Cinque Terre lodging advice

Hi Jeff.

The 5 towns are all accessible by the same train line. That's actually how you can get around (apart from going by foot/hike) between each town. So in terms of arriving/departing..they're all essentially the same. Coming from the north you'll have to probably switch trains at Genoa or Sestri Levante. The first town you'll come across coming from the north is Monterosso. This town has an actual "beach" and is the most "resorty." They have an outdoor market every thursday (i believe where locals can buy necessities like meats/cheeses). Hiking wise, I have heard that the hike between monterosso and vernazza (the next town down) is the roughest. This was the only hike we did when we went so I wouldn't have anything to compare, but it was a little more challenging than I thought it would be.

Vernazza is the most popular and most known, which usually means accommodations are harder to come by if you don't plan ahead (and are more expensive). Corniglia may be the hardest to stay at only because it's the only town not directly by the coast. You would have to walk up a hill to get to the town, or take a shuttle. The next town down (coming from the north) is Manarola. This is where we stayed and was my absolute favorite. It was the right amount of quiet but still beautiful and still with good restaurants. We stayed at La Vigna Di Gigi. There's no breakfast with the room, but the accommodations are very clean and new. Some people complain about the bed being too springy and the bathroom being small (but honestly, I prefer cleanliness over anything and didn't feel like the bed was too bad). The only down side is that it is at the top of Manarola (so away from the train station and the water). It's not far (all these towns are pretty small), but it is an uphill climb with luggage. I would definitely stay there again because of its cleanliness, and it was cheap.

Riomaggiore is the southern most town. I don't know much about this one. Sadly we only had a couple of days and really only got to see monterosso, vernazza, and manarola. You can't go wrong with any of these places though. They are all beautiful. Can't wait to go back.

Tip: most places are cash only. Keep that in mind. They typically also offer better prices when it's cash only.

Let me know if you have any other questions!
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jeff,

Monterosso will probably "afford the least hassle in arriving" as it's the first one you'll arrive at when travelling from Nice. It also has the best train station to facilitate your travels. It's the largest of the five towns so has a larger number of hotels, restaurants, and other tourist facilities. Most of the larger hotels in Monterosso accept credit cards, but many will offer a discount for cash.

For a stay in August, I'd suggest getting a room booked SOON, as that's peak season and it will likely be very busy there. For a list of the accommodations in Monterosso, have a look at THIS website. AFAIK, the website is reasonably current, however you may not get an immediate reply as some of the places are still closed for the season.

Good luck and happy travels!

Many thanks to both Jessica and Ken for their thoughts!

Jeff

I would also suggest Monterosso. It's the largest of the towns and the flattest which is nice when schlepping luggage around! There is a ramp going up to the platform at the train station though you may have to go downstairs and under the track to access the other side depending on which direction your train is departing! In general, Monterosso is my favorite because it has the most options in terms of shops, restaurants, etc. Have a great trip.