Too Many Tourists in CT?

We were there in June 2008. Not too crowded, at least not the way others have described (shoulder to shoulder on trains, etc). There were stretches where we were alone on the trail. I think it is a nice region to visit.

However if you want a place where you here more Italian than English you aren't going to find it in the CT. There are many more tourists than locals; the main industry is tourism, and I'd bet the number of hotel rooms outnumber the number of locals. Add in the day-trippers and the balance is definitely on the tourist side. But I don't think this is unique to the CT; many of the more popular tourist places in Rome are going to be predominantly, well, tourists. For example in Florence if you're wandering around the main attractions to visitors that's what you'll find (visitors), even though a few blocks away there are neighborhoods that are mostly if not entirely populated with locals.

The CT villages being small, its hard to find nooks and crannies where tourists don't usually venture. However there are plenty of places you can go if being lost in Italian culture is what you want. For example the Marche region and the stretch along the Adriatic coast doesn't get many English visitors. Of course you'll need to know (or at least use) a little italian to get by, because they don't depend on English-speaking tourists. I've been to Pesaro, for example, in the Marche region, as well as Urbino and some of the other towns. Delightful places to visit. As for Rimini my Italian friends tell me it has the reputation as a party place, acres of beach umbrellas and a place Italians go to get away and cut loose. Not sure that's what you'd be looking for if the charms of the CT coast are drawing you.

You say you're going in June and might change plans. That's an awful short window of time to decide. Do you already have reservations in the CT? If not, the decision is practically made for you, as it will be very difficult to make one there at this late time.

We went to the CT in Sept 2003 and it was beginning to feel fairly crowded already. But that's the catch with any place that's beautiful. You're not the only one who wants to go there. :-)

I am not sure I would call it more English than Italian, there will be lots of German, French, and other languages as well. I recall going to the CT in 2000, in May. It was busy, touristy, but quieted down enough times that it was charming. We returned in 2002, in late May, and had a very mixed view. Vernazza was a zoo, tour groups, school groups....standing on the train platform elbow to elbow reminded me more of a Metro stop in Rome than a quaint village. Overall, it was much more crowded, but still, as evening fell, the groups parted, and some of the calm returned. I would maybe recommend staying in one of the lesser towns of the five, but the area I am sure is still worth a visit. That said, if you are expecting a small town Italian Holiday, find another venue.

There are a lot of very touristy places in Italy where you hear less Italian than other languages. CT is definitely one of them, especially in June. However, it is still a beautiful place and if your goal is to see a very beautiful place go anyway.

If your goal is to be in a place that is not that touristy than pick something different. And there are still tons of choices in the country that are beautiful and not that touristy. Most likely, they won't be mentioned in an RS guide though ...

We were there towards the end of April, 2008

It was so crowded on the trains and walking through the towns that at times it seemed like shoulder to shoulder. Enough for me to not have a desire to go back. But everyone is different, so it's for you to decide.

We are going back to Italy in Sept just not to CT

I suspect that tourists almost always outnumber Italians in the Cinque Terre.

I went to the CT for the first time in the early 90s. Made a return trip in 2006. I could not believe how many more tourists were there. On my first trip, there were many times where I saw no other people on the stretch of trail that I was hiking. On my last trip, the trail was quite crowded and the towns were bustling with tourist activity. The towns and views are still beautiful, but you will be sharing it with many other tourists.

If you want a greater ratio of Italians in your company, then yes I'd choose another area.

Maybe look up Rimini too. I haven't been there yet so I'm not sure how crowded it is, but we're going in July to see Morrissey perform. It looks like a charming coastal town!

It's not too far from Ravenna, which I'm pretty sure is a spot that RS books discuss.

Hello everybody.
just came into this thread and , being that I'm one of the 300 people living in Manarola (one of the Cinque Terre ) year round I felt the duty to give my modest opinion ...

