Cinque Terre Trains

Some of the trains are designated as Cinque Terre Express and they just shuttle back and forth between Levanto and La Spezia stopping at each of the 5 towns along the way. There are also Regionale that go from La Spezia to further away, like Sestri Levante and Genoa that also stop at all 5 towns.

The easiest trip from Rome to the Cinque Terre is to take one of the direct trains (no changes) from Roma Termini to La Spezia Centrale. I believe the Cinque Terre Express has departures about every half hour, and the trip to each of the towns only takes a few minutes. Check the Trenitalia website for all the solutions.

One night is almost going to be useless in terms of seeing anything of the five towns. It will probably be late afternoon by the time you arrive, and you'll have to check out of your hotel by about 10:00 or 11:00 the next morning, so that doesn't allow much time. Is there any possibility you could add another night?

My suggestion would be to stay in Monterosso, as it's the largest of the five towns and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants, etc. Late August will probably be excessively busy so it would be a good idea to get something booked soon. Do you have the RS Italy guidebook? There are lots of accommodation listings in the book. If you don't have the book, try this - http://rebuildmonterosso.com/visitors-information/

Late August will probably be excessively busy so it would be a good
idea to get something booked soon.

Just putting an exclamation point (!) behind Ken's wise advice. At this point, you may be booking whatever you can find that still has availability for your August dates. Monterosso would be my choice as well but where you end up will be dependent on budget and availability in the greater CT region.

And as Sam said, aside from the Cinque Terre Express, some of the trains do and some don't stop in every village. Here's info on the Express:

https://cinqueterreinsider.com/2017/05/13/whats-the-cinque-terre-express/

That info above is from 2017 but prices have not changed since last year. The article also mentions the CT Treno MS card but unless you have a full day to use one, I don't think it will be beneficial to you. 2018 info on the card:

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/page.php?id=158

Exactly how long will you be there?

If you want to just be relaxing and drinking, you have some great options. Let’s start there.

In Riomaggiore: go to A Pie de Ma. It’s a 5 min or less walk from the train station. You’ll sit outside and look at the sea with a wine flight or a specialty drink and they serve fresh food. Nothing fancy, good prices, and fresh food. Most relaxing lunch possible.

In Manarola: Nessun Dorma for amazing tapas precariously served on the side of a cliff. Beautiful postcard view looking down on Manarola. There can be a wait to get in, but it’s worth it. Both the food and the view are one of a kind and the drinks were excellent.

As far as Monterosso, it’s larger and you can kind of unwind on the beach and later wander in to a variety of restaurants, which can be hit or miss. Do your research. Miky is very good, but it takes up your entire evening so you really have to want a full food experience to go there and just know you will sacrifice a lot of time in a good restaurant with no views.

In my opinion, if you’re deciding between Riomaggiore or Monterosso on where to sleep, it doesn’t really matter. Don’t get hung up on the town but instead decide based on: 1. What is available in your price range 2) which of your choices has the best view of the sea. A balcony vew is very important to me, but not to everyone.

You really can’t go wrong in choosing where to stay. They all have something unique to offer.

But when I tell my friends where to go for a relaxing/picturesque dinner, Nessun Dorma wins. A Pie de Ma wins for lunch and/or drinks with that view.

RS loves Vernazza. I saw the charm, but it did not blow me away as I expected it to. We did have a great meal there at Belforte (reservations required - make a few months out) and had a lovely view of the sea.

So let’s break it down: choose your town based on cost of rental. Go to other towns via short train ride that has a restaurant that interests you. Keep in mind that the trains run less often at night, so you might have to wait longer if you need to get back to your hotel. (Motive to have dinner where you are staying)

All that said, given what I just wrote and what you asked, chose sleeping based on price. Go for early pre-dinner drinks in Riomaggiore at A Pie de Ma, then go to Manarola’s Nessum Dorma for dinner. (Or go to Belforte in Vernazza) then take a quick train ride back to your hotel if it’s in another town. If you follow my advice to a T, you’ll end up staying in Manarola, and let me tell you, that will not be a bad thing.

Finn,

"Exactly how long will you be there? "

Unless they change plans, they're only going to be in the C.T. for one night.

Ken - lol. I should have said - are you arriving at noon or at 7 pm? That makes a little difference in advice since JR mentioned visiting each village.

Thanks all for the great info. We are planning on taking the early morning train from Rome to CT - arriving around 10 AM. We had planned to leave luggage at hotel, then hit the streets. Basically we will have all day and night before departing the next morning. As we wish we could adjust our schedule for more time, it's just not possible. We have a placed booked in Montorosso in the old town and a soft hold on a place in Riomaggiore with a sea view from a window - no patio or balcony. Everyone is correct in rooms being booked solid. I have emailed so many places trying to find a room with a sea view and balcony/patio we could sit on at night. Haven't found that. Budget is max 250 Euro. The hotel in Montorosso has a patio/balcony, but it overlooks the street. Not so scenic to me but gives the option to enjoy the outdoors.

I guess as you say - where we sleep doesn't matter. Having not been there, we just don't know what to expect. I know one day is tight - we had hoped to do the ferry ride to get some awesome views of the villages, weather permitting. A little shopping, lots of eating and drinking, and just taking some awesome pictures is what we had in mind. No hiking.

We are booked at Scorci di Mare for one night in Riomaggiore. We will also be there in late August. The room only has a window but it overlooks the marina, thus sea view. I am anxious to see how JR's questions are answered as we have some of the same questions, especially about getting around by train. I am reading that in some places the train station is quite a trek to hotels. The apartment we rented concerns me a bit because even though the reviews are awesome, having to set a specific time to meet an owner is worrisome.

We looked at the bed and Breakfasts in Monterosso Locanda Maestrall and Il Giardino Incantato as well as Hotel Margharita. They all have openings at the moment, but the first two provide no outdoor seating or view from the room, and the Hotel does have a patio, but overlooks the street as well. We just don't know what to do! We also just want to make the most of our experience for the short time we are there. Sometimes the room does come in to play. Thanks for any advice.

Yes, it is one train that travels between La Spezia and the villages, so you will only have one train to learn. You are correct on the order. It is very simple. If I'm remembering correctly, just get on and off quickly!

Regarding the ferry, we did not do that as we kept hearing horror stories from people who chose to. They said the crowd was horrendous and difficult to navigate through - pushing and shoving nonsense. Hopefully other people will chime in on their experiences so that you aren't stuck taking my word for it. ;) We simply used the trains to get from one village to another and it was a smooth and easy process.

As you will be there for such a short time, having the perfect view from your room is a non-issue. Sounds like you'll be out and about soaking up all the time you can get there.