Cinque Terre...best place to stay

Tere,

Hello... I visited CT this past June and stayed for three nights. I stayed in Corniglia (the middle village) which is also supposedly one of the less touristy villages. It wasn't crowded with tourists at any time during the day. I can't say that it's the best town to get a "local feel" because I didn't spend much time in the other villages. I stayed in the Ostello Corniglia hostel which was nice, but the close out times make it a little inconvenient if you find yourself in the rain.

I don't know as any one will have a more "local feel" than another, although Corniglia is without a doubt the one which tourists choose less frequently than the others. I really like that one but it's also the most challenging to get to as you have a long walk- or have to catch a shuttle bus, which does not run late into the evening - between the village and the train station far below. It also does not have a harbor so it's not serviced by the summer ferries, and its tiny size makes it especially vulnerable to overcrowding during the day. But it would be nice and quiet at night.

So, as there isn't much difference, in my mind, between Vernazza, Monterosso, Riomaggiore or Manarola, we chose Monterosso simply for the amount of services (it's the largest of the 5) and convenient proximity to the train station, depending on what hotel you choose.

Tere,

Everyone here seems to have their favourite C.T. town, and my preference is Monterosso. It's the largest of the five, has the most hotels, restaurants and other amenities, the best beaches and a full service rail station.

One point to consider when deciding which town to stay in is what type of accommodations you'd like. If you'd prefer a more "conventional" hotel with elevators and breakfast provided, then Monterosso is a good choice. If you don't mind smaller, more "informal" rooms perhaps with lots of stairs and no breakfast provided, then any of the other towns is a good choice. The others have articulated the issues with Corniglia so that's probably the least preferable (although I'm sure it also has it's "charms").

Vernazza is the best. Stayed at Gianni Franzi and loved it. Although there were 100 steps to our room the terrace views of the ocean make it worth the exercise. It has a very local feel to it. Shopkeepers all seem to know each other and have a sense of community. I already want to visit Vernazza again, and I've only been back for two days. Vernazza and Montepulciano in Tuscany are the only two places in Italy that I would return to in the future.

Manarola.

We did not regret for one minute staying there. We stayed at Da Baranin B&B, which was a good value and nice place (with a delicious breakfast each morning!).

I have enjoyed staying in 4 of the 5 towns, but have yet to try Corniglia. If price, amenities, or walking distance to train station or port are of concern to you, then it would be fine to let that be the deciding factor as you compare available hotels.

Riomaggiore: The frugal (be warned) apartment at La Scogliera!
http://www.la-scogliera.it/Riomaggiore_Apartment_Inglese/index-english.htm

But what a view! Google Images "scogliera"

Monterosso: largest village of the CT, best beach, most restaurants and accommodations, full service station with most trains stopping there, start of the most challenging hike.
Riomaggiore: Quaint and close to the Via dell'Amore (easy hike).
Manarola: Smaller but quaint. Also closer to the Via dell'Amore.
Corniglia: Least convenient (train station is hundreds of steps down the cliff). No boat service. Long walk down to the water.
Vernazza (or is it Veranda?): Too many loud Rick Steves' followers from America walking around with blue and orange guidebooks trying to find a restaurant serving Spaghetti with Meat Balls and Pesto. It will seem like you never left the United States.

We arrived at La Spezia on the train from Lucca. We stayed at the Hotel Firenze Continentale (email [email protected]) The hotel is just across the road from the station where the train takes you to the five villages. Can recommend, very comfortable hotel, tariff included breakfast. The Corniglia section of the track was closed due to landslide, but we used the train to get to the villages then walked back.

Vernazza is the best. Stayed at Gianni Franzi and loved it. Although there were 100 steps to our room the terrace views of the ocean make it worth the exercise. It has a very local feel to it. Shopkeepers all seem to know each other and have a sense of community. I already want to visit Vernazza again...also great breakfast on outdoor deck with great water views.

In Vernazza, try:

http://www.elisabettacarro.it/

Anyone know how the weather is mid November?

Note on Corneglia:

We took a day trip from Manarola last week: walking there and taking the train back.

If you plan to arrive by train be aware that the stairs from the station to the town is something like 85 vertical meters (we counted 31 flights of 5 - 15 steps). I think that doing that with a heavy back pack is harder than the trip across the mountain without a back pack we took :-)

@dhammer53,

There are lots of websites that show historical weather patterns for that area, but of course no guarantees that the weather this year will follow the same patterns. It could be sunny but I suspect the weather will mostly be overcast and rainy at that time of year. One other point to note is that many of the tourist related businesses start to close for the season about then.