I want to start planning a trip for 3 weeks in Italy starting in Cinque Terra for the end of July and being of August 2020. My husband and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. We are both 55 years old and in great shape. Does any body have some itineraries and towns to go to? We have been to Rome and Venice. Thinking about the Almafi coast also.
Thanks,
Kim
Considering your past I'd do something like this:
Fly into Milan (that is the closest city to Cinque Terre) receiving direct transatlantic flights.
Take the train to Varenna (Lake Como) stay 4 nights
Take the train from Varenna to Monterosso (Monterosso is one of the 5 towns along the Cinque Terre).
Stay in Cinque Terre 3 nights (however the end of July is one of the worse times to go with the heat all the tourism).
Take the train to Florence or stay somewhere else in Tuscancy for 1 week.
Take the train to Salerno for the Amalfi Coast stay 1 week.
Train back to Rome to fly home (Rome is the closest airport with direct flights to the USA)
The five towns are very small and near each other. When all the trails were open, we hiked it all in two days though it could be done in one. Cinque Terre means five lands. You can also visit them by taking the local train or a boat. Four are right on the water and one is up above. Cinque is five and Terre is lands.
jeff & kim,
First of all, congratulations on your 30th anniversary! That's a wonderful milestone.
As previously mentioned, July & August are not the most ideal times for visiting the Cinque Terre, but that's also true for other parts of Italy. It's going to be hot and crowded wherever you decide to go. It will be essential to reserve accommodations well in advance, and that's especially true for the Cinque Terre. If you can get a booking, try Hotel Villa Steno or Hotel Pasquale first. For a special occasion, you could also consider Hotel Porto Roca. You may never want to leave!
You'll also need to be aware that the towns become extremely crowded on days when cruise ships are in the area. The large groups from the ships inundate those small towns and it's not a pleasant experience (I can say that from experience). The easy solution is to be somewhere else between about 10:00 - 16:00 or so, or just relax in your hotel during that time.
In visiting that area, you'll first have to decide which of the five towns you want to stay in. Each of us here has a favourite, and I prefer Monterosso. It's the largest of the five and has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities. The other towns don't have hotels, but rather private rooms.
How long are you planning to stay in the Cinque Terre? I'd suggest three or four nights, depending on how many places you want to see in that area. For example, while staying in one of the five towns, you could also take day trips to Portofino or Santa Margherita Ligure (or other towns in that area), or take the Ferry from the C.T. to Porto Venere. For travel between each of the five towns, the local trains are the best option as they run often and the trip between towns is only a few minutes in each case. Levanto is only about four minutes north of Monterosso by train, and you could hike from there to Bonassola through the old railway tunnels (it's all paved so more of a stroll).
As you're in "great shape", you may want to do some hiking while there. Note that some segments of the popular Sentiero Azzurro trails have been closed for several years, and will likely remain closed in 2020. The segments from Monterosso to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia will likely be open. There's an extensive network of trails in that area, so if you want to hike there are lots of opportunities.
To develop an Itinerary for the Cinque Terre and your other locations in Italy, you may find it helpful to have a look at the Rick Steves Italy 2020 guidebook (should be available now). Check your local library or local bookstores. You may also enjoy having a look at this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP316ABiTt0 .
How are you planning to get around in Italy? As yo may remember from your past visit, there are some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains and other public transit.
I like Jazz’s itinerary but would suggest you avoid the long trip to the Amalfi Coast and instead spend a week in the Dolomites where it is cooler. Research the Val Gardena, easy to do by train to Bolzano and bus to the village of your choice. Great hiking and scenery, no need for a car as your lodging will give you a pass for the buses that run through the valley connecting you to the network of lifts that take you to the trail heads. Buy a pass for 3 or 6 days for riding the lifts. You can fly round trip Milan, npbut do return to Milano for the night before your flight,
The main problem I see is that August is the most crowded time of the year especially in 'touristy' places. I frequently travel in June/July and notice things start to get noticeably more crowded and prices (mostly for hotels) higher the closer you get to August. Cinque Terre is one of the most crowded but so are Lake Como, Florence, rest of Tuscany. Not that you shouldn't go to those places if you really want to, but be warned. Also know that while all of Italy will be relatively crowded in August there are some places less so. I'm talking about the 'second tier' places. For example, there are numerous towns in the Veneto, Piedmont, Lombard regions that are wonderful but not on every tour and every tourists must visit list. Bergamo, Pavia, Mantua, Cremona, Ferrara, Modena, Parma, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Torino, Aosta. Those are just a few of my favorites.
Coastal towns are the most crowded in August because northern Europeans are all on vacation and want to go to the beach. Thus inland towns a little less so. But I understand your desire to visit the coast. Another option would be to base somewhere other than the CT towns such as Rapallo or Camogli. They are larger than the CT villages and can withstand more tourists. You could still do a day trip to the CT (although then you'd be there mid day when it's at it's worst. But if you're able to you could get up early and beat the crowds, and be back in relatively uncrowded Rapallo by mid day.)
Also since you are considering the Amalfi Coast as well I'd say the crowds, while still huge in August, will be less of a problem there than the CT. Again, the towns are larger, there are more of them and they can absorb more people.
See if any place in my Italy gallery looks like somewhere you'd want to go. https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f739967755
Hi Kim
I’ll share and recommend my CT experience from 2016 (in fact, we are returning summer of 20). We discovered Aria di Mare from the RS guidebook and would highly recommend for you. It’s located in Manarola and the host, Maurizio, is helpful and accommodating.
On his website, you’ll see that he has a few terrace view room. Request the type with the patio!
Our typical itinerary was this:
Arrival day explore Manarola, settle in and dinner at Billy’s
Day 1: Hike Manarola to Corniglia to Vernazza. (It’s a high trail that starts in Volastra via shuttle bus) Window shop in Corniglia and swim in Vernazza. Take a small backpack with essentials.
Day 2: Explore Riomaggiore and rent kayaks or boat in Manarola or Rio.
Day 3: Do the big hike - Levanto to Monterosso. It’s pretty intense but sounds like you’re healthy. Reward yourself with a beach side meal at the Beach Bar Stella Marina, rent chairs & umbrella, swim and relax the rest of the day.
Day 4: depart
I’m excited for you and good luck!
T
I haven't been to CT yet, although we're also planning to visit there next year. But the Amalfi coast is amazing! Easy to get to from Rome, and we adored staying in Sorrento and visiting Capri, Positano and Amalfi. And of course Pompeii which is also close by. We did 4 days in this regions but you could do 5 including Naples. Keep it in mind!
If you spent 4-5 days in CT, then 4-5 in Amalfi, you would also have time for Milan and lake como. We saw those in 3 days. Milan has the Duomo and the Last Supper. Lake Como was just relaxing and gorgeous.
Sorry to say I'd avoid both Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast in late July/early August. I would definitely complement a visit to either with a visit to somewhere inland and/or mountainous. Umbria is one area I would research, just to get started.
I think the suggestion of the Dolomites is an excellent one. Also consider one of the lakes (Maggiore, Como, Garda, etc.). I'd skip the Cinque Terre--it's truly a victim of its own success. It's nice, but incredibly overrun with tourists from the US. There are so many better places to go. A note on the CT train that runs all day between the 5 towns -- we were there in mid-May and the trains were jam packed during the day. I can't imagine trying to squeeze in more people, and then adding the heat of July.
You’ve got lots of good CT advice here. I would just add my favorite town in Manarola, particularly its marina. It is definitely busy during the day, but I loved all of the towns.
