Hi,
We will be hiking Cinque Terra, mostly in the National Park, for 5 days in October. I read that Riomaggiore is the best place to stay, closest to the entrance of the park. Is that correct? I cannot find lodging in Riomaggiore that is reasonably priced. Do I need to stay in Monterosso al Mare? What is the best location? Can someone make recommendations for lodging? We need to be close to the train, as we leave quite early on our last day, for a flight out of Pisa.
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2744 posts
Try Levanto, just 5 minutes north on the train route, and easy access to all 5 CT villages.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17578 posts
You don't want to stay in Riomaggiore as the famous Via dell'Amore, the path between Riomaggiore and the next town, Manarola, is still closed.
https://cinqueterreinsider.com/2018/01/26/reopening-of-the-via-dellamore-dont-hold-your-breath/
We like Manarola as a place to stay and start the walk. Monterosso al Mare would be good too, and has more lodging options, but does not have that "village clinging to the hillside" feel like Manarola and Vernazza.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11835 posts
Which town is not too important for such a nice long stay. Not all of the famous Sentiero Azzurro is open so you will have to use alternate means to get to whaichever parts are open from the town you decide to stay in.
The Cinque Terre offers many more trails beyond the SA. Especially if you are avid hikers you will find the higher trails less crowded and more interesting. The trails to the sanctuaries are some of our favorites.
Posted by
Aiken, SC, United States
89 posts
Hi Diana,
A few years ago we were in Cinque Terra. We always like to stay at small family run type places. We chose to stay at Villa Margharita in Levanto. It was a perfect place to stay. The accommodations were very good. The proprietors were helpful with local places to eat etc. The train is not too far. We took train from LaSpezia to Levanto and then a taxi to the B&B. We loved Levanto. Much less expensive and not as busy as the Cinque Terra towns. (Although we did tour them). I would highly recommend the Villa Margharita.
Linda
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1043 posts
Hi Diana,
We were in the Cinque Terra in early June and stayed in Monterosso in the older part of town at Hotel Stella Della Marina: https://www.stelladellamarina.com/en-hotel.php. It was one of the more reasonably priced hotels that included breakfast. The rooms are not luxurious, but clean and comfortable. The two highlights of this hotel were the amazing views from the rooftop terrace (where breakfast is served) and the hospitality of the owner: Gabrielle. He not only carried the luggage for six people up and down the stairs, he arranged all of our restaurant reservations, and provided insights into all the hiking trails (some of which are still closed).
I know you are going to be hiking, but if you have time, I would recommend taking the Sunset Cruise as you get a different view of the Cinque Terre from the water. This was the highlight of our trip and my college-aged girls thought this was one of the best experiences in our entire trip. We took Fish & Chill: http://www.cinqueterreboat.com/index_eng.html. Diego is the captain, grew up in the area, and his parents still make wines from the local vineyards.
Have a great trip,
Sandy
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16698 posts
Was the original post deleted and re-posted? I swear I posted to this one early this morning.