My wife and I plan to spend 3 nights in Cinque Terre Aug. 28th- 31st for our honeymoon through Italy. We are mid-20s, love day time adventures, and very chill/relaxed by night time. Any suggestions on the best town for us? Also, do you think it necessary to reserve or should we be able to wing it? I'm guessing August is a busy time.
Thanks,
The MacMillans
Monterosso. More amenities and decent beach.
Not Vernazza or you will be surrounded by followers of the Rick Steves cult who can't venture outside of Rick Steves' suggested locations
macmillan,
First of all, congratulations!
Regarding which town to stay in, I definitely agree with Roberto that Monterosso would be the best choice. It's the largest of the five towns and therefore has the greatest number of accommodation choices, as well as good restaurants and other amenities. It also has the nicest beaches of the five towns.
Yes, you guessed it, August is peak travel time there. I would NOT suggest "winging it" and it may already be too late to find accommodations there. I often start booking in February or March for travel in September, and even that early it can be a challenge finding something. If you don't have a copy of the Italy Guidebook available, you can start with the accommodations on THIS list which is reasonably current AFAIK. You may have to adjust your budget and take whatever you can find.
The two best places in town (Hotel Villa Steno and Hotel Pasquale) are likely booked solid, but you can also check Villa Adriana or Hotel Porto Roca (which is a bit on the posh side but incredible views from their patio). If you can't find anything in Montrerosso, you could also try Levanto, as it's only about four minutes by train from Monterosso and also has a great beach.
If you DO manage to find something and need further information on the area, post another note and I'm sure the group here will have lots of tips to offer.
Buon Viaggio!
Yes, you need to make a reservation. Many of the Italians are on vacation in August too.
I agree with Roberto on his town choice and for the same reasons.
If you can't get into one of the actual 5 towns - there is also Levanto just a short 5 - 10 minute train ride to the north. I've stayed there a few times and really like the beach there for swimming.
Congrats!
We stayed here:
Affittacamere "Alle 5 Terre"
di Contardi Gian Luigi
Via Molinelli 87 -
Monterosso al mare 19016
Cinque Terre – Italia
Tel.328.5505623 - 0187.817828
email: [email protected]
http://www.alle5terre.com
P.I.01225910114
Email or text is best, Cherry always replied quickly.
Fantastic view and breakfast,
Even when sites like hotels.com show no availability, sometimes direct contact can find an opening.
Another vote for Monterosso for all the reasons already listed but you absolutely MUST reserve a room as quickly as possible! The CT is VERY busy throughout the high season, and "winging it" is definitely not advised here.
We stayed at La Spiaggia - which is very convenient to the train station, beach and many restaurants - and loved it. Rooms are quite small by U.S. standards but that's pretty common in Italy. Ask for a balcony room facing the water, and do be aware that they only take payment in cash. It books up early because of the prime location, though, and at this late date, you may find that your options are generally limited.
If you absolutely can't find any suitable openings anywhere in the five villages, try La Spezia or Levanto.
With the advent of email and internet and online bookings "winging it" is definitely a dying art.
I know that many on this site vote for Monterosso as their favorite town. I guess it just depends upon what your interests and needs are. For me, Vernazza and Monterosso feel the most touristy and Monterosso is my least favorite town of the 5. We just returned from the Cinque Terre last week and yes, it was very crowded. If you have not yet secured accommodations, it might be more about the accommodations you like than the town you like. We have always stayed in Riomaggiore and I'm glad we stayed there again this trip. It's all about personal taste and needs.
Buon viaggio!
My husband and I recently spent two nights in Monterosso and wished we had spent at least 3 or 4 nights. We absolutely loved Monterosso and feel it has the most to do. We did the hike to Vernazza and had lunch there and also visited Manarola. But we were glad we stayed in Monterosso. It does get more crowded on the weekends, when the day trippers come into town by train. But during the week, it was a lot quieter. As for places to stay, we stayed at Locanda Mastrale and loved the suite plus freshly squeezed blood orange juice. http://www.locandamaestrale.net/sources/home0_e.htm We stayed the second night at L'Antica Terraza and also enjoyed the wonderful service. The latter is more affordable since the room was smaller but definitely more than adequate for two people. http://www.anticaterrazza.com/ Both places offered warm, friendly service and delicious breakfasts. We had to stay in two different places because I couldn't find one for two straight nights. I booked in early March for our stay in early June. So definitely book ASAP once you decide on which village to stay. Cinque Terre is absolutely beautiful and you really can't go wrong in any of the villages, though I hear the hike from the train station to the town of Corniglia may be tough if you have a lot of luggage. Enjoy your stay and congrats on your wedding! I can't wait to go back to this beautiful place.
