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Cinque Terre or LeMarche? Before or after RS tour?

Posted by (Oregon) on

We are scheduled for a RS Tuscany tour in September-October and want to add time either before or after (Tuscany tour begins in Florence, ends in Lucca). Would love some advice/feedback! Options include:

- Bologna & Parma (2 days) and CinqueTerre (2 days) Or
- LeMarche (2-3 days) and train back to fly home from Bologna.
- Suggestions/advice on when to do independent option - before or after RS tour?

I have read many reviews of CinqueTerre and the idea of crowds is not very appealing but it also sounds fabulous for hiking and sites. RS doesn't mention Parma, Bologna nor LeMarche. We are big foodies (& wine) so Parma & Bologna sound fun but so does LeMarche. However, getting to & around LeMarche seems to require car and we aren't thrilled about renting a car either. We have checked out the train schedule and it is doable to get to LeMarche from Florence - not as easy from Lucca.

Anyone visited any of these areas and have ideas for tours, transportation, accommodations, etc. I haven't seen much on the forum about Bologna, Parma nor LeMarche.

We are pretty active and pretty independent. Been to Europe twice & hubs to Japan. First RS tour & first trip to Italy however!

Posted by
16168 posts

If you choose option one (Bologna Parma Cinque Terre) I would do Bologna and Parma before the tour (you can base yourself in Bologna and visit Parma from there, since it’s a short train ride). Then from Bologna I would take the train to Florence to join the tour (Bologna to Florence is 36 min by high speed train). After the tour, since it ends in Lucca, it is a short train ride to Cinque Terre. After the Cinque Terre you can fly home. If possible see if you can find a flight from Pisa (likely via Munich) which is closer to the Cinque Terre than any other airport. Genoa is also a good choice from the Cinque Terre, although not as many flight options as Pisa. Even without extending your stay after the tour, Pisa is a great choice as a departing airport since it’s also very close to Lucca.

Le Marche (Le and Marche have a space in between) is a nice region. A car is not mandatory to have. Obviously it is useful to have if you plan to visit small towns, but pretty much any location in Italy can be reached by train and/or bus. Public transportation choices tend to be more plentiful in Europe than in America.

Posted by
16488 posts

I have been to the Cinque Terre twice. Both times in May. (Two different years.) It was packed. Vernazza was so crowded it was difficult to even move.

So, I'm going to suggest another region. Le Marche is a good idea, What about Verona or Padua or even Venice?

Posted by
5170 posts

Marche would depends on specifics--which places and how long the transport would take. I can't imagine exploring the region without a car unless you are moving along the coastal train line. The driving was easy--an autostrada along the coast, winding rural roads otherwise. Four days may be too brief, but I'd consider the region for your next Italy trip--I easily filled ten days and could have spent a month. Flights to Ancona are not that difficult to come by.
Bologna and environs = great transport. Probably maximizes your time the most.
CT = indeed crowded, but ideally you will be hiking and not hanging around the town except morning and evening, when there are fewer day trippers. September would be hotter, in October chances of rain increase. You want to be able to be flexible and cancel if weather does not cooperate.
Lucca closer to CT (form Florence it is a slog)--I would carefully consider transport times because with so many options, it is a shame to waste any time in transit.

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