Cinquetere and Amalfi Coast-Redundant?

Dave, this is a hard question to answer, since we don't know your interests, what you enjoy seeing, your travel style, etc. For example, if you like gardens, it's like wondering if seeing a rose garden would be "enough" to skip seeing a wonderful boxwood parterre garden. It would be like wondering if seeing the Super Bowl would be enough sports to skip the World Series, etc. If you love beautiful scenery, then definitely do BOTH. The only thing they have in common is that they are both located on the sea. Sort of like the Super Bowl and the World Series both are games that involve balls. The Cinque Terre is much more intimate (and more charming in my opinion), a little more isolated...much smaller villages. The Amalfi Coast is much more built up, offers a wider array of things to do. Both are lovely, but different from one another. If you have time, I'd suggest seeing both. Do both by land and then both by sea, as the views looking back to the villages/towns from the water are also lovely. If your time is limited, you could choose one, but then you'd not know what you missed. When you visit, I would definitely recommend spending the night in the Cinque Terre with a room looking out over a village toward the sea (Hotel Villa Steno), and wake up early to see the sunrise over the village. If you go to the Amalfi Coast, get a room that hangs over the coast (Le Agavi Hotel in Positano) or several other choices in Sorrento. Then definitely take the drive all the way to Ravello (wonderful views), stopping along the way in each town. Relax and soak it all in....it really is special in both places. To get a feel for the places put Cinque Terre into TripAdvisor.com and/or YouTube, then do the same for the Amalfi Coast.......you'll get a feel for both if you HAVE TO make a choice due to limited time.

This is one of the best questions I have seen on here. There will be many different opinions. Personally, I think both costal towns are kind or similar in that you have these small hilly towns on the sea with great views. However, there are some very real differences in two and the things to see in the two areas. In my opinion, there is alot more to see on the Amalfi coast. I thought the towns were larger, the hills were bigger and the views more spectacular. Nearby you also have Capri and Pompeii. I thought the Cinque Terre definitely had nicer beaches and the walking trails were very beautiful. We saw both, but we saw them on different trips. On our trips we like to mix the city visits with the more geographic pretty rural areas. We think it makes things more interesting and relaxing. So, on our first trip we went to Rome, Florence adn the Amalfi Coast. On our second trip we went to Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Milan and Venice. I really liked that we broke it up in that way. There is so much to see in Italy that you could not possibly see in a single trip so we like to mix it up.

Tom makes an excellent point re: breaking up larger city visits with smaller villages, etc. We also visited the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Cost on two separate trips. So, depending on how long you will be in Italy, you could definitely OD on seaside hillside towns if you are there for only a week. But, if you are there for three weeks or a month, mixing it up and seeing both on that same trip might make sense. If time is limited, don't miss the Tuscan hills by trying to see both coastal areas. Don't miss Florence, Rome, Siena, Volterra, Venice, etc. There really is so much to see, and the diversity of Italy needs to be experienced. Is this your first trip, or have you already seen other parts of Italy? Will you likely return again? All that factors in to what we'd advise. Italy is Italy......a huge buffet of rich/historic/beautiful choices, and it is really hard to go wrong regardless of what you do. Each area has its own special beauty. Enjoy.

Great question-you beat me to it! Last trip CT lost out to Venice, and we just couldn't fit CT in. So for our next trip in April we had tentatively planned to start our trip in CT (view from Villa Steno), then Tuscany, Rome, and ending the trip with 5 nights in Sorrento (again room with terrace and view). But recently I've been thinking that to do two coastal areas might be duplication, so I look forward to seeing more posts witih opinions and recommendations. We enjoy scenery, lots of walking, history (looking forward to Pompeii and Paestum), eating great food, and drinking good wine and not so much museums. We tend to spend the majority of our trips in smaller towns and only a few days in intense big cities.

Dave, The Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast both have a very different character, so (IMHO) they are not "redundant" at all. The Cinque Terre tends to somewhat "rustic and informal" with the majority of accommodations being smaller Hotels, B&B's and Pensions. It's a great area to relax, hike the trails, spend some time on the beach or take day trips. Monterosso has the nicest beach, but the other towns also have swimming areas, albeit much smaller. The Amalfi Coast tends to be somewhat more "posh" with larger Hotels, more extensive shopping, etc. There's also a wider variety of activities available (ie: trips to Vesuvius, Pompeii, Ravello, the Isle of Capri or even Naples). I believe it's worthwhile to see both locations as they are quite different. Happy travels!