for how many days? Where should we stay. Please remember that we will go to Liguria by car so we'll need parking. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Posted by
11033 posts

We stayed here https://www.hotelpasquale.it/ and found it a very nice place to be.

I suspect the hotel can offer suggestions of what to do with your car. We were part of a tour group, so did not have a car to deal with.

June vs July depends on your tolerance for heat

Posted by
11056 posts

Monterosso, Hotel Porto Roca. Park in the large town lot. The hotel sent a taxi to get us which they paid for. Great views and dining at hotel.

Posted by
1674 posts

You should go soon for the best weather and the least crowding. The CT are most popular with American and Asian tourists who can't enter the EU easily yet, and the cruise ships haven't started. Limited ferry service began yesterday and the Cinque Terre card is going on sale starting tomorrow.
This article which incorporates some speculation was in the local news today.
https://translate.google.it/translate?hl=en&tab=wT&sl=it&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cittadellaspezia.com%2FCinque-Terre-Val-di-Vara%2FAttualita%2FCinque-Terre-gli-stranieri-arrivano-a-luglio-Gruppi-limitati-anche-nei-borghi-313598.aspx
Ferry website here: https://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/en/linee/linea-5-terre

Posted by
32173 posts

I would also suggest staying in Monterosso, as it's the largest of the five towns and will provide the best options for parking. It has an "old town" and a "new town" section and parking will depend on which part your hotel is located in. In the new town section, there's a large car park right on the beach, and in the old town section a large multi-story car park at the top of the town. As I recall, you'll have to take different roads depending on which part of town you're going to. Most of Monterosso is covered by a Zona Traffico Limitato area so you can't drive between the two parts. Some hotels provide limited parking for guests, and two that come to mind are Hotel Villa Steno (old town) and Hotel Villa Adriana (new town).

Both parts of the town have nice beaches, but the one in the old town is quite small. Some parts of the beaches are "pay-per-use", with beach chairs, umbrellas, etc.

There's a good range of hotels in Monterosso, depending on your price and comfort level. My absolute favourite there is Hotel Villa Steno, but their sister property Hotel Pasquale is also good. They're both very comfortable and the owners are wonderful. Both of those are in the old town, close to the Ferry dock if you're planning on taking any excursions to Porto Venere or elsewhere (Pasquale is right across the street from the dock). I don't know what has changed with the hotels there in terms of new procedures for dealing with Covid-19, so you'll have to check with them.

There's also a good range of restaurants there, and Cantina di Miky is a big favourite with many here. There's also the more posh and upscale Miky, which is owned by the same family.

If you have time, post another note after your trip there to let us know how everything was.

Buon Viaggio!

Posted by
41 posts

Before making plans check with the Tigullio Marine Lines schedule because some of the ferries have been shut down because of COVID 19. I took some of the ferry rides to Portofino and the other towns around there and the views are amazing from the shoreline.

Posted by
1674 posts

For unknown reasons, there were no boat tours from Cinque Terre to Portofino in 2019, so it seems unlikely there will be any in 2020.

Posted by
328 posts

I am hesitant to put our little piece of paradise out there...but here goes. http://casagiuliacinqueterre.it/en/
We prefer to stay in Riomaggiore because of this place! This websites pictures do not do it justice. If you look at it on AirBnB you will see stunning pictures from the huge lovely terrace. They are accurate!

Posted by
3812 posts

will go to Liguria by car

Why? With the parking fees and the motorway tolls a car may be more expensive than trains booked well in advance and it could also take more. For sure it will be more complicated than the direct 16:57 Roma Termini-Monterosso train

Posted by
2 posts

With the Covid-19 still circulating, we aren't very keen on taking the train and feel more comfortable in our own car. Gives us much more freedom too. Thank you for your reply!