Too Long for the Cinque Terre?

It's 3 nights (Sun, Mon, Tue) which is 2 full days (Mon, Tue). I'd say it's perfect.

That would prob be just about perfect! Most people think about 3 nights gives a good overview. Monday and Tues to noodle around is great. Only a few of the trails are open if that interests you, but trains can easily and quickly be taken between the villages. We've spent 5 nights there over 2 trips and feel like we have seen it all. You could also look at Lake Como area...

No, not too long at all. There's a lot to see if you wander away from the main village centers.

We are going soon and are staying 5 nights, but that's us. We love it there and are perfectly content to hike a little, and do nothing but relax and enjoy the views.

I am going to have to disagree here, in one full day you can pretty much do everything there is to do in CT. I was just there in the beginning of April, we had 2.5 days, really, 1 - 1.5 is perfect IMO. it's worth visiting, but could be done easily as a day trip if you arrive early, or just a 1 night stay to give yourself true day. The one thing I would change about our last itinerary would be to spend less time in CT and put those extra days elsewhere.

If you really want to stay there for that long, I would recommend looking into day trips from the CT, or, I suppose, if you literally just want to relax and do nothing, you could stay for that long, but if it were me, I would be bored.

Do some hiking one day, then the second day, if hiking or visiting the other villages bores you, you can take a day trip by train (+ bus/boat) to Portofino and the Abbey of San Fruttuoso.

As you said you wanted to relax, then it is a great place to hang out... there aren't that many things to do, so if relaxing is it you won't be tempted to do a bunch of sightseeing. If you just want to see it, then less time will do.

Heidi,

I agree with the others - that's a perfect time frame for a look at the Cinque Terre, and it will definitely be a relaxing place to spend a few days.

Where have you tried to book hotels so far? Monterosso is your best bet as it's the largest of the five towns and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities (and also the best beaches). You could try Hotel Villa Adriana as that's a bit larger so may have a vacancy. If you have a "generous" budget, you could also look at Hotel Porto Roca.

Have a look at the list on this website.....

http://www.rebuildmonterosso.com/p/visitors-information.html

Good luck!

Heidi,

I think that 3 nights is perfect. There are many trails, not just the one's that go directly between each of the towns. This is a hiker's paradise with many of the truly great hikes taking you up into the hills. The hike from Riomaggiore to Portovenere was the best of all (and probably the most challenging). I am not sure if there is a train that goes there, but there is a definitely a ferry that can take you back to the CT.

Thanks everyone for the advice! We decided to go ahead and book a hotel in Monterosso for those days (yea - we found a room!). We're going to be busy before and after this section of our trip, so relaxing and just wandering around the Cinque Terre sounds great. Should be fun! :-)

You will love CT. Be sure to use the €2 all-day train tic for the other towns. Also, you may want to take a boat trip (or train) to Portofino/Santa Margharita as well. Check out Rick's places to eat. You will wear out the picture button on your iPhone. Enjoy.