La Spezia/Cinque Terra

La Spezia is not part of the Cinque Terre and I don't recall that the RS book covers it. I suggest trying tripadvisor.com Good luck!

I was just in Italy for 2 weeks. You could also stay in Viareggio. Great seaside town with beautiful mountains. I would recommend a hotel but they are closed for 2 months.
Viareggio has a great own market on Thursday and a smaller one evert day. I have stayed in the town on several trips and love the beauty of it.

Viareggio is not in CT either. The CT villages are Riomaggiore, Monorola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. One of my favorite B&B' in italy is in Monterosso, Manuel's Guesthouse. Manuel's is not for everyone, it is up a bunch of steps and there is no breakfast. But the terrace makes it all worth it.

Unless there is a logistical reason you want to stay in LaSpezia, I think you would enjoy staying in one of the five C.T. villages much more. A few yrs back we did stay 1 night in the Jolly Hotel in LaSpezia which is a large business class hotel. They did have a fabulous breakfast buffet but there is no charm here. Have stayed on several trips to the C.T. in Vernazza which is our favorite village. Most recently in summer 2009 our group of 5 stayed at Francamaria's. www.francamaria.com. We had Rm 1 with wonderful harbor view and rm 3 with no harbor view but very nice and for last night moved to apt., rm. 7 with harbor view. Room 2 also has harbor view. Portovenere would also make a lovely place to stay but logistically more difficult to get to. We took the boat here from Vernazza as the train does not run here. Buses do from LaSpezia.

Rick actually does include La Spezia, and recommends several places to sleep. Mid-priced are Hotel Mary, Hotel Venezia, Albergo Parma and Il Gelsomino.

thank you for all your suggestions. The reason I wsa considering staying in LaSpezia is because I have a car. I heard it is very difficult to get to CT with a car

Kerry, Could you clarify one point. Are you currently travelling in Italy and wanting to visit the C.T. in the next few days? I'd recommend staying in one of the five villages rather than La Spezia. At this time of year, some of the smaller lodgings may be closing for the season, so it might be better to consider staying in Monterosso. It's the largest of the villages, and therefore has the best selection of Hotels and restaurants. Happy travels!

thanks. yes. I am in Volterra right now, and heading to CT today. I had a change of plans, so I was able to fit CT into my travel. I did not plan for this, so I am a little lost on where to find a room

Kerry, Thanks for the additional information. You have a couple of choices. If you'd prefer staying in one of the smaller towns with just a room, you could consider Riomaggiore (it's the most southerly of the five villages, and only about eight minutes by train from La Spezia). Mar-Mar Rooms would be a good place to start. They have an office in the main part of town (which you enter via a "tunnel" from the railway plaza area). I can't recall, but there may be a T.I. in the rail station, so you could ask there and I'm sure they'd be able to direct you. The "official" C.T. Hostel is in Manarola (the next village to the north). From what I've seen, it's well run but has some very strict rules, including a Lockout in the afternoon. I'm not sure, but assume they'll be open at this time of year? You could try the same approach at Vernazza or Monterosso - just ask at the station or T.I. You could also check Trip Advisor listings for whichever town you want to stay in. Good luck!

In Monterosso the Hotel La Spiaggia included parking. Right on the water in the "new" part of town. I stayed at a hotel next door but that one looked nicer and was cheaper. Check weather for a good break in the rain.