Please sign in to post.

Cinque Terre in March

Posted by (Minnesota) on

We’re traveling from Florence to Nice in March (a week in each city) and have 3 nights to spare between the two spots.

I’d love to make it to Cinque Terre - we’ve never been, but it was one of the first places I dreamed of visiting in Europe, decades ago. So, trying to decide where to stay for a few nights to make that happen, even if just as a day trip.

I know weather can be questionable that time of year - we’d love to hike between a town or two, but realize it’ll depend on recent rain, etc. Swimming is obviously a no go, so I’m hesitant in general to base in Cinque Terre in case the weather is lousy.

We’d thought of basing in Genoa for 3 nights, with a day trip to Cinque Terre on the nicest day. We could also do this from La Spezia or Levanto, it’d just make for a longer (but doable) travel day to Nice. Or, could it be worth staying in one of the Cinque Terre towns for those 3 nights - is there enough to do in poor weather? For what it’s worth, we’re pretty low key travelers.

Posted by
17382 posts

Are you traveling by train?
I would play it by ear and wing it.
If when you depart Nice the weather is nice stop at one of the villages for a night or two. I wouldn’t waste 3 nights at that time of the year. In March it is still standard time in Italy, and it will be dark by 6:30pm. Temperatures will be in the 40s at night and 50s during the day, therefore, although not as cold as Minnesota, definitely not beach weather. Also there is the possibility of rain. Hiking the trails will be likely not possible as the national park closes the trails if the terrain is wet. A day will be enough to see a couple of villages and have lunch or dinner. You could get away with one night, and I would stay a night primarily because you need a place where to store your luggage while you visit the towns. There is no luggage storage at the stations. La Spezia is a city where you could stay. I’m not particularly fond of it (port city with significant Navy base), but some people don’t mind it.

Posted by
32600 posts

lizzy,

I have many of the same suggestions as the previous reply. It should be "quiet" in that area in March, as many of the businesses will just be reopening after their winter closure. The weather could be unsettled but you still might enjoy the visit even if it is raining. The temperatures next week show a "high" of 13 / 55 and "low" of 9 / 48, so not too bad. The towns look very quiet right now but the weather doesn't look unpleasant - https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/webcam-cinque-terre .

In order to have the most time to actually see that area and the five villages, you might consider staying closer than Genova. Levanto is a smaller town with a good selection of hotels, and it's only about 5 minutes by train from Monterosso. You could also stay in Monterosso. It's the largest of the CT towns, and therefore has the largest number of hotels, restaurants and other facilities, some of which should be open in March.

Check the current Rick Steves Italy guidebook for listings of reliable hotels and restaurants in that area. I normally stay at Hotel Villa Steno in Monterosso, and they show availability from about 14 March. Another possibility would be Hotel Pasquale but I didn't check their availability. There should be some restaurants open as well.

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.