Stay in or near Cinque Terre?

Levanto is another place that is recommended when staying outside of the CT
I would just continue perusing accommodations--if you find something in CT that you think will work, go for it. If you find something more suitable in another town, ditto. There is a downside, however, as you are transporting in (possibly daily) and have to contend with the train station crowds, but you could check ferry travel. https://www.apathtolunch.com/2014/06/complete-cinque-terre-portovenere-la.html
Do note that most of the hikes do involve a considerable elevation climb up steps. The park website gives good descriptions so you can plan ahead: https://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php

The New Town in Monterosso encompasses the large beachfront area, and is thus relatively flat. It's also the location of the train station. A number of the lodgings may be considered beach resorts, but if you're there before beach season, may be less expensive.

Both of the PPs have some valid points. Monterosso is likely to have accommodations that don't require stairs. And is actually in the CT. But none of the hiking trails are anywhere close to flat. They have significant elevation changes, so if stairs are an impediment, you will need to take a closer look to see if these would be appropriate for you. Not to mention that the towns, with the exception of the lower part of Monterosso are built into hillsides, so all of the streets are sloped/stepped.

Thank you all. Just to clarify, we're older, not decrepit :-) We both are very active (walk, cycle, surf, paddle board, hike, workout, etc.) Mostly, my concern was to see how convenient and appealing some of the other towns were while still viable for visits to the CT and if there were good options to stay there. I do understand the topography from what I've read and just wanted a little bit less than a couple of hundred stairs every time I wanted an espresso or had more than a glass or two of wine....

I have bed knees so for that reason we stayed in Monterosso and I was able to walk from the train station to the hotel very easily. To get from town to town we just used the train and I also had no problem walking around all the towns. For us 2 nights was plenty, got there day 1, checked into hotel walked around and explored and had dinner, so Monterosso was done. Next day caught the train and just village hopped spending as much time in each as we felt was needed, stopped in one village and grabbed a cone of fried fish and took it down to a public place by the water to eat it, had lunch somewhere else along the way.

We get it, but answers are for everybody who might read the thread--and we come across people who don't understand the terrain here pretty much daily.
You can find what you are seeking in CT--as mentioned, Monterosso is largely flat. I would definitely keep looking in CT--the main advantage being able to enjoy the more quiet mornings and evenings.

Rapallo, Monterosso and SML are served by direct trains to Milano Centrale. I doubt there is a train station in Portovenere

Suesea,

Since your main interest is to see the five towns of the Cinque Terre, staying in one of those will allow you to explore the towns and will minimize your travel time between them. It's only a few minutes by train from one town to another.

IMO, Porto Venere is not a real good choice as there's no rail service. You'd be limited to bus or boat transport only, neither of which is as frequent as the trains. Also IMO, Santa Marghertia and Rapallo are too far from the area you came to see, so they wouldn't be my first choice. Wherever you decide to stay, early booking of hotels will be essential.

If you want accommodations without a lot of stairs, my suggestion would be to stay in Monterosso. It's the largest of the five towns and has the greatest number of hotels and other accommodations. Some of the hotels have elevators, and a good choice would be Hotel Pasquale in the old town. Their "sister hotel", Hotel Villa Steno is just up the hill but if you come & go through the garden, there are a few stairs involved (that's where I always stay). There are other hotels in the new town which would also meet your requirements. Monterosso also has the best beaches of any of the five towns.

If you're planning to hike the Sentiero Azzurro between the five towns, note that only two segments are currently open, Monterosso to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia. It's unclear when the other segments will be open. If you hike from Monterosso, there's quite a steep climb at the beginning, but once you're on the trail, it's much easier (although narrow in places). Note that a Park Pass is required to hike those trails (it's very inexpensive).

You may already be aware of this but note that for driving in Italy, each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit. You'll also have to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many towns (hefty fines!!!").

Good luck with your planning.

You'll also have to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many towns (hefty fines!!!").

I read horror stories before we spent 10 days in Tuscany. We had already reserved our car and I began to worry if it was a good idea, even though I had driven in other European countries with no problems. Before we left, I researched the rules of the road of both rural and expressway driving. I also studied up on ZTLs, learning the signage and places likely to be ZTLs.

We went, drove from Rome to Tuscany and back and had a wonderful time with absolutely no problems. A education and common sense goes a long way. Assume any area within the walls of a hill town is ZTL. We found ZTLs very plainly marked and easily avoided. We also avoided driving in big cities like Rome and Florence as we normally do in Europe. It was easy to take a bus into Florence from our small village. I carefully obeyed all speed limits, since I knew speeds are monitored electronically.

After returning I continued to read horror stories about speeding and ZTLs. In every instance it was user error by inattentive and uneducated drivers. Do your homework, obey the laws and you'll have a great time seeing the countryside from a car.

As far as Cinque Terre goes, try to spend at least one night in a town. CT is over touristed from cruise ships and it is important to be there when the cruise ship day trippers are not.

Good day,
We stayed in Levanto and it was lovely. We were there the last week of May and the first week of June. We stayed at the Hotel Carla which was a 5 minute walk to the train station, 5 minutes to the laundromat and 10 minutes to the beach. The town itself was very charming and easily navigated. We took the train the 5Terre daily and it took 3-5 minutes. I can see the advantages of staying in one of the villages but, for me, Levanto was perfect. The next time we visit Liguria we will likely stay there again.

You asked if some towns north of the CT are appealing. Yes, we have visited Santa Margherita Ligure twice. Camogli, near SML, is another place to stay. We saw few Americans on our last visit to SML. We have also stayed in Monterosso at the Hotel Porto Rocca which has its own private area of the beach.

If you are active and plan on hiking in the area then the actual steps in the towns to your lodging surely will pose no problems for you

Hundreds of steps to a cafe is not correct, maybe a couple dozen.

I recommend staying in one of the towns for the benefit of being there before and after the day trippers

Thank you for the many helpful suggestions!!

We were in CT several years ago and found it fantastic. The towns, except for one, are all near the sea. Whenever you look for hotels they will show you where they are on the map. Pick one closer to the sea to avoid lots of climbing. Restaurants and stores are also mainly near the sea. When we stayed in an Airbnb it was not too far up the hill, so we could go up or down to find little coffee places.

There is also a train along the ocean from one to another of the small towns in CT. Check to see if that one is open. It's lovely and fairly flat.

Varnazza had a lovely concert by a local soprano for an opera company in a large town. Her husband owns one of the restaurants near the sea. If you like arias, check it out.

Going between the towns takes very little time. Trains come frequently and are not expensive. Check Rick's books for small hotels, or rent an Airbnb if you want to cook a little for yourselves.
Happy traveling.
Caryl

That should have been TRAIL, not TRAIN between the CT towns.