Regarding crowds in the Cinque Terre, all the towns will be crowded at this time of year, especially when the cruise ships are docked in nearby ports. The cruise tourists arrive in groups of about 60 with their umbrella toting guides, and sometimes there are several of them so it doesn't take much to overwhelm not only the small towns but also the local trains.
In my experience, Monterosso seems to handle the crowds better, probably because it's larger and has two sections (old & new). The smaller towns don't seem to handle the crowds as well. I've witnessed extremely crowded conditions in both Monterosso and Vernazza, so have had a good opportunity to compare the situation in both towns. Being in Vernazza with several cruise groups is NOT something I ever want to repeat.
If you want to avoid crowds, go to Manarola ( a lot like Vernazza but not teeming with daytripppers), Corrniglia (high up on a hill) or Riomaggiare. We spend three nights in Manarola at La Torretta ( definitely honeymoon-worthy) and loved it. The Town is steep but not crowded like Vernazza. We walked there and could not wait to leave. can't comment on Monterosso as we did not go there, but it is not car-free like the other villages.
Manarola does not have beaches but there is great swimming from the rocks. rom what I have read, the Monterosso beaches can be very crowded, and you may have to pay for a spot.
We spend three nights in Manarola at La Torretta ( definitely honeymoon-worthy) and loved it.
I definitely agree with Sasha on that point. I haven't stayed there, but I know people who have, and it gets rave reviews. It's not inexpensive though, but certainly worthy of a splurge for your honeymoon. It's likely booked solid for August, but it wouldn't hurt to try (if your budget will allow).
can't comment on Monterosso as we did not go there, but it is not car-free like the other villages.
Monterosso is essentially car free, except for a few local Taxi's and service vehicles. It's not possible for private vehicles to drive through town, or to drive down via Roma in the "old town". There are car parks at both ends of town and at a few hotels at both ends of town, but that's as far as private cars can go. The local Ambulances are usually parked underneath the rail trestle in the "old town" and of course they have more generous access.
Yes - if you want to avoid crowds, def Corniglia. We stayed there in 2008 and 2012. There is a shuttle bus that runs from the center to the train station. It's a nice walk down to the train stn as well (but not so much 'up' the hill - esp if you have luggage). I'm a bit of a contrary person (everyone recommends the bigger spots), which is why we stayed in Corniglia - I wanted small and quiet. If you are having trouble finding something, we used arbaspaa.com both times to book our room (in the same building - just a diff room). But Arbaspaa covers all the villages and surrounding towns. And the view from our room was amazing - looking over the sea and hills and you could see Manarola in the distance, and there was a great rooftop terrace to relax on.
The only 'bad' thing - on the day we were leaving - the shuttle bus was having issues and wasn't going to be running until noon, so we had to hoof it down the hill to the train station. We were lucky in two ways - we were there early enough to see the notice about the shuttle and still get to the train on time (we had a 10:30 train), and we were travelling light - one carry on each - we never would have been able to do that if we were loaded down with luggage.
Never had any issues with restaurants either. We sat in one overlooking the sea chatting with a New Zealander until - it had to have been 10-10:30pm or so...they really don't hurry you along - it was nice, in this case, to sit and relax - since there wasn't much else to do...lol.
I have been to the CT twice and both times stayed in Monterosso and loved it. I liked that it the largest of the towns and offered more amenities, etc. Just because it's the "largest" doesn't mean that it's a big & crowded town in my opinion; it's still a very small and quaint town. I liked that it's the flattest of all the towns and therefore easy to navigate with luggage, etc. If I am lucky enough to return to the CT a third time, I would also elect to stay in Monterosso. As others have indicated, you will likely have a difficult time finding lodging for August but I would sure try. Try Hotel Margherita; we stayed there in '09 & really liked it & after the flood, they renovated and we popped in last year and it looked even nicer. Also, be sure to have a meal at Cantina di Miky; we ate there several times and loved it as well. Prices were reasonable and quality of food was excellent. Have a great trip!
