I have been told it's easy to find a place to stay in cinque terre if you just show up and ask around, we will be the second week in July. I this a good idea?
Posted by
Austin TX after living in Boulder CO for 25 years
1175 posts
I think this advice works in the winter and MAY work in the shoulder season. In peak season, I would definitely not listen to this advice !
The best places in the Cinque Terre were booked 6-9 months out.....
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7179 posts
This also may have been true many years ago before the CT was 'discovered' by the tourist hordes. I wouldn't try it in high season anymore unless you're willing to end up sleeping in a park and getting rousted by the authorities.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32402 posts
That is DEFINITELY not good advice for July, as that's peak season and it will be very busy in the Cinque Terre. I normally start booking rooms six months or more in advance, and even that far out can be challenging. Referring to a comment above, that's also not good advice for travel in the Cinque Terre in winter, as many businesses will be closed for the season (approx. end of November to mid-March or so).
If you want to visit there this July I'd suggest starting to look for a room now. If you can't find anything in the five towns, try Levanto or even La Spezia. If you know which of the five towns you want to stay in, post another note here as someone might be able to offer suggestions.
Good luck!
Posted by
Chicago
8240 posts
Bad idea to show up like that in July in the heat in the era of Airbnb.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12101 posts
"I have been told it's easy...." Did the source do it with a straight face?
Did this source also tell you to just show up at the US Bank stadium office on 2-3-18 and buy your Super Bowl tickets?
If you do just show up, bring a sleeping bag, you may need it
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16739 posts
Yikes. I wouldn't even THINK about it during high season.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
No no no...you'll be stuck with nowhere to stay. If it were February or March, sure. Absolutely not in the high season...the CT has become extremely popular and crowded in the summer months. You'll be lucky to find anything to reserve but you need to get on it now. You may have to stay a bit north in Levanto or Sestri Levante and take the train down to the CT-proper each day. Both of these are nice resort towns with good beaches...not the end of the world if you can't find something IN the CT.
Posted by
Wiesbaden, Germany
791 posts
We've been to Vernazza 6-7 times over the years, usually over 4th of July weekend, we've never once made a reservation beforehand and have always gotten a room. That said, we live in Italy so we can always drive home or somewhere else if we end up finding nothing so if you're coming from the US I'd probably play it safe and try to book in advance.
If you do decide to risk it, here's what we usually do: get off the train and find the first sign that says "Camere libre" or something along those lines. Inquire within. If they say they are booked, then ask if they know anyone who might have a room open. This has always worked for us because everybody knows each other in those small little villages and they know who has rooms and who doesn't. Even in these days of Air BnB and such, many of the locals in the CT villages are elderly and some still don't even have internet. Sometimes they are the ones with the best places. The closest we've come to not finding a place was when we went through 4 referrals (people sending us to their friends) before we found an open room and that place was awesome - one of the walls was actually part of the rock outcropping that the castello is built on in Vernazza.