Cinque Terre in June

I do not know if you know this already but friends do not know what they are talking about generally.
See for yourself what do you have to lose?
How did you determine that you want to be there for 3 days?
It is great there at dusk most romantic when all the day trippers are gone and the early morning.

If you want to do it, get your reservations made SOON!

We stayed in Manarola for 2 nights at the beginning of July. It was hot and lots of people but still wonderful. We hiked the trails (start early to avoid some heat), used the trains to get around and did lots of swimming. It is an area well worth visiting any time of year.

jason,

"Mixed reviews" can be somewhat subjective, and based on different circumstances than you may experience. My suggestion would be to give it a try for three days (2 nights?) and form your own opinions. It could be crowded some days, especially if there are cruise ships in the area, but the evenings are generally nice. If you're out day touring, you shouldn't have much problem with the hordes. If you choose a hotel that's not right in the centre of town, such as Hotel Villa Steno in Monterosso, you'll be "far from the madding crowd" and you can enjoy some tranquility along with a glass of Prosecco.

As mentioned in a previous reply, it would be a good idea to get something booked soon! Check the RS Italy guidebook for hotel listings in each of the towns, or the group here can offer suggestions.

Hi Jason,

We were in the CT for two nights (last day of May, first day of June) last year. As a group of 6, we all enjoyed the CT. We stayed in Monterosso and it is magical early in the morning and in the evening. We did not hike as we had two people in our group with mobility issues, but did charter one of the boats for a sunset cruise.

I can see, however, where the CT gets mixed reviews, it gets very crowded between 10-4 and the small towns get overwhelmed by tourist. The advice if you are hiking (or really even taking the train between towns) is to start early. Also, book now as you get closer to your trip there are just fewer options.

Let us know if you go what your review is.

Sandy

I think everyone has their personal opinion on the Cinque Terre. We went there early May of 2018 on my brother's recommendation. (It is one of his favorite places.) We stayed in Monterroso in a lovely B and B (affittacamere), but it poured nearly every day we were there. We are not hikers, so other than walk up through the villages looking at one gift shop after another broken up by places to eat, there was very little to do. Granted, the villages are very charming, and you can access them early enough to avoid the cruise ship crowds, but we were mostly underwhelmed. I think our overall impression was tempered by the inclement weather, so it was our least favorite stop on the trip. Venice was horrendously crowded, but we had picture perfect weather and loved every minute there. If you decide to go to CT, have a backup plan in case it pours!!

You might be okay. I looked up the cruise ship schedule for our trip in early May and two out of our three days there are NO CRUISE SHIPS. docking in La Spezia. That should certainly lower the crowds some. Google cruise ship schedules. Good luck!

While there may be no cruise ships docking in La Spezia in June, there will be numerous ships docking in Livorno, which may still be "in range" of the Cinque Terre. I counted at least 42 ships on the Livorno schedule for June. Some days will have two or three in port at the same time.

In any case, I wouldn't be too concerned as there are ways of minimizing the crowding issue in the Cinque Terre. The easiest solution is not to be there in the daytime, from about 10:00 to 16:00.

I'd recheck with those friends. Had they researched it. How many days were they there, what time of year, were they expecting tranquil villages, do they hike and swim, was it too hot and yes did it rain. Only then can you decide if you'd like to visit or skip it.

I have visited the Cinque Terre many, many times. Have noticed increasing crowds but can be part of the charm. Since you are staying over...you have the opportunity to see the towns after the day trippers leave. Monterosso has a lovely vineyard with three guest cottages...Buranco winery...which sits above the town and is lovely and peaceful. It's quite a beautiful area on the coast.