Cinque Terre in October traveling solo in the area

I was going to travel to cinque terre on a Monday. I would spend Tuesday and Wednesday there. I would travel back to Venice on Thursday and fly out of Venice on Friday. My concerns were traveling alone on the train and visiting cinque terre in late October

It is far less crowded then during the high season, but enough places are open to secure food & lodging. How safe you feel depends on how safe you feel in general. If you feel safe visiting Cleveland from Parma ( nothing against Cleveland- a GREAT city ), you will be fine in the CT region. Try http://www.elisabettacarro.it for a decent place to stay in Vernazza. Happy trails!

While I don't think you would have a problem safety wise, I would encourage you to re-think the trip to the CT. Mostly for the logistics of the trip. It is about a 6 hour train trip from Venice to the CT and then about the same returning. That is a LOT of travel time out of your extra 2 days. there are many wonderful spots in the Veneto within an hour or two at the most train ride. Or staying in Venice would also be a good option.

Becky, IMHO, you'll be perfectly safe travelling from Venice to the Cinque Terre by train. You will of course have to use the "normal precautions" such as wearing a Moneybelt and practicing "situational awareness" watching for scammers. Late October will be a bit "quieter" in the Cinque Terre, but it's likely there will still be some tourist traffic. There's no way to predict the weather, but it should be reasonably good. Have you considered which of the five towns you might want to stay in? Your plan sounds good. If you leave Venice early on Monday, you'll have time for a bit of touring on Monday night, as well as all day on Tuesday and Wednesday. You could have a leisurely breakfast on Thursday and leave the C.T. about 14:00 for the trip back to Venice. That would also provide a bit of time on Thursday morning to continue enjoying the area. Have you travelled by train in Italy before? There are a few potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. Happy travels!

About ten years ago I did a three week trip traveling by train in Europe but not in Italy. I know that I will do a lot of reading and should be ready for this train trip but any info you can give me will be appreciated. I would probably visit all towns but especially Vernazza & Monterosso. I thought it was Monterosso which is the town with the most lodging. I know that as of this fall not all trails were open.

I do not think you will have any safety problems traveling on the train. However 2 things to be sure you are aware of. First, there is a chance of rain both days. According to the weatherbase.com site and using Pisa as a proxy for the CT, there are 8-10 days with rain in Oct/Nov. So you might travel all the way there to walk in the rain, although some people don't mind. Second, you are spending 4 days of your time in Italy on 2 days in CT. If its what you really want, then of course do it, but another option would be to instead visit areas closer to Venice on this trip.

Becky, The weather will always be a bit of a gamble regardless of what time of year you visit Italy. I've experienced horrendous torrential rains in Lucca, Sicily and Umbria in September, so I've found it's more a matter of having the appropriate clothing available. If you want to see the Cinque Terre, October is a reasonably good time. A few points on the trains. Some of the trains you'll be using will be Freccia (high speed) trains which have compulsory reservations. It's important to have a valid reservation for the train you're riding on or you may be fined on the spot! The fines start at €50 PP and increase from there. If you're using P-P tickets, the ticket will specify the train number, so be sure to board ONLY that train (ie: ES-9718). You can save considerably by pre-buying tickets for the fast trains, however that will "lock you into" a particular train and departure time. If you miss that train, the tickets are worthless and you'll have to buy more at full price. Check the excellent Ron In Rome website for a tutorial on buying Trenitalia tickets online. You could also use the Italo trains on some routes (I've heard their website is more "user friendly"). With Regionale trains (no reservations required), it's IMPORTANT to validate your ticket (time & date stamp) using the yellow or blue & gray track side machines prior to boarding the train, or again you may face fines. The trip from Venice to the Cinque Terre may include a combination of different types of trains, depending on which route you choose. Most likely your trip will involve Freccia trains from Venice to Florence, and then Regionale trains to the C.T. Cheers!

Becky, You're correct that Monterosso is the largest of the five towns, with the greatest number of lodgings, restaurants, etc. It also has the best beaches of all the towns. Monterosso consists of a "new town" (where the rail station is located) and an "old town". It's very easy to walk from one part to the other, via an old tunnel. If the Sentiero Azzurro trails are open, you'll be able to hike between all five towns, although it's possible that one or more sections may be closed. That's not a huge problem, as it's very easy to get around using the local trains, which are cheap and frequent. Travel times are very short between towns. As I recall, it's only about 5 minutes from Monterosso to Vernazza, and only about 9 minutes from Riomaggiore to La Spezia. If the boats are running (weather permitting) that's another option. The SA trails require a Park Pass to hike, but they're not expensive and can be bought when you arrive there. The trails have varying levels of difficulty, so you can hike according to your abilities. There's an extensive network of other trails in the area, including one from Monterosso to Levanto, however many of those take much longer and extend further up into the hills. The easiest trail is the famous Via dell'Amore, as it's mostly flat and paved. It's more of a stroll than a hike. However, a rock slide occurred on that last September, injuring four Australians, so the Via dell'Amore is also currently closed (but will hopefully re-open in April). There's a small Bar along the way (closer to Manarola) so you can have a "cool one" and enjoy the great views! Cheers!

The CT is well worth the trip. You won't be disapppointed. We are going this september fot the third time. We stay in Monterosso at Il Maetrale on the main street in old town. Great location, good breakfast and the best cappacinos. Lots of restaurants (Chaik is at the base of the street and wondeful). Can be rainy end of October, but weather is always a gamble. Never felt unsafe in the CT and always used the trains. But you still always have to be aware and cautious.