Cinque Terre and Cruise Ships

July is busy everywhere.
See if you can stay overnight in quaint Moneglia, half way between the Cinque Terre and Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure).
You can visit both by train. If you can't take the crowds of Vernazza just go there very early or late in the evening, then return to your abode in Moneglia. Closer to the Cinque Terre are also Framura, Bonassola and Levanto. The last 3 are also connected by a bike path built over an old dismissed rail line. Of all 5 villages in the Cinque Terre proper, I'd say that Monterosso will offer the most elbow room.

Judy,

I agree with Roberto's always excellent advice. July is going to be hot and crowded in that area, and therefore a change of strategy would be prudent in this case. Although not all of the 5,492 will be taking excursions to the C.T., it's likely that a lot of them will be, and there could also be other ships in port that day to would add to the problem.

As much as I like to encourage people to stay in the Cinque Terre towns, in this case it makes sense to choose a place that won't be inundated with hordes of daypack-toting tourists wearing Whisper headsets and Bermuda Shorts. I didn't make it to Moneglia during my visit last September, so can't tell you what that's like. However I have been to Levanto and that would be a good choice as it's only about four minutes from Monterosso by train. Levanto has a nice beach and there are also accommodations in various parts of town that will keep you away from the crowds. There's also a trail from Levanto to Monterosso that probably won't be too crowded. I've only gone part way on it, but Laurel has hiked that one and would be the best one to provide information on it.

If I were making that trip in July, I'd still stay at my favourite hotel in Monterosso as it's far removed from the main part of town and is a tranquil oasis in the midst of the chaos. I'd also plan my touring so that I'm not in the towns during peak crowd hours.

Good luck and Buon Viaggio!

I had one very short visit to the CT, back in 2008. There were very few tourists, the weather was gorgeous and I enjoyed hiking the first two legs of the trail from Riomaggiore and briefly exploring a couple of the towns. The trail was narrow (hard to pass other hikers) in places, but I was alone on most of it. What I remember most, and loved best, was the ferry from Monterosso to back to Riomaggiore with the afternoon sun shining on the coast. If the area is flooded with tourists - and it's small so it won't take that many to overwhelm it - I don't think it would be worth the time and trouble to get there.

There are so many great places in Italy, choose another one. Remember that you can't go everywhere or see everything, but you can enjoy everywhere you go and everything you see.

Spend those 2 nights in Vernazza. Remember those Cruise Ship passengers will be gone by night time. Head out to other towns north of Monterosso for the day while the Cruisers invade the CT and hike the area's north. Or the higher trails in the CT not just the coastal trail.

I was in Vernazza May 2015. Yes, it was very crowded during the day when the ships came in. The trains were packed like sardines. But, if you get up early you can watch the townspeople as they get their businesses ready for the day. Sip leisurely espresso and have breakfast. Start an early hike. Later you can hike the lesser known trails which the cruise ship people won't have time for.

The ships start leaving late afternoon, so you have the town back. Vernazza is so much fun at night! The locals love to hang out, eat and drink, and make new friends. I have been there 5 times and will keep going back!

Thank you all for your thoughts. We did have a very cute apartment booked right in the center of Vernazza, which opens onto the main street. (I didn't see anything as cute in Camogli, which is where I was considering.) So it's s tough choice, still haven't decided, but I appreciate your input!

Cruise ship to Livorno on Nov. 2,2016. Planning visit to CT for the day. Does anyone recommend private coach operator/tour? Is this a good to for a CT visit?

Steve, the CT is very easy to visit on one's own by train, and I'd recommend that over a coach tour as the trains will get you closer to the village centers; they're essentially pedestrianized areas. Keep in mind, however, that Livorno is 90 minutes from the closest of the 5 CT towns (Riomaggiore) so you're going to spend a good three hours total in transit to/from the region, and will need to change trains at least once in La Spezia. I'm guessing travel time will be much the same by coach.

Ships also do not wait for tardy passengers so there's always the matter of making sure you're back in time for boarding. How you choose to manage this trip will depend on your confidence managing the trains (which are very easy) versus having a tour handle the details.

Thanks Kathy. What about taking the ferry from La Spezia to Riomaaggiore and other CT towns? Does it cease ops on 11/1? Again, date of CT visit will be 11/2.

Wish I had a good answer on the ferries, Steve, but all indications are that they will have ceased service by Nov. 1. They're entirely dependent on on weather to begin with so they may cancel runs even earlier if that last week of Oct. is stormy. The best reference is the 2015 schedule:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwrO8cDtfrshZ0ZscVJCLXJRTHc/view?pref=2&pli=1

I was in the CT in mid-September 2010 and the ferries weren't running due to the weather.