Day Trips from Cinque Terre

You can daytrip to Portovenere (1 hour by boat), Pisa (1-2 hours by train), Lucca (2-3 hours by train), St. Margherita Ligure (45 minutes by train), and Portofino (quick boat or bus from St. Margherita), all covered in RS Italy book. For train schedules and tips on using them, see http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/online-schedules.

Maybe you can stay at the Cinque Terre less time if you can make changes to your plans.
I think that 2 to 3 nights are adequate to see the Cinque Terre and do some hiking along the coastal trails.

thanks for the quick reply. I'm hoping to use CT as a home base as I would like have time to just relax and not pulling luggage from place to place.

I can understand the need to avoid frequent changes of hotels. Unfortunately the Cinque Terre do not make an ideal base. Other than a few famous towns along the coast (Portofino, Portovenere, etc.) all other places popular with visitors from abroad are generally not within easy reach from the Cinque Terre.

thanks for the quick reply. I'm hoping to use CT as a home base as I would like have time to just relax and not pulling luggage from place to place.

Maybe consider staying in Levanto or another small town near the Cinque Terre. Easier to get to and from, still on the beach but better train access to other cities.

Laurie,

My suggestions for day trips would be much the same as Laura listed in the first reply. You could also add Levanto to the list and you can get there either by hiking or by train (it's only about a four minute ride from Monterosso).

If you're hoping to be "doing things every day", a week might be too long in the Cinque Terre as there are limited sights to see in that area. The towns and the scenery are the main attraction. However, as a place to combine both activities and sightseeing along with some quality relaxation time, then a week should be fine (IMO).

I'd suggest staying in Monterosso as it's the largest of the five towns and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other amenities. It also has the best beaches, if that's something that might interest you. I find there's nothing I enjoy more than than sitting on the balcony of the hotel in the afternoon sun overlooking the beautiful blue water with a book or Laptop, along with a glass of Prosecco or Sciacchetra. After that it's a short walk down the hill for a fine hot meal (usually something with Pesto) and then enjoying the vibrant evening atmosphere of the town.

Laura has the best recommendations.
I stayed in Monterosso al Mare for 3 or 4 nights. It is the best town to base yourself in the CT because of the size, restaurants, biggest beach, and being the most frequented train stop. Aside from hiking the trail and visiting each of the CT towns over multiple days, I took the boat to Portovenere (nice little seaside town) with historic association with Lord Byron. I would definitely recommend seeing the posh town of Portofino - a daytrip is perfect.
What's great about staying in the CT is the unique experience of being there. The best part is being there at night and you have the town all to yourself after all the crazy daytime tourists leave. One night when I was there (can't recall the month), the town of Monterosso held a commemorative parade with towns people dressed in period costume and carrying family crested flags. They reenacted a famous dinner scene from their history. It was magical.

Hi Laurie. We stayed in Monterosso for 5 days this past September and it was our second time visiting the Cinque Terre. I personally would love the opportunity to stay there for a full week and don't think it's too long but this is coming from someone who loves the Cinque Terre! We spent 1 full day visiting Portovenere and then 1 full day split between Camogli and Portofino and the rest of our time in the Cinque Terre. We didn't even get to all of the CT towns because the 5 days went so quickly!

I also suggest staying in Monterosso as it's the largest of the CT towns and has the most amenities. We stayed at Hotel Pasquale and loved it. All rooms overlook the ocean. They book up fast though so I'm not sure if they still have rooms available for this September. Be sure to have a meal at Cantina di Miky (not to be confused with Ristorante Miky); we ate there every chance we got. Have a wonderful trip.

We've made three trips to the CT, a total of 11 nights, and would go back in an instant! We liked it as a base without car and there are places we still have not made it to in 3 visits. I've written about it quite a bit in my blog, which might give you some ideas.

The food is terrific and reason enough to stay there.