Is the Cinque Terre area driveable or is it more a park and walk/hike experience? We'd love to add it to our itinerary, but I have a knee that while walking its fine, it wouldn't handle steep steps and paths for a full day.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5064 posts
No, it's not really drivable. I mean, yes there are roads, but the problem is finding a public parking lot. Most people take the train from village to village. Also, it can be a hilly hike on cobbled streets once inside the villages. Not great for anyone with wonky knees (like mine).
Posted by
OP
18 posts
Thank you, CJean. That's what I was afraid of. I guess we'll do the Amalfi Coast instead !
Posted by
Puget Sound, Washington
13 posts
The trains are frequent and comfortable but you can also take a boat between the towns. The views from the boat are also spectacular. Driving a car would mean navigating narrow roads and looking for parking spots too.
Posted by
Medellin Colombia
9 posts
Echo5298
The Amalfi coast is excellent, and it's easy to visit by bus, car or water.
I suggest you take into consideration your knee when you book your hotels since a lot of towns are full of stairs. Last year we stayed in Amalfi, and we had to climb 120 stairs to get to our apartment! Let's say we could eat as many ice creams a day as we desired!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16016 posts
Echo, keep in mind that there are driving/parking challenges in the Amalfi Coast as well during high season. Looking at a previous post, it appears that you'll be traveling in Sept. and you intend to have a car for the duration of the 3-week "driving trip?" Buses, ferries and private drivers are ways to get around dealing with rental car headaches there.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32249 posts
echo,
The Cinque Terre is driveable but some of the roads are narrow and winding. Monterosso, the town at the north end has parking both in the "new town" area and "old town" area but you can't drive through the town due to ZTL restrictions. The other four towns have some parking.
Monterosso provides the easiest walking for those with knee issues as it's relatively flat. The walk from the station in the new town to the old town only takes about 10 minutes even at a leisurely pace (longer if you're walking from the car park which is on the beach in the new town). There are some stairs at the station to get from the platforms down to street level, and that's also true in Vernazza. In Riomaggiore you may have to deal with stairs if you have to use the transfer tunnel between platforms.
As you're planning to use a rental car, I assume you're aware that each driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also need to be aware of the ZTL (limited traffic) zones which exist in many Italian towns. Each pass through one will result in hefty fines, which you may not know about until several months after you return home.