My wife and I will be driving from Florence airport to Cinque Terra in Mid-Oct. We will be staying in Manarola for two nights. We had planned on parking in the lot above the town. Rick suggests getting to the lots mid AM to get a space when overnighters are leaving. We will not get in until noon or so. An option would be park in La Speza and take the local train to Manarola. We are commited to the rental car in Florence. Which option would you recommend. Grazie
Bob, Parking in La Spezia would probably be the easiest option, although in mid-October the Cinque Terre will probably be somewhat "quiet" anyway as they'll be starting to shut down for the winter. I assume you're aware of the compulsory IDP for driving in Italy, and also the ZTL areas which are especially prevalent in Florence? Happy travels!
We were able to park in La Spezia in October arriving late afternoon. It's much quieter then vs. peak season.
In October weekdays, you can bet on having places available on all villages, so you can drive from one to another.
You can also contact your hotel and ask if they have parking available and ask to reserve a spot if so. May be a bit more expensive but you'll know you have a space. But, as the others said, that time of year shouldn't be a problem.
thanks for the helpful information. It sounds like the crowds will have disipated so I will park at the lot above Manarola.