frustrated with booking accomodations in Monterosso

You could stay just about anywhere in the CT. The trains run very frequently and you could go to your starting point by train in less than 20 minutes. I usually start my hike from the south (the easiest direction for me.)
Hope you have a great trip.

Thank you - some perspective after being "tranced" on the computer looking for accomodations. A fresh start!

Theresa, I would take issue with the RS book suggesting that you begin your hikes in Monterosso. The trails from Monterosso to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Corniglia are the steepest and most difficult of the coastal trails. Others in the hills are more difficult yet but these are not the coastal trails. From our experience on the trails, most seem to start from the other direction in Riomaggiore. We did do the hike from Vernazza to Cornigila and we constantly had to make way for the hikers coming in the opposite direction. Riiomaggiore is the 2nd largest of the 5 towns and the shortest and easiest trail, the world-famous Via dell'Amore trail begins there. It's fairly flat and it takes about 25-30 minutes to walk to Manarola. There are also nice places to stay in Riomaggiore. The next trail goes from Manarola to the Corniglia train station. But, at this time, it's still closed from the winter storms. You will need to take the train from Manarola to Corniglia to pick up the other two trail segments. Once in the Corniglia train station, take the mini-bus up to the town to pick up the next trail. Or, from the train station, you can walk up 425 switchback stairs. We walked down. What a hoot. Once in Corniglia, you can pick up the trail to Vernazza. 1,200 stairs up and 1,200 stairs down. When you get to these different towns, you have the opportunity to tour and have lunch or a snack. Here's a LINK to a current map showing the trail conditions. Red is closed, green is open and yellow is difficult. For places to stay in Riomaggiore, look into Mar Mar rooms. Here's the LINK. Also, check out www.venere.com.

If you visit the CT during the summer I would indeed suggest to start the hike in Monterosso because it is the most strenuous stretch. Start early well before 9 am before it gets really hot. It's no problem to do the Via del Amore (the paved trail between Riomaggiore and Manorola) when the sun is beating down on you at noon but not when you are doing some of the steeper sections. However, it doesn't really matter where you spend the night. The train between the towns runs frequently and gets you to any point to start your hike within minutes.

We stayed at Agriturismo Buranco and LOVED it there. Take a look at their website. We stayed in the yellow house. The family is very friendly and helpful.

As far as accommadations, if yuou are going there this summer you or early fall you can't be too picky where you stay. They fill up that time of the year. As previous poster said the trains are good between the towns so anywhere you can stay will work because it's pretty easy to get to your staring point no matter where it is. Also if you can't rind a place in the Cinque Terre itself, Levento is a nice town just one train stop away. We stayed there and liked it very much.

theresa, It would help to know when you plan to be in the Cinque Terre? Also, which places have you tried, and what price range are you looking for? If you'll be there in the near future, and don't have anything booked yet, it's not suprising that you haven't been able to find anything in Monterosso. You may have to take what you can find in any of the towns, and adjust your budget accordingly. As a previous reply mentioned, you could also consider staying in Levanto, although that may be getting "busy" also. If you're planning to hike all the trails (those that are open), I agree that starting in Monterosso is the best idea, as it's the most challenging section. If you're staying in one of the other towns, it's very easy to take the local train to Monterosso to start the hike. I'm assuming you've had a look at the accommodations on these lists: Monterosso Vernazza If you need further information, post another note. Good luck and happy travels!

Thank you to all for your kind suggestions. We did finally secure accomodations in Monterosso at Hotel La Colonnina for 150E per night but am on a wait list for Albergo Marina which seems much nicer and is actually cheaper. I will absorb the early penalty since we are only staying there once. I didn't realize that accomodations were so tight. We decided to tack on an extra 8 days after our cruise to see some other parts of Italy. Now, if anyone has any suggestions on how to do the CT best in one day, that would be most helpful. Since it is the summer, we will follow Rick's advice and do the toughest part of the trail early in the morning from Monterosso - beyond that, any expereinced suggestions for the day hike? We are both active and fit.

You can easily tour the five towns in one long day. I suggestion is to buy a Cinque Terre Treno card. This card permits unlimited rides on the train between La Spezia and Levanto. It also pays the fees along the trails. It also permits rides on the min-buses in each of the towns. You'll need this ride to see Corniglia unless you want to climb the 425 stairs from the train station. Note that the trail between Manarola and the Corniglia train station may still be closed. The other 3 segments along the coast appear to be open.

Just got Back yesterday from Italy...boo hoo! We stayed at il parco in monterrosso. Marta is awesome. We would love to stay there again!

We are having same difficulty finding accommodations for mid Sept. Did find a place in Manarola near the trail but not too impressed with it for the price. Since that trail is closed for now, I am guessing it is best to stay in different locations. Have you found out anything else?

Bonnie, we finally found accomodations at the Hotel La Colonnina in Monterosso for 150E double room without a terrace but for our limited time, we wanted to stay here so that we can hike the CT from this village. You can try for availability but see the other options that people have posted such as staying in Levanto, north of Monterosso. Good luck, hard to find and expensive.

@Bonnie, It's going to be challenging to find something now for travel in mid-September. I usually start looking in about March for travel in September, and even starting that early, it often takes a bit of work. You could start with these lists of accommodations: Monterosso Vernazza If you want something more "basic" you could also try Mar-Mar Rooms in Riomaggiore. The rooms are very comfortable, but they don't usually include breakfast (not hard to find breakfast though). If you have the Italy 2012 Guidebook, there are good suggestions there for all of the towns in the C.T. Good luck - hope you find something!