Cinque Terre Help

If you will be there on the 16th there is a lemon festival in Monterosso.

The hostel in Manarola is nice and inexpensive.

Eat pesto, try anchovies, drink lemoncello. Hike of course. check out the nude beach if you desire. sit at the harbor with a bottle of wine.

Lindsay,

Regarding "places to stay", could you indicate what type of accommodations you would prefer? Also, is there a preference for which of the five villages you'd like to stay in?

Regarding "things to do/see", one of the best activities in the Cinque Terre is hiking the trails between the villages. Note that a C.T. Card is required for hiking - you can obtain these at any of the train stations (don't forget to validate!). Enjoying the Pesto, wine and food is another great activity for that area, and of course just relaxing and enjoying Il dolce far niente!

Happy travels!

I will be backpacking with my boyfriend so we're not too picky on what type of places to stay, just nothing too expensive.
Thank you for all the responses! I'm so excited for my trip!!

Ken
Just read your reply to Lindsay- I don't think you have to validate the CT Card ??? The Cinque Terre Treno card you do and it includes the train as well. Am I right in this?? Also I read somewhere you can buy the CT at the trailheads as well. If we were staying in Vernazza could we buy it at the beginning of the trail from there to Riomaggiore?
Lindsay - no one has answered your question as we don't know where you want to stay, however Ken can probably give you a web site where you can see what is available.

CT was the first place I ever went overseas! It's fantastic! We stayed in Riomaggore, but I would choose one of the smaller towns, if I went again. More scenic.

Maybe go out on a boat. And eat as much Gilato as you can! Walk around the villages, as well as in between them. The steps/ streets/alleys are beautiful.

Lindsay, a few suggestions for places to stay.

For the best "budget" accommodations, the "official" Hostel is in Manarola (2nd village from the south). It's clean and well run, however note they have a strict lockout in the afternoon (that's a problem for me). Check the website for details.

You might also have a look at Mar-Mar Rooms in Riomaggiore (most southerly of the villages). They have a variety of rooms available, in addition to somewhat of a Hostel. As I recall, they require guests to arrive by 17:00, as they close for dinner then.

If you have a copy of the Italy Guidebook available, there are lots of lodgings listed in all of the villages.

Shelley, the system of cards for hiking the trails may have have changed since my last visit. The Card that I bought required validation, and the Station Agent suggested I do this just before using it for the first time, as there's a "time limit" on the cards. I can't recall if it was just a C.T. Card or whether it included the trains? From what I saw, it may also be possible to purchase the cards at the small booths that are at the start and end of each of the trails. They were ALL "manned" and they WERE checking to make sure that hikers had a valid Card.

AFAIK you should be able to buy a card at the beginning of the trail in Vernazza, but as I recall you have to go right by the train station to get to the trails, so you could also pick one up there. I don't know if there's any difference in price between buying at the station or at a booth?

Happy travels!

I am staying at Ospitalia Del Mare, one town north in Levanto, seems cheap and clean!

Next time I go to Italy, I will spend much more time in the Cinque Terre for sure! We daytripped there from Lucca via Pisa.
"Il dolce far niente" is something I did NOT do last time, and we got to Monterosso too late in the day to enjoy lounging on the beach and swimming (late September; too cold; sun was going down behind the ridge when we got there). Definitely make time for "the sweet doing nothing"; grab a chunk of sand in Monterosso and soak up some sun on the beach!
I'd also love to hike between all the towns. We walked only la Via dell'Amore. The hiking trail is very well kept; they have done a great job with it!

Robyn, in my case, "Il Dolce Far Niente" doesn't often mean laying on the beach (although that's nice at times too). Just sitting in a sidewalk Cafe with a glass of Vino watching the world go by or visiting with the locals is just as relaxing.

When you get the opportunity to hike all the Cinque Terre trails, don't be too surprised at the condition of the others. They're not as easy to navigate as the famed via del'Amore. The trail from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza provides a good workout (and Vernazza to Corniglia is almost as challenging)!

Cheers!