Cinque Terre In March? First time visiting Italy

Temperature-wise, the weather will probably be warm enough to be out. I believe that the chances of rain are relatively high, though. Also, if you plan on hiking the trails between towns (which I highly recommend) some of them may be closed due to landslides.

Also, some places may still be closed.

In a nutshell, you can't be guaranteed nice weather or that every place will be open, but you could have great weather, etc. So, it's more of a gamble than it would be later in the year.

That said, I've been there a couple of times (in the late Spring and early Fall) and there were several days of rain. Either way, it's a beautiful place.

I am one of those people who think that the CT is wildly over-rated. Yes the villages are attractive, the scenery is lovely but....its just not for me - I've been once and probably wouldn't go again. I think March would likely be too early, things probably don't get going for another month; most hotels and restaurants close in the winter.

You already have the four biggies on your wish list and 11 days in which to visit them. 4 into 11 goes 2.75 days per area plus travel time and time to get over jetlag .... Have you booked your air tickets? If not consider flying into Venice and out of Rome then you don't have to back-track. How are you getting between the various cities? Train or rental car? If the latter read the posts on this site about the restricted traffic zones in Florence in particular! Italian trains are great: quick, clean and reasonably priced and a lot less stressful than driving.

I am sure that when you have visited Italy once you will be returning and you can do the CT when the weather is better and everything is up and running.

Would suggest using the time elsewhere. CT really doesn't open back up until May timeframe. Florence is in Tuscany. Don't count your travel days in your total as they'll be ate up with.....travel.

Yes, the CT is beautiful (and perhaps "not to be missed" although I do not feel that way), however, given your existing itinerary and the number of days you have, I would save it for the next trip. You just won't have enough time to enjoy it and all the other wonderful places you have already planned.

Lesley,

We are flying into Rome and out of Venice. Planning on just taking trains/buses to get around so as not to stress with the driving. I think we may skip the CT thanks to suggestions, and go back another time for that.

This is our itinerary so far, suggestions and input would be great:

4 days in Rome- possible day trip to Naples and Pompeii?
2 days in Florence-possible day trip to Pisa and Lucca? not sure on this one
2 days in Siena- any other Tuscan town recommendations?
3 days in Venice

Anything we are missing or should skip?

Thanks!

Doing a day trip to Pisa and Lucca will absolutely eat up one of your only two days in Florence. You'd spend at least 4 hours on trains between the 3 towns. Are you sure you want to do that? There is more than enough to see and do in Florence to fill up two days.

If you stay only two days in Firenze, I don't think you have the time for Lucca and Pisa. You can hardly squeeze Venice in one full day, let alone Florence.
From what I gather you won't rent a car, so you will be relying on public transport. I would base my stay in Tuscany in Florence and visit Siena from Florence (70 minutes away). Florence is the transport hub for Tuscany and transferring to Siena will entail wasting time checking in and out of hotels, which is the biggest time waster in travel.
In addition to Siena, Lucca, Pisa, you could visit from Florence also San Gimignano, the Chianti hills (if you like wine), Arezzo, Cortona, Fiesole, Vinci (Leonardo's birthplace), Certaldo, and many more places. Basically from Florence you can be almost anywhere in Tuscany (bar the Maremma) in less than 2 hours. However consider that Florence alone will take a couple of days.

You are thinking correctly by flying multi-city to eliminate time consuming backtracking. However, A suggestion would be to fly into Venice and home from Roma because the departing flights from Venice leave EARLY in the morning. So early that public transportation is not running. You might need to engage a private entity to transport you to the airport, which could be expensive.

Buon viaggio,

Roberto,

I like the idea of staying centrally in Florence and then spending 2 days exploring Florence itself and 2 more days going on day trips to other parts of Tuscany. I am thinking it might be nice to rent a car for those 2 days we will be spending on day trips around Tuscany. Would you recommend that or would you say stick to trains and buses? The idea of driving around that area sounds wonderful, but not sure if it will reduce stress or add more stress?

Flight times work best for us into Rome and out of Venice. The flight is VERY early out of Venice though, you are right! Didn't even think about that. Do the water taxis not run that early in the AM? Or do you know of any hotels that offer hotel shuttles to airport?

Thanks!

whitney,

Regarding your last point about driving for part of your time in Tuscany, that's certainly possible but there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. Each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You can obtain an I.D.P. at any AAA office for a small fee; they're valid for one year (Passport photos required, but they can usually provide those at the AAA office).

The second point to be aware of is that Florence especially is saturated with Zona Traffico Limitato areas (limited traffic zones) which are enforced by automated Cameras. Each pass through one of the Cameras will result in an expensive ticket, which you won't know about until several months after you return home. Roberto knows where the Cameras are located in relation to the car rental agencies, so hopefully he'll re-visit this Thread. Many other cities also have ZTL's, but most of those aren't enforced by Cameras, but rather by a "cop on the beat".

March is not the best time to visit the Cinque Terre as the weather could be an issue and not all the tourist businesses or the trails may be open (typical season opening is April 1st). However, if the weather looks favourable and you want to have a look at the area for future reference, it's easily possible to take a day trip from Florence by train. It will be a bit of a long day, but it's certainly possible (I know that as I've taken that trip). If you decide to do that, I'd suggest starting in Riomaggiore and ending in Monterosso with a fine hot meal before your return to Florence. You can travel between each of the towns via the inexpensive local trains. As mentioned in previous posts, Florence makes a great home base for exploring Tuscany.

