Cinque Terre stay

Kathryn, IMHO, spending three days in the Cinque Terre in May would be perfect! Even if one or more of the Sentiero Azzurro trails is still closed, you can easily explore using the local trains or boats (which operate "weather permitting"). All of the trails can be done in one day, so you'll have two days to enjoy other aspects of the area. The C.T. is a good base for day trips to places like Porto Venere, Levanto, Portofino or Santa Margherita Ligure. It's highly likely that some (if not all) of the trails will be re-opened about April 1st when tourist season starts. Of course, there's no way to predict what the status will be at that time, but more information should be forthcoming in the new year. For travel in May, I would highly recommend pre-booking accommodations! That's spring shoulder season and it will likely be quite busy. Have you given any thought to which of the five towns you might prefer to stay in? The weather should be reasonably good then, so some "beach time" should be possible. Monterosso has the largest sandy beaches of the five towns. Happy travels!

Thank you for the response. I'm thinking Riomaggiore and intend to make reservations soon! It will be My Husband, myself and our 2 grown sons.

As Ken said, the best beaches are in Monterosso. However any of five can be reached easily by train, therefore you can shuttle back and forth among all of them. Trains are very frequent in both directions and most stop at all towns. Corniglia's station is the least convenient because is a long walk from the town (lots of stairs) but there is a shuttle bus. You should choose to stay in whichever town you find the best accommodations you like.
I like Riomaggiore. It's probably the only village in the world with a train station inside a mountain.

Kathryn, Riomaggiore would be a good choice, as there's a reasonably good number of small apartments and rooms that would be perfect for a family. There are some nice restaurants and a Gelateria beside Bar Centrale. You wouldn't necessarily have to always take trains. If you wanted to have dinner in Manarola, it's easy to walk on the famous Via dell'Amore (Park Pass required - the Guidebook has good information on the Cinque Terre and Cinque Terre Treno cards). There's also a small Bar along the Via dell'Amore (closer to Manarola) where you can enjoy a beverage or snack and just enjoy the view. Although it doesn't have the same type of sandy beaches as Monterosso, it does have a small harbour. As I recall, there's also a small bay around the corner from the harbour and boat dock area, where visitors swim. "Sunning" on the rocks seems to be a popular activity as you can see from THIS Photo. One other point to mention. If you need cash, there are at least two ATM's in the small station plaza, near the "famous" Mama Rosa Hostel (you may meet her when you arrive as she's often in the plaza trying to "encourage" visitors to stay at her facility). If you haven't been to Riomaggiore before, you may have to walk through a Sottopassagio (tunnel) to get to the station plaza (depending on which track you arrive on). When you get to the station plaza, you'll see a tunnel with a plastic "roof" that parallels the tracks. Walk through that and then turn left and you'll be on the main street. Cheers!

I like to stay in Monterosso. If you are going for the trails, check to see if they are open. Even the Via del Amore closes at times due to rock slides. When visiting Riomaggiore, if you don't want a long, steep uphill walk, take the elevator on the left just before the tunnel. It used to be .50 Eu and included in the CT pass. The elevator takes you to the top of town so you can leisurely stroll along the coast a little then descend down the main street. There is a church at the top which you will pass. You could visit all 5 towns by rail in one day. Just get a train schedule. Trains run about every hour to an hour and a half. There are ferries between the towns, too. You could stay in Monterosso, take a morning train to Riomaggiore, visit Manarola, Corniglia and Vernazza by trail or train; then you could return to Monterosso from Vernazza on the ferry. I like the mostly relaxed atmosphere in the CT, especially in the morning. Mid-day sees larger crowds, especially if the trails are open and folks are planning to hike. Corniglia is probably least crowded since it takes more effort to get there. I've taken the shuttle bus from the train station a couple of times, so the uphill hike can be eliminated. The town is a little more isolated and had some attractive places to eat (several years ago). If you plan to hike, I recommend getting an early start (before the crowds) so you have at least part of the trail to yourself. The trails are narrow, so meeting hikers going the opposite direction can lead to delays and sometimes danger. Sometimes large groups hike together.

I think 3 full days is a perfect amount of time in the CT. I love the CT area and plan to stay there 4.5 days next year. If, for some reason, you get tired of the 5 CT towns, you can always take a day trip to Portovenere, Camogli &/or Portofino. Even if the trails along the CT are closed, I think there's plenty to see in terms of walking around each town, viewing the towns from the water (if the boats are in service), etc. In Vernazza, I'd suggest climbing to the top of the castle for the wonderful views. I prefer to stay in Monterosso because it's the largest of the CT towns, is relatively flat and has the most options in terms of restaurants, shops, etc. I like the "old" part of town and will stay there again next year. Ken is right; book your lodging as soon as possible. May is only 5 months away and you might have difficulty, especially if the accommodation you want is a popular one.

Kathryn,
There's so much more to the area than the Sentiero Azzuro. Even if that is closed you have options. We did a week long trip there last October and "worked around" the closures easily. You might enjoy my report here. There are 3 entries about what we did on this particular trip, our seond to the CT.