Any recommendations on how to best cover all of the Cinque Terre (high & low trails) while staying, preferably in just one hotel/spot for two nights? We'll be Arriving from Florence by rail (in May).
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
I think any of the 5 towns are well located to cover the high and low trails. Technically, Vernazza is slightly more centrally located for access to the trails, but only slightly.
There are 2 reasons I make the above statement: All 5 towns are efficiently connected to one another by rail, and all are on the coast; that is, there is no huge advantage to being in one over the others, because you can reach the beginning of many of the hikes by using the milk run CT train to get from one place to another.
None of the 5 towns is located in the higher elevations near the road. And IMO it would not be worth it to try to find accommodations near the road, because 95% of the accommodations are on the coast, and even if you did find lodging in the higher elevations you then have a problem accessing the trails that start at the beach and the other delights of the CT that are in the 5 coastal towns.
Posted by
Sacramento, Ca, US
144 posts
Yes, that's easy. You can buy a Cinqueterre card good for 4 days and it's great! It includes the milk train, entrance to the trails and even the ferries. You can't beat it.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
We walked one way from Vernazza to Monterosso, took the train to the other end and walked back to Vernazza. It was a full day with stops only for lunch, a quick wade in the water and a quick drink in each town. It was late October and we found a stop at each town for something to drink wasn't enough, we should have brought more water. In the summer I'm sure it's more critical to stay hydrated.