Happy travels!

Hey Whitney - there are a couple of postings this past week that will answer two of your questions - one is from Carol on the 28th (I think) re early morning departure from Venice. And there is one further down titled traffic violation - someone rented a car in Florence to go to a wedding in Tuscany and got caught in the ZTL and received a hefty fine.

Hope these help!

Thank you all so much for the help. Looking for some info on hotels if you have any insight. I am leaning heavily on staying at the Relais Torre Argentina in Rome due to great location and a pretty good rate due to off season, also had picked out the Pensione Guerrato in Venice from Rick Steves' suggestion and also central location. Does anyone have any experiences with these hotels or have suggestions for hotels in these area? I am also looking for a good centrally located hotel in Florence as I have not done much research on hotels there yet. Thanks!

Pensione Guerrato is one of our favourite places in all of Venice.

Are you OK with stairs?

Yes stairs are not a problem at all!

I agree with Nigel about Pensione Guerrato. We enjoyed our stay there and would not hesitate to stay there again.

We stayed at Hotel Il Bargellino in Florence and felt that it was a good value. You can walk there from the train station and also walk to many attractions.

I see your later post is asking for hotel recommendations -- I would also suggest looking at Airbnb.com, as we used it for our stays in Venice, Florence and Rome and had a great experience in each one. We were able to prioritize the location so that we were within walking distance, but paid much less than what we would've in a hotel in the same area. And two of the places we stayed in had a washer, so we could do laundry while there.

For what it's worth, we loved the Cinque Terre, but I think you're already packing a lot into your 11 days (not to mention the weather in March). But might suggest if you ever go back?

I'm happy to read that there are other posters who find the CT vastly overrated. I'd go so far as to say, ludicrously so. Included on a short, first time to Italy trip? No way! I concur with the person who suggested doing Siena as a day-trip from Florence. You'll save the hassle of moving, and you'll be able to see most of anything you'd want. I don't recall whether you have decided to make Rome your entry or departure city; but either way, you might consider picking up (or dropping off) a car in Orvieto, which is a real gem and has easy rail connections to Rome. You could see Orvieto and, perhaps, one Tuscan hill town. Be careful! This might be the start of a life-long addiction. I think our upcoming trip to Italy may be our 15th.

We are also thinking of visiting Cinque Terre but in September. I was intrigued by those who posted they think it is over rated. I'm curious if those people had a choice between the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre which would be the more desirable location for your standpoint?

Perhaps it's a result of living in northern California, but I cannot see spending more than $1000 (x2) and 15 hours of travel time (x2) to see coastal towns. I am a self-confessed naysayer on the CT for the following reasons. Even if I cared about beach time, I'd have to say that the beaches aren't so great. Maybe, 20 years ago, they were quaint, "undiscovered" villages. Not so any more. During tourist season, they are unbelievably crowded; think of being jammed in, body-to-body, on a train between towns. They have relatively poor tourism infrastructure. I believe that the current craze for visiting the CT has exacerbated the tendency one finds in some sectors of the Italian tourism industry to treat travelers badly. If the weather is bad, there is NOTHING to do.

In my opinion, the AC is not only more beautiful, it doesn't suffer from the aforementioned defects. There are plenty of real hotels and B&B's (as opposed to private rooms) which operate in a business-like way, taking cc's, for example. There are good transportation connections to many major attractions; the towns, themselves, Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri, Paestum, etc. Finally, if the weather is bad, there are some interesting diversions such as villas, churches, and museums, which can be visited.

The CT is picturesque, and the hikes along the hillside between the villages can be fun, but that's about it. Others will disagree, but I think one day there is plenty. On the other hand, the AC is indeed just as beautiful, and there is FAR more to do and see. The AC has easy access to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Positano, Ravello (possibly the most beautiful spot in Italy), Naples, and Paestum. And it has Sorrento, one of Italy's greatest towns - with the best limoncello you'll ever taste.

On the question of the Cinque Terre vs. the Amalfi Coast, I've found that both are great destinations but they each have a different ambience and different "personalities".

The Cinque Terre is less developed in terms of tourist facilities which for me, is part of the charm. Although some of the smaller towns use more cash-based transactions, I've had no trouble at all using credit cards in Monterosso. I find that it's a great home base for touring other places in that area such as Portofino, Porto Venere, etc.

The Amalfi Coast tends to be more upscale and sophisticated and also beautiful. The tourist facilities are better and of course there are lots of sights to tour there also, including Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Vesuvius, etc.

Both areas have slightly different cultures, and I believe both are worth a visit. I always enjoy getting back to the C.T. and it's a great place to recover from more strenuous travels elsewhere.

Cheers!

My wife and I spent two days in the CT this past March and it was unbelievable. The weather cooperated, the scenery was beautiful, and it was an amazing place. Restaurants and hotels were open, as were most shops. It was not crowded at all, and was a welcomed break after the hustle and bustle of Rome. Very relaxing. I would highly recommend it.