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Cinque Terre in July

We will be traveling to the Cinque Terre in July 2013. We will be coming from Paris. Any ideas of where to stay and what to see in which cities? We plan to spend two to three days in the Cinque Terre then move on to Sienna and Venice. We try and take a train from Paris to Genoa as an entrance point. Is this a good entrance city? Thanks
Todd

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Todd, The Cinque Terre will be HOT & CROWDED in July, so be prepared for that. Regarding "where to stay and what to see in which cities" you may find it helpful to have a look at the Italy 2013 Guidebook. That has a good description of each of the five towns and also some of the surrounding communities such as Levanto. Hiking the trails is a popular activity there, but "what to see" is often the towns themselves and the incredible scenery. There are no Museums or Art Galleries. It's a great place to relax and enjoy Il dolce far niente. Each of the towns has a slightly different "personality" so you'll want to choose the one that best fits your criteria. Monterosso is the largest and has the best sandy beaches and also the largest number of Hotels and Restaurants. For travel to the Cinque Terre in July, I would highly recommend getting a hotel booked as soon as you have your dates finalized. Many of the businesses there are currently closed for the season, but I'd start trying in about February. If you are in fact travelling from Paris to the C.T., using a budget flight would be a far better option. Travel by rail from Paris to the C.T. will take 10-12 hours with 2-3 changes. You could consider an EasyJet flight from Paris / ORY to Pisa (flight time 1H:40M). You can then take a train from Pisa to the C.T. (there's a rail station at the Pisa airport) The "entrance city" to the C.T. will depend on where you're coming from. From Paris you would likely use Genova as the "gateway city". If travelling from Pisa, you'll probably arrive via La Spezia. Happy travels!