Should I travel to Cinque Terra this time of year?

We loved our stay in CT a few years ago, but that was early spring. Unless you're an avid hiker who enjoys being outside all day with the temps hovering near single digits (C). Dec isn't an ideal time to go. And some places will be closed for the season.

On the upside, you won't have to worry about the cruise ship crowds.

Yeah it is worth while if you like less crowds, shorter daylight hours and the typical weather conditions at this time of year. It depends on the person. I see 50 degrees farenheit averages for december

I wouldn’t go in December unless I ran out of everywhere else to go.

It will be likely cold, but temperatures will not be in single digit Fahrenheit. That would definitely make the news worldwide. Low 40s F at night and mid to high 50s F during the day are probably the lowest temperatures you’ll encounter.

But I’d be more concerned about rain. The Riviera di Levante (Eastern Riviera) is one of the raniest spots in Italy, if not the raniest in absolute. Apparently that is due to the presence and orientation of the mountains next to the sea, which make that gulf particularly humid and prone to major downpours.

Oops. I see I mistakenly put F instead of C when mentioning the likely temps. I've edited it to the correct scale.

December is not a good time of year to visit the Cinque Terre. Many of the tourist businesses will be closed for the season, and as others have mentioned the weather will likely not be too good (cold and rainy). The towns themselves are the main attraction and there won't really be much to see.

Here's one recent report that you may find interesting - https://www.thelocal.it/20171212/snow-and-ice-continue-to-batter-italy-residents-evacuated-traffic-disrupted .

Why not stay in the cozy town of Lucca and make a day trip to CT. You might love the peace and quiet or you might hate that everything is closed. No way to tell unless you go.

Italy has been wracked with terrible weather lately with Liguria and Lucca singled out in an article yesterday. Check forecasts before traveling there. I would not spend my precious travel dollars and time in the Cinque Terre in December unless both -- and my patience -- were unlimited.

To say the least, Italian weather in the winter is unpredictable. Our last two trips have been late February/early March, and I would say as a rule you're looking at mostly 40's in the morning, 50's during the day, and a fair amount of wind and rain, with some beautiful days interspersed in there. Jacket & scarf weather, not the worst thing.

Over those 2 trips, Florence was cool & windy, Rome & Pompei were gorgeous (60's), Sorrento was nasty & rainy, Salerno, Amalfi & Naples were mild. Be prepared clothes-wise for what the Cinque Terre can throw at you, but also be prepared to be peeling off layers if it's nice, which is certainly possible. And enjoy the lack of tourists. However, keep your day plans flexible as crappy wind and rain is no fun in which to be walking around.

I've been to Cinque Terre in summer and winter (I believe it was February when I went), so to compare I'd say for Winter:
Pros: WAY less crowded, still beautiful (though I was there two days and one was gray/rainy/fairly cold...still able to do the easier hikes, plus wasn't sweaty :)). Day 2 of sun did make me realize how much the blue skies make the landscape. We booked our hotel a few days before leaving (we were studying in Siena at the time) without problem and got a cheap room in the center of Vernazza (probably wouldn't be possible in summer).
Cons: Many places were closed. It definitely had a different vibe than it did when I went in summer (ie. the center of Vernazza instead of being a crowded town square, is filled with parked boats on top of each other). You really feel like you're there in the off-season. You'll only be there a few days, so you don't need every restaurant and shop to be open, but you can't be quite so picky. Honestly, if someone only had ever been in December I would tell them to try to get back in summer/spring sometime to see the difference - doesn't mean you shouldn't go though!

Either way, it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been so definitely try to make it there!