How bad will the crowds be in September in the Cinque Terre?

I was very much let down over the whole CT place. It's loaded with tourists. The little train that travels between the villages was so super over crowded that I've NEVER been squished in like that on ANY train. Stopped a little restaurant in Vernazza and was met with disdain by the maitre'd because obviously they had BETTER things to do than feed a family of 5 for lunch. The trails were just trails...much like trails anywhere else in the world. You'll have to PAY to use the CT trails. Went to rent a paddle boat on Monterosso and was again met with disdain by the guy renting them telling me they were closed for the day. But their own sign said they didn't close for another hour or so. We had a stare down with one another, but I ended up with a boat for a quick jaunt around the little harbor. Rode the big tourist boat from Monterosso to one of the other villages and the thing was absolutely packed with tourists.

Yep, the whole CT thing is much overrated in my mind.

But I could also possibly be spoiled by the stunning scenery in Switzerland. People talk about the wonderful scenery in the CT, but it's nothing compared to the Berner Oberland. And Switzerland is squeeky clean with a wonderful PRECISELY on time transportation system that's 2nd to no one. Switzerland seems to put MUCH thought into tourism because everything is just so well laid out and thought-through.

Thank you, Tim. Not to hijack this thread, but, for a second,… That was my gut feeling about CT and we ultimately decided for next year to skip CT and spend 5 nights each in Venice, Florence and Milan. Milan replaced CT and we are actually quite excited about visiting that city.

As Yogi Berra said "Nobody ever goes there anymore — it’s too crowded." There are high trails where one can escape the masses, but October is, to my mind, a bit better and the only time we ever go there. Also, getting out of the 5 towns to PortoVenere, Lerici, Santa Margherita Ligure, allow one to experience the beauty of Liguria without so many crowds.

cynthia,

I made a return visit to the Cinque Terre (Monterosso) in mid-September (a few weeks) ago, and have a few thoughts on the subject. While it can be quite crowded from about 11:00 to 17:00 or so with tour and cruise ship groups, I've never found that to be a problem. Monterosso tends to absorb the crowds better than the other towns, as it's larger (Vernazza is a different story). I've found that with some "creativity", one can minimize the problem to some extent. For example, when staying in Monterosso.....

• I tend to have late lunches, to avoid the peak times when the restaurants are packed.
• If I'm going to hike the trails, I try to depart mid-morning or so as most people seem to want to get an early start.
• I try to get out of the C.T. towns in the daytime and visit other towns such as Levanto, Portovenere or others. If I'm not there, the crowds aren't a problem.
• I often go back to the hotel in the afternoon for a short rest. The hotel I use is far removed from the crowds so it's an oasis of tranquility, where I can have a Prosecco on the balcony and enjoy the sunshine.
• If I'm planning to take the boats, I wait until mid-morning and when the "peak" time is over.
• the beach in the old town never seems to be that crowded. For those that want to enjoy a bit of tanning, that's usually a good place to go. The beaches in the new town have lots of lounge chairs and umbrellas, but there there's always room to swim.
• one good example from my recent trip.... I went to the station in late afternoon to buy a ticket. The entrance was plugged solid with people and there was a huge argument taking place (I thought that it might come to fisticuffs). Not a problem - I went for coffee, spent some time chatting with other tourists and came back in an hour, and all was well.
• once the day trippers have left, it's much more relaxed in the evenings. The restaurants can still be busy but not hectic.

I enjoyed my visit (and some great food) just as much this time as on previous occasions, and I intend to return, despite the crowds. The others are there for the same reason I am, so I can't blame them for that.

One other comment on "crowds" was my visit to Venice a few weeks ago. When the Vaporetto pulled up to the dock at San Marco and I saw the enormous crowds and chaotic scene, I had thoughts of skipping Venice entirely and going immediately back to Padova. However, I decided to press on and found that it wasn't as bad as I first thought.

One comment to make regarding the charge for the Sentiero Azzurro trails. It's important to remember that the Cinque Terre is a National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The popular trails require constant maintenance and that costs money, so it's not unreasonable to pay a small fee to help with the upkeep. It's also important to remember that there's an extensive network of other trails in the area which don't charge a fee, so for those that want to hike there are lots of opportunities.

There are crowds in the Cinque Terre, but IMO the "problem" aspect of these is overblown.

We had two trips to CT...in 2008 and 2012. Both we almost exactly the same days in sept (I think like sept 22-24ish). The first trip was lovely...not very crowded. The second trip was...a big let down from our memories of our first visit...crowded train stations and village centres. Personally, I think a huge difference was the first time we were there thru the week (maybe a tues/wed) and the second time it was on a weekend (sat/sun).

And I do agree that the evenings and mornings are wayyyy less crowded. But if you do decide to go, maybe try to work it so you are there thru the week as opposed to the weekend.

I do think from the four years in between visits that it was way more discovered by tourists...

Ken, You have great skills for adapting! Bravo!

We visited late September/early October this year, the crowds were not bad. I was not overly impressed by the place, I guess it looks too similar to home. We did hike from Manarola to Volastra, to Cornignilia, finally to Vernazza. Then we rode the ferry to Monterosso and back to Manarola. Manarola was a good place to stay.

One big difference in crowding is the development of the port of La Spezia as a cruise ship destination. In 2008 there were 50,000 arrivals, in 2014 there were 484,000, next year it will be over 600,000. The ships are giant and easily carry more people that the entire resident population of all the Cinque Terre towns. They typically dock for less than 24 hours so the passengers are compelled to make haste and see the sights. What's galling is that the cruisers are not loathsome hoards, but nice friendly people who just want to enjoy what you and I enjoy.

