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Cinque Terre advice

For a variety of reasons (of course) we will have 1 day to "taste" Cinque Terre during our 8 days in Tuscany. We are staying west of Florence about 15 miles and have a car; we plan on driving to LaSpezia, catching the train to Monterosso and then hiking, training and boating (weather permitting) back to LaSpezia at the end of a long, but great,day. I've read RS CT Snapshot and am trying to take to heart his advice. The days possible we have available for this are Thursday June 6th to Sunday June 9. My question is: if the weather is constant, is there a better day of those 4 to visit CT? Would Sunday be a good option, or not? Thanks.

Posted by
8 posts

Hi, Looks like Thursdays are market days for Monterosso and Sestri Levante, and Friday in La Spezia (straight from RS book). My wife and I are visiting the CT just before you plan on visiting this year. Have fun. :) Ryan

Posted by
32171 posts

Susan, At that time of year, I'm not sure if it will matter which day you visit the Cinque Terre, as it will likely be busy anyway. If you go on Thursday, it will provide an opportunity to have a brief look at the street market before you start the hike. It's a somewhat "low key" market, but still fun to wander through the various stalls and look at the items being sold. Be sure to take lots of water on the hike, as it will likely be warm. You'll have to check the status of the Sentiero Azzurro trails just prior to your trip to see which ones are open. As I recall, you can buy a Park Pass to hike the trails at the first small wooden booth you encounter, which in Monterosso will be at the start of trail, just past the entrance to Hotel Porto Roca. If the weather is good, you could also take the train from La Spezia to Riomaggiore, and then boat from there to Monterosso. Seeing the five towns from the water provides a different perspective. If you need directions for the boat dock in Riomaggiore, post another note. Happy travels!