Itinerary help - especially Cinque Terre

Gee, I don't see any reason to change now. Are you in Monterosso midweek or on a weekend? Midweek would be less crowded. If a weekend, maybe you could flip-flop with Lucca. Otherwise, looks like a nice trip.

We were in Cinque Terre in September and the crowds were very large during the day but early morning and evenings were fine.

I think at least Monterosso is bigger, so the crowds probably won't be as concentrated as I found they were in Vernazza and Riomaggiore/Manarola. Our two visits we stayed in Corniglia - which is the smallest, least easy to get to, and the least touristy (which is why we chose there).

The difference in crowds between our two visits (both almost the exact same days in Sept) in '08 vs '12 was very noticeable. The train stations were crowded and villages overrun. Now - in those 4 yrs between our visits, CT became a little more well known. The other difference - first visit was early in the week, second visit was over a weekend - which may have impacted the crowds. Had our first visit been like the 2nd visit, there wouldn't have been a 2nd visit.

That being said, it is still a great spot, and by staying in one of the villages as opposed to daytripping in, you can get out early and stay out into the evening after the hordes have left. But, as someone else mentioned...if you can have it so you are there thru the week as opposed to the weekend, it would probably be better...

You may want to go from Lucca to Bologna and then to Varrena. Flipping the order will save you some time back-tracking.

My thought was the same as Frank's: Unless you're trying to avoid the weekend in the Cinque Terre (which might be helpful, crowd-wise), I think you'd spend a bit less time on the train by traveling to Lucca before Monterosso. I'm not sure where to slot in Bologna, though.

Cinque Terre is the biggest disappointment I have experienced in my travels to Europe. It is lovely, but crowded - Yosemite Valley crowded - and kind of a one trick pony - beautiful ocean views, but not much else. I would add those nights to another one of your stops, all of which have architecture, culture, and food!

We were in CT on a weekend and the crowds did not seem unduly inconvenient. This was in July.

Definitely disagree with the idea there is nothing but ocean views in CT. That is like saying after looking over the rim of the Grand Canyon for 3 minutes you have seen it and are ready to leave.

The Italian Riviera is a beautiful region, and the Cinque Terre is amazing - I've been there three times. I've had a picture of Riomaggiore, one of the towns, hanging on my wall for years. It's the one people always ooooh and aaah over and ask, "Wow, where is THAT???"

It has become crowded and popular, though, and I'd be very reluctant to visit in the summer - maybe in early May or early October if you can catch the weather right. September may be OK, maybe not, but probably better than the summer.

The towns are still quaint (perhaps not Monterosso so much) even if there are crowds of tourists and a lot of catering to them now. They still don't seem unspoiled to me. But I think the main draw of the region is really to hike. If you aren't planning to hike, I'm not sure I would stay in the Cinque Terre - maybe elsewhere in the Riviera that isn't quite so crowded. Monterosso does have a large beach area, though, so I guess it might be a good sun-and-fun town, even though it was the least favorite of the five to me. But there are other beach towns in the Riviera.

Sue,

I'd suggest keeping the Cinque Terre (and Monterosso) on your list as if you don't visit it, you may always wonder. I've been there many times and Monterosso is absolutely my favourite of the five towns. I always look forward to my next visit, and some freshly made Trofie al Pesto.

The crowds can be annoying if there are cruise ships in the area, but I've found ways to minimize the annoyance such as day tripping to another town or just sitting on the balcony in my hotel (which is in a nice quiet area) and having a glass (or two) of Prosecco. Monterosso has both an old town and new town, which tends to disperse the crowds better than the other towns. Vernazza can be horrific during the busy part of the day, and I'd recommend avoiding that on cruise ship days. The crowds are mostly a problem from about 10:00 - 16:00 and after that the towns quiet down somewhat.

One nice day trip is to take the boat to Porto Venere as it doesn't seem to be as crowded. You could also have a look at some of the other towns in the area such as Levanto, or if you want to venture a bit further go to Santa Margherita Ligure and the famous resort of Portofino (which is good for a few hours, at most). The hike from Levanto to Bonassola through the old railway tunnels is very pleasant, and mostly flat so it's not difficult at all.

Thanks for all of your replies.

Frank - i listed our trip in the wrong order. We are going Lucca, Bologna, Varenna.

I switched Lucca and Monterossa to avoid being in Cinque Terre on the weekend. Now need to find a different place to stay in Monterossa. Manuel's Guest House is booked for our new dates.

Any recommendations for somewhere to stay that has a balcony with a good view?

Thanks again

No balcony but great views and nice rooms

http://www.hotelpasquale.it/

And another one in Monterosso:

http://www.laspiaggiahotel.com

Rooms are small and basically furnished but you can't beat the location - an easy walk from the train station with no steep hills/steps to climb - and it has a lift. It's very popular for that location and reasonable (for a CT hotel) price so it may also be booked up for your dates but give it a shot and specify a room with a sea-view balcony/terrace. This property is also available on booking.com but I'd contact them directly. Payment is cash only; not that unusual for B&Bs and smaller properties in Italy so don't let that throw you.

We took a day tour from Milan to Cinque Terre. We based out of Milan and knew that we only had one day to visit & see as much as we can. It certainly was beautiful and different from other places we visited (Verona, Venice, Florence, and Como). I wish we had more time to stay overnight, but knowing we did not, we took in as much as we could. Our tour was this past September 18, which was a Monday. It was a little crowded when the various tours converged, but not as bad as I would have expected. We spent most of the time in Manarola and Monterosso al Mare taking the train between the towns. It rained off and on that day. Unfortunately, due to the weather, our boat ride back was canceled, so we were able to spend more time in Monterosso. That being said, I would recommend going to see Cinque Terre, but definitely avoid the weekend and its crowds.

"Any recommendations for somewhere to stay that has a balcony with a good view?"

Absolutely! It will probably be a splurge but I would highly recommend Hotel Villa Steno. It's a good idea to book ASAP as they're very popular. One other benefit is that they're slightly above the old town, so away from the cruise ship hordes.

If they're all booked up, try Hotel Pasquale mentioned in a previous reply or if your budget will allow, Hotel Porta Roca (incredible views and a pool). If La Spiaggia is booked up you can try Villa Adriana which is in a quiet part of the new town (can't remember if they have balconies).

Loved Ortisei as a base. Was there for 4 nights this past September. One day we took the Alpe Di Suisi lift right up from Orteisi and biked around the plateau. Another day we took the life to the top of Secada for some hiking. Also the funicular up to Resciesa for hiking and nice lunch stop at a hut along the way.

From there it's an easy bus to Selva and Santa Cristina more villages real close with lifts. We did stop in Castelrotto from Rick's book but we didn't like it compared to Orteisi. The 3 lift options there were more enjoyable for us.

Here is the Orteisi TI information and they have a great office in town. https://www.valgardena.it/en/

Keep the Cinque Terre.
Visited in Sept and loved it!

During the day there are crowds, sure but it is a beautiful place in Italy there will be crowds most anywhere like that. It is not like you won't have crowds in Rome in Sept. ; the crowds did not bother me anymore in CT than they did in Rome, Siena, Florence, Venice, etc... (personally crowd wise Venice was by far the worst place for daytime crowds I have been in Italy ; due to the large number of tour groups)

It is also so different from your other spots and you mention you like hiking ; given all of that it is really a no brainer.