Extra day in Cinque Terre or day trip to Dolomites?

Extra day in CT. You can't do the Dolomites in one day.

It's a day trip/excursion offered by Avventure Bellissime (recommended in the Rick book). It's obviously not a thorough trip in the region, but the geography is so different from the rest of Italy that it seems like even a taste might be better than not seeing it at all.

We were in CT this past Sept, but not on a weekend. I personally don't think shops close in CT because this is their tourist season and time for them to make their money, but I am sure someone on this site knows. We did 3 nights and I thought that was adequate. We spent a day traveling from Rome, 2 days hiking and taking the boat between the towns, and then we spent a day traveling to Venice area. If you are planning to be in the Venice area it might be a good one day ride into the Dolomites. We did not do it, because it seemed we would have needed to rent a car to see what we were interested in. We had decided we did not want to rent a car this trip and just stick to trains. How many days are you spending in Venice? If you gave yourself enough time in Venice, it might be worth trying to fit the Dolomites in.

Our original plan was to stay 3 nights in Florence, 4 nights in Cinque Terre, and 3 nights in Venice. But then I learned about the Dolomites day trip (which we would take from Venice) and wondered if that would be a better use of a day than an extra day in Cinque Terre. Rick recommends 2 nights in CT, but I tend to prefer my vacations a bit slower-paced--minimum of 3 nights in each place. I just don't want to leave Cinque Terre wishing that I could stay longer.

Melissa, I'd cast my vote with those who say a day trip to the Dolomites isn't worth it because you need longer. To get anywhere up in the mountains will take time, regardless whether it is an organized tour or not and just seeing them doesn't compare at all to the opportunity to hike in them. One day just isn't enough time. You can easily spend the extra day in Cinque Terre. They don't close on weekends because they're full of tourists. There aren't really a lot of shops if you're into shopping. The big draw there is the scenery and the hiking. Just relax on the beach and have an extra glass of vino...

With an xtra day do Santa Margarita Ligure(walk, gardens tranquil) very nr CT and go by boat ferry. save the dolomites for another trip when you have min of 3 day. it is so beautiful.

Stay an extra night in CT - or add a night to your time in Florence.

CT is always worth staying another day; but, three nights is really adequate. Florence has lots of museums and day trip opportunities (Sienna and San Gimignano). I think I'd add an extra night there.

Between CT and Florence is Pisa. You can check your luggage at the train station and take a local bus to the Leaning Tower and be back to the train station in less than an hour if you just take a few snapshots.

As with so many questions on this bulletin board, the answer depends on what you enjoy doing. I would vote for an extra day in Venice, period, but that's because I LOOOOVE the romance and beauty of La Serenissima. The CT are charming, but just two nights there were fine for us. We found we liked Venice's combination of bustling city during the day (but no Vespas!!), transitioning to sleepy village at night. We have yet to find another Italian city with those two facets.

CT for sure!