Honeymoon in Cinque Terre and other cities

I would give CT at least 2 nights and yes all towns except possibly Vernazza should be okay the "liveliest" area would be Monterosso and would give you the most restaurant options Florence would be a fantastic choice, I would give it at least 3 nights you could do something like 2-3 nights CT, 3 nights Florence and 3 nights Rome obviously you can't see it all with only 8-9 days
if you could add days I'd add to Florence and Rome for sure

Thanks a lot!
Any specific romantic hotels to stay in Florence or CT? ANy other cities in Tuscany that should be visited? We love wineries so will def be checking some out as well.

La Toretta in Manarola is very romantic. We stayed in one of the "classic" rooms (the lowest price at 140 euro) and had a lovely room plus balcony with view of the sea and the vineyards, and a cascade of bouganvilla from the arbor next door. The room is modern and beautifully decorated, with a free minibar and Nespresso machine as well. Breakfast is delivered on a tray at the time you request. We ate ours on the balcony. They have free activities, including a wine tasting on some afternoons. Manarola is as pretty as Vernazza but not as filled with day-trippers, so quieter. There are at least 3 very good restaurants in town, and it is a short walk to riomaggiore on the Via del Amore (Path of Love).

Thanks a lot! We are thinking about staying in Monterosso. Is it possible to make that our home base and visit the other towns or should we spend 1 night in 3 different towns? If so which 3 should we stay in? What other places in Tuscany should we visit?

for CT stay at a hotel in Monterosso for 2-3 nights and you can very easily visit each of villages with Monterosso as your "home base". You can travel to each of the village by way of the local trains or via boat.
you can also hike between some of villages depending on the condition of the trails at the time of your visit

with on 8-9 days and 2-3 of them in CT and some of them in Rome you won't have too much time for Tuscany Florence is in Tuscany Siena is also a good choice, you can spend your time there (instead of Florence) or do a day trip from Florence to Siena you don't have too much time so you really need to narrow down your priorities
any chance you can add days to your trip?

Unfortunately, I will not be able to add days since the wedding is overseas already. We land in Rome on Monday morning. I plan to spend monday night and tuesday night in Rome, as I have been there previously but he has not. Next we can go CT wednesday morning, is that a better route or is is better to go to Florence first? We would spend 3 nights in CT, then go to Florence and spend Sat and Sun in Florence. Leave for Rome on Monday in time to fly out. Is it better to stay in Monterosso or Manarola? Would it be exhausting to keep driving back to Monterosso after dinner? Any ideas for romantic hotels in Monterosso since that will be the "honeymoon" part and florence and rome would be more sightseeing? Also is the weather first week of May okay?
Thanks so much!

Part of Monterosso was badly damaged in the October flash follds so you need to be really careful about the area you pick if you want to stay there. Manarola would be safer as it was not damaged at all.

Do you think spending time in Florence is better than going to lucca and staying in the heart of Tuscany in volterra?

Sumayya, before you get your heart set on Monterosso, you should look into the flood damage and find out how far the re-building has proceeded. The flood and mudslide hit the old town part ( where Toni's favorite hotel is located) and people were saying, right after the devastation, that " Monterosso is no more." Check out www.rebuildMonterosso.com for information, particularly the " what happened" and "projects" sections. Note that everything that made the public spaces pleasant-benches, flowerpots, decorative features, playgrounds, etc.- was destroyed, and along with that the community life that takes place in the public spaces. Even if individual hotels were untouched and will be open in May, what does the town look like? What about the beaches? Your dream of wandering in a charming Ligurian seaside town will not come true if the town is still in a state of disruption and disarray. Also, Monterosso is at the northern end of Cinque Terre and next comes Vernazza, which is also a mess. To visit the 3 towns that were unaffected, you will need to take the train or the boat. Trains between the 5 villages are not relaxing; they can be impossibly crowded, and you may have to disembark in a tunnel away from the actual platform. As for the boats, while nice for viewing the villages from the sea, getting off on a narrow plank attached to the bow can be nerve-wracking. My friends who did it said they hated it. Just my two cents' worth.

I would suggest staying in Monterosso over Manarola since you stated you want something lively, Monterosso has more restaurant action than Manarola. You won't be going back and forth so much.
I prefer Florence to Lucca, Lucca is charming but does not have as much to see and do as Florence.

I would suggest upon arrival in Rome take train to Florence and spend first 3 nights in Florence, then take train to Monterosso, spend 2 nights, then take train back to Rome and spend final 3-4 nights in Rome.
That way your time in Rome is not broken up

Great thanks! Any recommendations for a nice/romantic hotel in Monterosso and Florence?

Toni, thanks so much. What do you think of spending more time in ct and less in Rome. To keep the trip more relaxing and since I have previously been there. Would 4 nights in CT be too much?

If you don't want to spend time in Rome than I would probably add one night to Florence and one night to Monterosso. for hotels in Monterosso I like Hotel Margherita but they did sustain major damage during the storm are still in rebuilding phase maybe look at Hotel Villa Steno, Hotel La Spiaggia
in Florence I love Residenza Il Villino

the trains between the villages are the old "milk trains" they are not meant for luxury travel, they are meant for quick stops between the villages, these are very short trips from town to town the CT is crowded in summer as it is generally a seasonal destination I have been there in May and June and I did not find the crowds that bad and the trains were not crowded as previous poster states
look on the forums for TripAdvisor and you will get more info on CT

Monterosso is a must in CT. Good base to see the rest. It should be fine for the spring. They are doing well with getting things back to normal. We stayed at Hotel Margherita which was wonderful and the owners were splendid. Definitely recommend Florence. 2 nights if you want spend some time at the museums. Rome is our favorite. One day is definitely not enough (need at least 2) just for some good sightseeing. Have a wonderful time and best of luck to both of you.