cinque terre from Dec. 25 - Jan. 1

In december you'll be looking at average temps between 45-60 F - Not bad at all , especially for hiking the trails between the villages. It does rain during that month so you might run into some muddy trails! Hotels and restaurants are still available although some are shut down for the winter months so it would be prudent to make a reservation before you go.
It's a fantastic area and I do believe you'll love it -
Have A wonderful trip, greg

Nancy,

I believe many of the small establishments close down over the winter months, so as Greg suggested, it would be a good idea to have a Hotel reservation. You'll probably have more success in finding something in Monterosso, as it has the largest selection of Hotels.

If there's significant rain, some of the trails may be closed for safety reasons, as they become very slippery (and it's a LONG way down). The Via del'Amore from Riomaggiore to Manarola may still be open, as it's mostly paved.

One other thing to consider is that especially on Dec. 25, virtually ALL establishments may be closed?

Cheers!

Nancy - Just to re-affirm what Ken says - The Via dell'amore (lovers path) between Manarola and Riomaggiore is paved and flat and Fantastic. There is a Cafe halfway across to stop and have a drink and a snack and take a few more pics. It's my favorite section of the trail - very scenic .

Thank you SO much!!! We were most concerned about not being able to get food. We will get reservations for housing and I am sure we can find a place to buy food prior to the 25th. Thank you. If there is more info. that would be helpful, it would be much appreciated!

Nancy

The Cinque Terre is a place to do outdoor things and for that reason not many travelers choose the CT in late December. Most travelers go to the CT March - October, there are reasons for that. Most who know the area find the late December weather unsuitable for spending extended time outdoors.

Based on the last 12 years of actual weather in the CT between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, a reasonable expectation for the day-time temps is more like 40's to lower 50's (cooler than the temp range given in one of the above posts).

Go here if you want the details on the historical weather data in the CT for the dates of your visit click here

Many places close on the C.T. during Dec-Jan. Have been to the C.T. 3x but only during the summer months. Unless you are locked into those dates, if it was me I would look at a time when the weather would be warmer. From what I have heard, they can get some pretty big winds and waves during the winter months and trails can be closed as they get very slippery.

Sometime during the last 3 weeks in January 2001 all 5 towns were inaccessible due to mud slides. Maybe a plan for alternative location would be a good idea if something awful like this happened again?

December and January can be a great time to visit Italy--but not if your objective is to spend most of your time doing mild-weather outdoor sports like hiking in the country.

Many experienced travelers do go to Italy in December and January--but they generally know what they're facing weather-wise and go to Italy in the winter to enjoy the many indoor things in towns/cities that one can pleasantly do in Italy that time of year.

On this thread, looks like roughly 5 of 6 repliers agree that late December is not the best choice for hiking the CT trails.

I was just there in mid-September & the trails were closed 2 out of the 3 days that I was there due to rain. The boats also don't run if the seas are the least bit choppy (even if it doesn't rain). If the hikes are important to you, I wouldn't go in December & risk the rain, but if you are okay taking the train from town to town & just walking around, go for it. We walked around Vernazza for a half day in the pouring down rain and got completely soaked from the knees down (even with umbrellas). The CT was the crowning jewel of my trip and I wanted so badly to do the hikes so I was a little sad that it wasn't possible due to the weather. The CT is definitely an outdoor destination as opposed to Rome for instance where there are a lot more indoor activities (museums, etc.). Happy travels. Enjoy Italy - it's fantastic!

Thanks all for the great replies. Here is our situation and maybe you will have some suggestions. We have one daughter in Seoul S. Korea, one in Oslo, Norway. We wish to meet over the Christmas holiday and have already spent Christmas in Norway, Sweden, Germany. We are looking for a place to meet - probably in Europe - where we can enjoy the outdoors, enjoy good food, and relax. We are a very active family (hiking, biking, walking, swimming, etc.) We will want to meet one of our kids by the 19th of Dec. and then the other will come in on the 24th and we will stay until Jan. 2. We don't necessarily need warm weather - just reasonable weather in which we can get outdoors and see things. Thanks for your help. I appreciate the honesty especially.

Nancy

Nancy: The further info you provided in your last post helps us to help you.

What I'm seeing is:

we enjoy active outdoor activities
probably we want a location in Europewe're not locked into the CT but are locked into Dec 25 - Jan. 1there are young people in your group.

Given all of those: Yes, you can make a better choice for outdoor sports in late December than the CT.

Take advantage of the best Europe has to offer when it comes to outdoor sports activities in the winter: Pick from one of the many European winter recreation meccas. You've got excellent choices in the Alpine areas of Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany, or northern Italy.

Rent an apartment, in a location that's not in the middle of a ski resort, if that's what suits you. If you're not downhill skiers, rent cross-country skies. Or get a guide, crampons and ice axes and get out there to tackle some real winter alpine hiking, in any of the above countries.

Thanks for the response although we really don't want to ski as we get lots of that at home. We would prefer some mild weather but doesn't have to be beach weather. Any other suggestions a little further south??

Nancy

Hmmmm...mild weather late December Europe location, that offers good hiking, that isn't a concrete jungle jammed with thousands of sun-starved northern Europeans, and that isn't dead and shut down in late December?

How about Hawaii?! I've had just the experience you're looking for, several times, on the Island of Kauai, it offers everything you're looking for--except it doesn't give you Europe, but you said "probably Europe," so if you're open to other locations?

In Europe in late December your challenge will be: selecting a location where there's reasonable odds of getting mild weather, that isn't a jammed concrete jungle--and that isn't dead and shut down with tourist services closed or very limited (so there's something for you to to do if the weather turns out to be not what you were hoping for).

Maybe you should just plunge ahead with your Plan A at the Cinque Terre? And after you get back, if you could post here and let us know how it went for you--we haven't had any posts saying: "Thanks for the tip, had a great time hiking and enjoying sleeping and eating in the CT in late December."

(however, you may want to note what Rick says about the CT in December): "In winter it's really dead--most hotels close in December and January." (Italy 2008, p. 284)