Day Trips FROM Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is 5 towns: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore. They are connected by trail - you can hike, by boat (exception - Corniglia), by train. If you are an avid hiker there are more trails higher above the towns. After you saw all these towns and want to see more then I would suggest nearby Portofino. Car is a burden in C.T. Well connected by train.

I would agree that with 4 nights (which probably translates to 3.5 days) there's plenty to do in the 5 Lands to fill your time, and especially so if you intend to do some hiking. You won't be able to hike between ALL of the villages on the best-known trail (#2 Sentiero Azzurro or "Blue Trail") as parts are currently closed, and at least one of the segments will remain so this year. You may, however, do whichever of those are open and jump the train to the next village.

That aside, there are other, upper trails to hike, and which offer wonderful views. Some of the cemeteries and churches are climbs to the higher reaches of the villages for terrific views as well. And if you're going to be there during the season the ferries are running, getting a look at the coastline from the water offers another nice perspective.

We had 3 nights and wished we'd had more. Our time sped by all too quickly!

There are some great expeditions to be made without a car . Take the boat to PortoVenere for the day or Ride the train to Santa Margheria Ligure and then take a boat to Portofino. There's also Camogli though I haven't made it there yet myself.

isabel,

I doubt that you'll need a car, as there are lots of options by public transit. With only four nights (three days), you'll have more than enough to keep busy in that area. A few possibilities......

• Explore the five towns, either by a combination of hiking or the local trains or boats. That will take the better part of a day.
• Board the Ferry in Monterosso and travel to Porto Venere. By boarding in the north, you'll have an opportunity to see all five towns from the water. It's a very pleasant trip. Spend the day exploring Porto Venere and the nearby island (can't remember the name), before returning to your home base.
• Travel by train to Santa Margherita Ligure and then travel by boat (~20 minutes) to the posh resort of Portofino. There's not much to see there, but it's worth a visit (IMO). A very nice Andrea Bocelli concert was filmed there not too long ago (it's been shown on PBS stations). That trip is a "long" one for a day trip but it's certainly possible.
• Take the train to Levanto (only a few minutes from the C.T.) and do a bit of exploring there.

That should give you lots to keep busy with for a few days.

If you enjoy hiking, you will wish you had more than 4 nights in the CT, just throwing that out there. In Rick's first show on the CT, he takes a short day trip from the CT to Carrara (you can stream the old shows from this site). Another obvious option as Ken suggests would be Portovenere, which is a CT-like town. For bonus points, hike there from Riomaggiore, enjoy the town, have a meal, and take the ferry back (requires an early-ish start).

Hmm. Late March in the CT could be a bit iffy as to weather, but I agree with the others that you don't want a car.

Take the train to La Spezia for a day. It has 5 or 6 museums, nice watefront with gardens, shopping, and a big outdoor food market in the mornings. The Lia Museum has Renaissance art that would have an hour-long wait in Florence. Lunch at L'Inferno!