Of course, Liguria and Italy have lots of wonderful trails that are very little used, but the info about them is hard to find - even if you can understand Italian. There's a group of English-speaking hikers from Genoa who describe their many hikes here: https://liguriah.wordpress.com/ Around the CT, the most outstanding, IMO, is the AVG Trail 1 between Biassa, Campiglia,( or Riomaggiore) and Portovenere. (AVG=Alta Via del Golfo) which travels along the ridge line. I was faint from the staggering beauty. Above Lerici is the park of Montemarcello which has numerous unused trails through dreamy Mediterranean landscapes - here are two: http://www.apathtolunch.com/2015/06/hiking-unknown-past-san-lorenzo-caprione.html
http://www.apathtolunch.com/2012/06/forgotten-villages-of-gulf-of-poets.html

Mike, thanks for the links.

Thanks so much everyone...... We are still going to give it a shot , and hope for the best. I think if we don't go, we will always wish we had. If anyone has any more ideas, or specific hotels we should stay in in Monterosso, we would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Cynthia

I totally agree with Tim. Speaking against the CT seems unkind, but I don't ever want to go back. We have been their in September and October and both times left with bad attitudes (I think we picked them up from the waiters!) My advice is to get the water shuttle at the top or bottom of CT and see these beautiful villages from the water. The shuttles are 'hop on hop off', so if you do see something you want to visit, just hop off. Another boat will along in a while and you can continue your journey. My description of CT is that can be similar to a subway station in NY at rush hour.

cynthia,

My favourite hotel in Monterosso is Hotel Villa Steno (perhaps my favourite in all of Europe). Their "sister" hotel, Hotel Pasquale is also excellent. If you have a large budget and want amenities like a pool, posh surroundings and gorgeous views, have a look at Hotel Porto Roca. Especially with Villa Steno and Porto Roca, they're a bit "off the beaten path" so when you're at the hotel the crowds will absolutely not be a problem (although Porto Roca is on the way to the trail to Vernazza, so there will be pedestrian traffic going past the hotel at times).

Ken's post of how he adapted to the the Cinque Terre crowds was striking - for just how much effort was involved in enjoying this supposedly "bucolic," "rural," "carefree" place these days.

Harold,

I've also used the same technique in other locations. For example, a few years ago I walked to Termini station to use one of the Hop On / Hop Off Buses. There was a huge "manifesto" or some type of demonstration taking place, with helmeted riot police in attendance, and NO traffic was moving at all. I simply went into Termini, had a fine hot meal and when I was finished the demonstration had moved on to another part of the city. It wasn't a problem at all, and only delayed my touring by an hour or so.

Dealing with the crowds in the Cinque Terre isn't really much of an effort at all.

Great suggestions from Ken.

I'll add that we found some breathing room by exploring areas of the towns which are less visited simply because of the effort to do so. For instance, some of the cemeteries are perched high above the main residential/piazza clusters and offer wonderful views!!! Chiesa di San Francesco - on a hill above Monterosso - is lovely and has a 17th-century Van Dyke painting.

Pack a picnic to avoid the lunch crush. We often skip lunch altogether (anywhere at all in Italy) and eat dinner earlier than most people do to be in and out before restaurants get really busy. Besides quicker service, we often get a nice pick of seating.

To echo his comments regarding cost for using the trails, think of it as the same as entry fees to U.S. National Parks? I figure if my feet contribute to the wear-and-tear, I'm happy to pay my fair share of the maintenance needed to keep them in shape for others. And no, not all of the routes require a pass.

We found that things do quiet down at night when the day-trippers depart, and early mornings are great times to get out with the camera as well. I don't know as I've seen the masses labeled as "loathsome" but I do understand the current local concern for an increase in the number of visitors who tend not to explore much beyond the centers. Most of the villages are very small and it doesn't take a lot to overwhelm their narrow streets, little piazzas and public services. Just as some of us have found the Borghese in Rome to have been a more rewarding experience than the Vatican because of their crowd control, consideration of acceptable methods of managing the numbers to both enhance the visitor experience and ease resident discomfort makes sense.

I'll agree that Monterosso is best able to absorb the crowds, and we enjoyed our stay at La Spiaggia there: practically on the beach (request a sea-view room with balcony) and a very easy walk from the train station. They only accept payment in cash - not unusual for smaller, family-run accommodations in Italy - so plan ahead to have enough euros if you book with them.

I just returned from a RS tour that included the Cinque Terre (Sept 19 & 20). I agree with a prior post that the Hotel Villa Steno is a great place to stay. We receive an all day rail pass as part of the tour, but did not use it. The trains were extremely crowded. Instead, we paid for an all day pass for the boats. That definitely was the right decision for us. No matter how long the line was on the boat, everyone got on and had a seat. The view from the boat was worth the price. The all day pass on the boats was either 23 or 24 Euros. Of course you can buy individual tickets. I found the crowds to be very tolerable, even during the lunch hour. It definitely gets less crowded after 3:00. I would stay with your plan to visit in September.

Cynthia,
I was in the CT last July. I am really perplexed by all this talk of it being overcrowded. We stayed 3 nights and spent our days hiking on the many trails. As other posters have said there are many more trails than just the main trails between towns. Sure there are other people in the towns, but shops would close and restaurants would not be open if there were no tourists to support them. I am currently on a train much smaller and more crowded than the trains I was on in the CT. I do agree with another poster about the beauty of the Berner Onerland, but that doesn't make the CT any less beautiful. Make sure you go there and have a great time.