Cinque Terre- what town to stay in

To be honest, there is no "best". It depends on your personal preferences; what you intend to do during your stay. We enjoyed Monterosso and would do it again as it's the largest of the villages with the most tourist amenities (we thought).

But what do you intend to do to pass your time in the CT? For instance, you're unlikely to be spending time on the beach/in the water in mid-April.

We would plan on hiking, checking out the beaches and eating good food! So maybe just choosing a town in the middle would be best?!?

Not necessarily. The town in the middle is tiny Corniglia. It has no beach and no harbor so no ferry service. It also involves a short bus ride up to the town from the train station or a long climb up a 382-step, 33-switchback stairway.

As well, mid-April isn't really beach or swimming season in the CT, although you should be able to hike unless the wet weather closes the trails.

https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-beaches

We are staying in Manarola in May for the first time, so I don't have any firsthand experience. Someone I know stayed here and enjoyed it very much. I know that Rick prefers Vernazza but I've heard that Vernazza is extremely crowded. The CT is crowded everywhere, but according to my friend, Vernazza was the most crowded when she was there.

We stayed in Monterosso, and found it to be a great choice. It was peak summer season and we were traveling with 4 teenagers who wanted to spend time at the beach - Monterosso has the best beaches for swimming. We also hiked to other towns, and took a boat to each of the other towns, so it was easy to see the area.

The towns are so close to each other it really doesn't matter which one you are in; the farthest one isn't that far away.

The best town is the one where you can find suitable accommodations that meet your requirements (budget, amenities, etc.) All towns are within minutes from each other by train. April is not beach weather, but if you were going during summer p, Monterosso is the only village of the 5 that has a beach. Monterosso is a tale of two cities. It has the old town historical center (5 min walk East of the train station) and the newer town (called Fegina), 5 min walk West of the station). As mentioned above, Monterosso is a tiny bit larger, so there are more accommodations and restaurants than the others. If hiking interests you, in my experience (and my opinion) the best trail is the one connecting Monterosso to Vernazza and the one connecting Vernazza to Corniglia. Be aware that April may be rainy at times, and when the soil is wet because of rain, the park authorities shut down the trails.

Everyone here seems to have a favourite of the five towns, and in my case I prefer Montrerosso. As mentioned earlier, it's the largest of the five and has the best selection of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities, and the best beaches of the five. It also has more "conventional" hotels with desk staff, elevators (in some cases), and many offer a good breakfasst. OTOH, many of the accommodations in the other towns are private rooms, some with lots of stairs. As there are two parts of Monterosso, it's a bit more spread out so doesn't seem as crowded as others, especially during the day when the day trippers arrive.

There are some great restaurants in Monterosso, especially if you like seafood. One of the restaurants is a big favourite with many here on the forum, including me - https://www.cantinadimiky.it/eng/index.html .

The Rick Steves Italy guidebook has lots of good information on staying in the Cinque Terre, and activities in that area.

A 2nd vote for Cantina di Miky. :O)

Thank you all for all the information! This will be a good starting point for us!! As far as the beaches go, even though it won’t be beach season we will explore the coastline! My husband and I are teachers so limited to travel either late April or late June and we chose April to avoid the summer crowds and heat!

Don't ignore the possibility of staying in La Spezia or Levanto, or even in Porto Venere. All offer easy train and ferry access to the CT villages, and all have their own charms. We actually enjoyed La Spezia much more than the CT villages themselves.

Oh, good idea! I will check out those towns- thank you!

Riomaggiore and Manarola are my favorites.

We agree with Rick. We stayed in Vernazza and visited the other four villages by train and/or walking between some of them. Vernazza was our favorite and if we were to go again, we would stay in Vernazza.