Which town has the least expensive accommodation of the 5? We are travelling by train, and plan on seeing all 5 towns either way. Our group is 4 people, 2 mothers and 2 20 y/o daughters.
Posted by
OP
125 posts
Sorry - this is for late June for 3 days, if that matters to advice given!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16321 posts
If we are talking about this June, then you might have a hard time finding any accommodations.
There isn't a cheapest town in general, it depends on what is left available.
I suggest looking into Monterosso first, since it's a bit bigger and has more choices. of the five.
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2775 posts
You might try Levanto, which is the next town north of the CT and just a few minutes more on the train. Rick Steves tours often stay there.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Definitely try Levanto. I've stayed there a few times and really like the town. No, it's not quite as charming and certainly not photogenic from the sea like the other villages are, but it's still a nice town and convenient to the Cinque Terre towns. You can even hike back to Monterosso if you like - I did. It's about 2-3 hours as I recall. Not a crowded hike though also not as lovely as some of the other hikes in the area. But at the part just above Monterosso, you can get a really lovely view of all five Cinque Terre villages at once.
Posted by
California
1625 posts
We like Monterosso because it is the largest and flattest. I looked at the two Hotels I was going to recommend, Hotel Margherita and Hotel Villa Steno and both looked sold out. This late in your booking I would start by looking on Booking.com to see what is left for your dates, the less expensive ones go first so you might be lucky just to get a room at this point. You could even look at staying in the same town and in different Hotels if one room can be found in each.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5976 posts
Or you may have to go to different hotels. Good luck!
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1412 posts
A month ago we enjoyed our stay in Monterosso at Hotel Marina. We picked Monterosso because we were coming in from the north. If we had been coming in from the south we would have stayed in Riomaggiore. Shop around and enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1890 posts
Has anyone tried staying in Porto Venere as a base for two days in the CT? Monterosso or PV seem to be the only options if you have a rental car.
Posted by
108 posts
Hi! We stayed in Monterosso for 4 nights in 2019 at an Airbnb…absolutely fantastic! Stay somewhere in town and you can wander around… there is a great Michelin restaurant by the water…our Airbnb host recommended it and we went by and pleaded for outdoor seating. I still think about the food and ambiance.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17603 posts
Getting back to the original question, I have read that Corniglia may offer less expensive lodging options than the other 4 towns, due to its location high on the hillside, not down on the water
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16846 posts
As we don't know what "less expensive" means to you, Lola makes a good point for looking in Corniglia as it's very likely the least popular of the 5 villages as far as choosing as a base for the CT. It's really little, doesn't have a ferry port, and requires a short bus trip or a climb up a long stairway from the train station to access the village but she definitely has her own charm!
Still, the CT during high season doesn't really fall into the 'inexpensive' catagory. Can't find what works for you? As suggested,, try Levanto.