Please sign in to post.

Cinque Terre or head north for a day trip from Levanto

We’re on a RS Village Italy tour mid May. Our “vacation from your vacation” day is based in Levanto. I’m trying to explore my options for that day. I remember some people here saying they went north to much less crowded towns/beaches. If you’ve done that can you tell me where you went and whether you’d recommend it?

We’ve been to the Cinque Terra once before, on a different RS tour 10 years ago. We were based in Montorosso and had planned to do the hike to Vernazza. Unfortunately it had rained hard the night before and our guide advised us not to try that hike. Because of weather conditions she was also not sure that the boats would be able to dock in a couple of the towns. So it was disappointing not to be able to see any of the other 5 towns (did I mention there was also a train strike!!). However our guide led a group of us on a great hike from Montorosso to Levanto and we spent time on the beach there, so we had a great time.

I’m torn between wanting to experience some of the towns and wanting a less crowded experience so would love to hear the pros and cons of heading to the cinque terre too. Thanks!

Posted by
5109 posts

Will you be hiking?
Do you want a beach where there are services, etc.?
My take on CT is that it is not as crowded if you are up on the higher trails.
I have stayed in Camogli, and the trails in Portofino park were much less crowded.

Posted by
11614 posts

We hiked the whole train over two days but that was before these huge crowds we hear about had discovered the CT. I would go to Portovenere or Santa Margherita Ligure/Camogli if I were you.

Posted by
292 posts

Several years ago we stayed in Vernazza, high in the hills. One day I walked down to the town and took the train from Vernazza to Corniglia and then hiked back, and it was really beautiful, lots of greenery and views of the water here and there. I was there in May and it was crowded in spots but not too bad. The steps up from the train to the path in Corniglia are quite the warm up. (Also, pro tip, take the lower path, not the one that seems to head straight up.) My thoughts are that walking at least part of the trail between the villages is one of the quintessential experiences there.