Cinque Terre--which town to stay in?

The 5 towns are about 5 minutes apart from each other by train. There is no "best" or "convenient" as we all have our opinions on the towns. Corniglia is the only one that does not have direct sea access. Monterosso is the largest with the most amenities. Vernazza is probably the most picturesque, IMO. Manarola and Riomaggiore are both beautiful, maybe less expensive, don't really know because I never stayed there, but many people here like to stay there. I would suggest watching some videos of each town.

On another note, book ASAP as these towns fill up fast!

My wife and were on the "Heart of Italy" tour in 2014 and we stayed behind in Levanto to book our passage to Venice where we would fly home from. Our other tour members took the boat from Levanto to the other towns. By the time we got back from the travel agent the second departure of boats were cancelled due to rain so we decided to take the train to Vernazza. Spending the remainder of the day in Vernazza we ran into various members of our group that stated they wish they had come to Vernazza earlier and spent more time there. So while we did not visit any other town, members of our group seemed to prefer Vernazza.
Hope this helps...

Mark Kukiela

There is no "best" or "convenient" as we all have our opinions on the
towns.

Charlotte has it right as we all have our favorites. I'm a fan of Monterosso for the amount of tourist services it has, and a hotel we like that's very convenient to the train station and which provides a nice view of the water. It's reasonable for the CT but I won't call it 'cheap', and I'm guessing it may already be booked up for October. Doesn't hurt to try, though.

Corniglia is great but is the tiniest and least convenient as the train station is far below the town; you have to either haul yourself up a loooooong flight of steps or be able to catch the bus which travels between station and town. As mentioned, it also doesn't have a proper harbor so the ferries don't stop there.

As mentioned by the others, each of us here has a favourite of the five towns, and I prefer to stay in Monterosso. It's the largest of the five and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other tourist facilities, and also the best beaches. Many of the accommodations in the other towns are just small rooms, many of which don't provide breakfast. Monterosso has more conventional hotels, with elevators, desk staff, etc.

Vernazza is a more compact town, and I've found that it can be dreadfully crowded at times during the day, especially when cruise ship groups are in the area. Some of the rooms there are only accessible via lots of stairs so if that's a problem for you, something to consider. Monterosso is larger so able to absorb the crowds better.

Don't stay in La Spezia. If you can't get a room in one of the C.T. towns, Levanto would be a better choice.

It could still be busy in early October, so I'd suggest getting a hotel booked soon.

R.S. and myself vote for Vernazza as place to stay. However Monterosso would be more convenient. Certain express trains stop there but not in other Cinque Terre towns. It also has more accommodation options, more restaurants and beaches.

As has been said they are all close and everyone's favourite is different. Mine is Monterosso. Easy to swim, the old town section is beautiful and not as steep so you can wander easily, awesome restaurants. I love it.

Thanks Everyone. I did book a room in Monterosso. And it was pretty filled up at this point.
(I had booked another reservation about 3 months ago for the wrong dates, cancelled it and forgot to rebook)

Any suggesetions for good restaurants in Monterosso?

La Cantina di Miky. It's right along the main drag by the beach in the 'new' part of town. Closed on Wednesdays.

Thanks Kathy!

Monterosso is the best choice if you have a car,Rick Steves stayed at the same hotel that we did and had breakfast with us and Miky Restaurant is terrific.
Mike

I should note that there are two Miky's in Monterosso: Cantina di Miky and Ristorante Miky. Both are operated by same family, are highly rated, with the son's Cantina being more casual and less expensive than the father's more upscale Ristorante.

We're very casual travelers, and sort of allergic to large dinner checks so the Cantina was a perfect choice for us. Other diners may prefer the fancier option. :O)

Ciak is a great restaurant in Monterroso! We ate there 3 times. Make sure to book a seat outside. Wonderful atmosphere & food.

PJackson,

Ciak also seems to be popular with the locals! That's the kitchen of Ciak with the hard working Chef in the background.

I will second Ciak! We had a wonderful meal there topped off with great conversation with the people sitting next to us. We got there right when they opened and within a 1/2 hour the place was full, there will be no 40 min wait because you can sit as long as you want and the meal takes a while to come out, I think we were there for 3 hours. We prefer Monterosso because it is flatter than the other villages making my knees very happy and this village has the most beautiful boardwalk that makes for a beautiful night stroll. Some of the other villages are straight up and we saw people attempting to roll these HUGE suitcases along with personal items and purses, live and learn!

I add a vote for Monterosso. More action, more hotels, but just a hop, skip, and train ride away. Hotel Albergo Marina is great-nicest people anywhere!

Mike
DC

My favourite meal in Monterosso was L'Osteria.

Glad you picked Monterosso. It was great! We stayed at the hotel that Rick recommended and EVERY restaurant he recommended was excellent too. Have a wonderful time!!!!