Parking in Cinque Terre

There is a lot at the upper end of Vernazza, we have used it and our lodging gave us a discount.
I would check with your provider,, and what the fee would be. See if this is available for July.

La Spezia is just a short train ride 19min. and would put you on the freeway much easier than parking in Vernazza.

jeremy,

As the previous reply mentioned, it would be a good idea to check with your hotel first as they may have parking arranged somewhere above Vernazza.

In addition to parking near La Spezia Centrale, there are also car parks in both the new town and old town of Monterosso. I don't know what the rates are. The best one to use would (IMO) would be the one in the new town, which is close to the beach, as it's a fairly easy walk (with luggage) from there to the station. The rail trip from Monterosso to Vernazza is only about six minutes or so, which shouldn't be a huge problem.

The parking lot in Vernazza is usually full. The road is very narrow and twisting. There are few wider sections where I saw parked cars sometimes more than one mile from Vernazza. If you don't get reservation for parking from your hotel, park in Monterosso or LaSpezia. I am not sure if parking on the shoulder of the road above Vernazza is legal.

The lot at the upper end of Vernazza is a bit of a walk from your lodging, not the most pleasant downhill and uphill walk (back up to your car), esp. if dragging luggage.
I can't remember if there's a shuttle to the town (we drove the first time we ever went to the CT, not after that first time, and so didn't use the lot).
I've heard the lot is often full in July.
The first time, when we did have a car, I'd arranged in advance for parking with lodging management.
But when I came out on the last day to drive away, I found there were literally only inches between my car and the front and back car. I was trying unsuccessfully to extricate my car, when a German tour group's van driver took pity on me, took over the wheel and somehow got it out of there.

Yep, it's not like here over there.

You won't need your car the entire time you're at CT.

Thanks for the reply everyone. Yeah, we aren't planning on using the car there, just sit in a parking lot. I will e-mail the hotel and see what they say.

Thanks again!

There is a parking structure at Riomaggiore also. But do you need the car again after the Cinque Terre? If not you could return it at La Spezia.

I would turn down the car altogether. Yes, I know it is included but it is going to be a costly burden on you and you can get around with trains and public transport. Ask Delta to substitute a different bonus.

Both times we visited with a car, we found free parking in Levanto. There are pay lots there as well i and t is north of Vernazza. We were there in September and where we parked is one hour parking in,the summer but unlimited after the sign stating that comes down. (It helped that I speak Italian and could ask a local. ) May be another option for you. We debated trying the Vernazza lot but did not want to waste time coming,back to Levanto if it was full. The Train from there was quick and easy. Is you do take the train, be sure and check the departure time. We found there was one,large gap in,the morning. (Something like if we did not catch the 8:30, we could not get another into 10. ) All my info is dated...2008, so be sure you check it all out. I think there was a web site for Levanto,that included,visitor parking options.

I don't think the Delta in the post is the airline.
In the ridiculous Business Speak (or B.S.) in use in Corporate America nowadays the word "delta" is used in lieu of the more sane word "difference". Much like the word "granular" has replaced the perfectly acceptable word "detailed".
After I spend the day at work hearing that B.S. I feel like going home and spend the evening on D-PAD (Downloading Porn All Day) over some CCGN ( Chianti Classico Gallo Nero)

Right, delta is not the airline, but delta = change. What I meant was the change in price for renting just for my CT to Stresa leg vs. Florence -> CT -> Stresa was minimal and let us stop at Pisa or somewhere on the way to CT.

jeremy,

For driving in Italy, keep in mind that EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used with your home D.L. These can easily be obtained at any AAA office for a small fee. You'll also have to be vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas, as driving into them even by mistake will result in hefty fines, which you may not know about until several months after you return home.

Delta.....interesting. I'd forgotten about that also being a reference to "change" also in mathematical terms.

Thanks for the info, I did know about the permit and am getting one soon, my wife can't drive stick and doesn't want to drive anyways so we'll just need the one. As far as the limited access driving areas and avoiding fines, how do I avoid them? Is it obvious? Signs? Is it only in the big cities?

Thanks!

Most towns in Italy will have a ZTL. Not always obvious and signage can be a toss up. There will usually be some but they could be placed up high on the side of a building, down low where you may not notice or damaged where it would be less noticeable. My rule of thumb was if it looked like an older part of town I didn't drive through it. Maybe not the best way but I never got a fine in two years. If you have a hotel in a ZTL get and keep documents from the hotel stating you had permission to drive into the area. A lot of people get fines later on for this and nothing to prove their side. In CT if you go to one of the lots outside of the towns and just keep the car there you should have no worries. As suggested contact where you'll be staying and reserve a lot with them if possible and be sure to stress you'll have a car. Our place "forgot" but we got lucky and they still had some available. Be aware that it will be plenty expensive for parking. We paid 20 euro a day and that was 5 years ago just before the really touristy season kicked off.

jeremy,

A couple of other points to mention.....

You'll also have to budget for tolls on the motorways, so a good idea to keep some cash on hand. If you're using automated fuel facilities, you'll likely require a "Chip & PIN" credit card. Finally, watch your speed as there's a device on some motorways called the Traffic Tutor which not only checks speed at a specific point, but also average speed between two points. Exceeding the limit at either point could result in hefty fines. As you're probably aware, speeds are posted in kilometres per hour.

I guess I'm a bit confused, is there any way to know where the ZTLs are? If there aren't signs, how do you know? We'll be picking up the car in Florence and driving to CT, then from CT to Stresa then from Stresa to Milan. Are there ZTLs along the way? How can I find out what to avoid?

Thanks for the tips about the tolls and gas....are Italian tolls like US tolls where I can get by with $5 or $10 for a drive, or would I need much more? I don't think I'll be able to get a chip and pin card since my banks don't offer them. Is gas going to be a pain, or it just means I need to go in to pay instead of pay at pump?

Thanks!

You don't always know where the ZTL's are, because even if there are signs, you're too busy looking at the 20 feet in front of your car so you won't run over the motorino that has just cut in front of you.
Safest strategy for ZTL's is: don't drive into the historic center of a town or city where you know or suspect there are ZTL's.
It's not like here, there's not always going to be a sign, or an easy for you to understand sign.
We're not making this up.
After you've done it, you'll know what we're talking about.
Hopefully you don't get the fines in the mail 3 months after your return.

If you're on the autostrada stations should be open at all hours and an attendant will come out to pump for you. You pay him. Don't try it yourself or you'll get a surly attendant. Pieno means fill er up and be sure to stress diesel or benzena (if gas, but you'll probably have diesel). In town you'll be more likely to find closed stations but you can still pump. You may run into problems here with a mag strip CC at the pumps. I never got one to work in this situation. You can also feed cash into the pump but be sure you don't put too much money in as you'll never see changes. So if you need 30 euro worth put a 20 and 10 in, not two 20's. The autostrada fees depend on how far you have driven. I never had a problem with the mag strip cards at a booth but, USUALLY, there will be a manned booth. I do remember a couple times running into all unmanned ones but that was fairly uncommon. You may want to get a receipt (ricevuta) and keep that for awhile to avoid any possible problems. As Kent said, the signs may be easy to miss for the ZTL's. Think you said you'll have someone with you. Be sure that they're helping you out. It sounds pretty intimidating but it's not reallyas bad as it sounds. Ya'll will be fine. Google some pics of a ZTL sign. You'll find 'em and know what you'll be looking for.