La Spezia? Cinque Terra?

Find one in Monterosso where there are more space options

Do not stay in La Spenzia rather in the Cinque Terre. Monterosso has a real sand beach and more choices of lodging and restaurants than the other four villages.

If you can get a place, stay in Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terra is an area - not a place. LaSpezia is in CT.

The 5 villages on the Cinque (5) Terre are, from East to West:
Riomaggiore
Manarola
Corniglia
Vernazza
Monterosso

La Spezia is a rather ugly port city, the most important Italian Navy port. I wouldn’t stay in La Spezia. If you can’t find a place in the 5 villages mentioned above, go west to the next villages after Monterosso, like Levanto, Bonassola, Framura, Moneglia, etc.

Definitely Cinque Terre. Monterosso is lovely.

ms,

I definitely agree with the others regarding staying right in the Cinque Terre. Especially in April (which is the start of the tourist season there) you shouldn't have any trouble finding accommodations in Monterosso, as it's the largest of the five towns. Monterosso is the only town which has conventional hotels. The other towns have mostly private rooms, some of which don't provide breakfast.

I'd suggest getting something booked soon as hotels will probably be starting to fill up. If you need suggestions, post another note here and the group can provide some suggestions. You could also check the RS Italy guidebook.

Another vote for Monterosso. It's best to stay in one of the 5 CT villages Roberto listed to be closest to the things you want to see, and further from the port where the cruise ships dock (La Spezia). Monterosso is the largest, has the most accommodations/restaurant options, and can disperse crowds the best. The beach won't be of any real use in April but you didn't mention looking for a beach vacation so that's probably not an issue.

Levanto is a good option - I've stayed there twice. One train stop from Monterosso, and there are lots of local trains now between towns. Levanto is a nice town too, even if not quite the dramatic "in the rock" appearance of the five villages.

Definitely stay in the Cinque Terre. The towns are best early morning and at evening when all the day trippers from the nearby bigger towns have left.
Monterosso may have more options and a sandy beach but Vernazza is the most beautiful town especially after dark.
We stayed at a place called affitacamere tonino basso behind the train station and away from the crowds. No views but the view is just a two minute walk away.
Plus the functional trails are either side of Vernazza ( trail situation changes daily but the coastal one from Corniglia to riomaggiore has been out for quite some time now). So it's the best option for a early morning and late evening hike from vernazza to towns at either end when the trails are relatively empty and a pleasure to walk on.

Have a great trip!

I will go against the grain and say we stayed in La Spezia because we were late to the reservation game and it was amazing. We did 4 nights, two days took trains into the towns of cinque Terra and one day into Pisa. There was a train strike one day and you could not use the local trains that day. Luckily it was the day we were headed to Pisa (we had pre bought tickets for the train and the climb the tower tour). We were able to get on a different train that was actually running and still able to climb the tower. This was our favorite apartment of the whole trip, we all voted when we got home. We were so close to the train station but it was quiet and beautiful. Depends on your plan and were were staying in 2 bedroom airbnbs.

I agree with northwestern. Opinions about La Spezia need updating. The dreary seaport libel is totally wrong now - if it was ever true. It's a very pleasant clean small city that's really evolved as we've visited over the years. It may not be the Cinque Terre lodging experience that romantics want, but the city is a friendly place with some good attractions and restaurants.

My wife and I walked extensively through La Spezia as we got lost trying to find the bus for Tellaro. We found LaSpezia to be charming . Not as quaint as the CT towns perhaps, but a very nice small city.

I'd definitely stay in the CT. However, if I wasn't able to get a reservation in a CT village, I would opt for Levanto. It has the nicest beach in the area, and the center of the village, ten minutes from train, has an ambience similar to CT.