1) to Mimi: the end of april means one of the highest peak of the touristic season since in italy it's a national holiday april 25 and may 1st. Therefore there're no places that worth to be visited without a huge crowdness of tourists. Any other period is different.
2)The 5 Terre are very popular but this year, due to the crisis we're all experiencing, there're less foreign tourists and some more italians.
3) Even in periods of high season the Cinque Terre are never too crowded, espetially Manarola and Corniglia. Daytime it may be plenty of people but you always find beautiful spots to admire the landscape, to jump in the clear sea completely alone, to hike on the high paths meeting nobody on your way; in the evening it's very quiet, some say too quiet! The shop's owners will not jump over you to convince you to buy their stuffs, none of the restaurant waiters will attempt to kick you inside to cheat you, as it may happen in lots of touristic towns everywere in the world..

That said.. I would'nt miss this beautiful region, if this was your original idea, having as alternative to choose another place and discover that ..tourists are everywere there's something to see..

My family and I were there a few weeks ago -- mid May. We stayed in Vernazza for four days (Wed thru Saturday) and loved every minute of it. The crowds fluctuated quite a bit -- it was much busier during the week than on Friday night & Saturday morning, and we wondered if tour bus/cruise ship day-trippers were the reason. The trains between towns don't run as often as you might expect so there was usually a crowd getting on and off at each town. Nearly every shop and restaurant had signs advertising private rooms for rent--I think that Rick even says in his guide that the best rooms (and prices) are obtained at the last minute, offered by those who don't want to deal with the internet, no shows, etc. CT was our favorite stop on a 16 day trip thru Switzerland, Italy and Germany. Don't miss it!

I returned after many years last summer - I remembered it as a quiet, untouristy place, and was shocked to get off the train at Vernazza and see multiple tour groups!! Yes, it will be crowded - but the rougher part of the trail, between Manarola and Vernazza is much less so, especially in the early evening. And spending the night in one of the towns is much quieter than during the day. And it is so gorgeous, that I was still glad I went!

As I re-read my original posting I realize that I sound a bit snippy. Thank you for overlooking that, and for your courteous replies.

We were there early last July, arriving on a Sunday afternoon and leaving on Tuesday morning. Having even just 2 nights and 1.5 days, it was AMAZING. We stayed in Vernazza. We hiked from Monterosso back to Vernazza (took the boat to Monterosso in the mid-late afternoon) and saw very few others on the trail. We enjoyed swimming, eating, and relaxing.

Cinque Terre was a highlight of our trip, and I wouldn't miss it. We hope to return at some point.

If you get up early and hit the trail or the museums when they first open, you can miss the crowds. It seems that most people on vacation don't get their day going until 10 am or so. This applies to Venice as well. I get out and enjoy the morning; by the time the crowds get out, I am on to the next part of my day.

We went in late October and it was wonderful. The restaurants closed early and the towns rolled up the sidewalks by 9pm but the weather was beautiful, lodging was reasonable and it wasn't crowded.

I've been in the CT spring and fall. Spring, after mid-April was busier. In the fall it was less crowded; the commercial beaches in Monterosso close down so you have free use of the entire beach. If you are there at the right time, you may see the grapes being harvested as you hike. I think most hikers are tourists.

Hi LeAnne - Even though during the day it is somewhat touristy, at night it is much calmer. We were always able to get into any restaurant we wanted at night and it was never very crowded (of course this was end of May so things could have changed). Cinque Terre was my favorite (out of 8+ cities we saw in Italy). It is the one place if I get back to that area I will definitely make plans to go to again. It is so beautiful there.

I stayed in Riomaggiore which was less touristy than Vernazza and Monterosso. I loved it because the views first were beautiful there and at night it was quiet enough but still had enough places to go out to eat or for a drink. Corniglia I would guess would be the least touristy of all 5 (just because it's up more in the hills...and most tourists I think stay in towns that you can walk down to the water).

Have a great trip! :-)

I just wanted to come back & say that Andrew was right about us being in CT during a holiday. We were on a Village Italy tour & didn't think to check the holiday schedule, figured Rick would do that.
We had the most incredible food there, best calamari I have ever eaten.
I think it's great to have Andrew on this thread, he'll be able to help in ways that a lot of us.
LeAnne, have a good trip!

I found Manarola to be about the least “touristy” of the five villages on a recent visit. You can get a good dose of authenticity any evening. I recall watching a few local guys playing soccer in a cobblestone courtyard/square near the church and hostel one evening while we enjoyed ice cream (or maybe it was gelato) we purchased from the shop in the middle of town. I can recommend La Torretta hotel if you still need lodging. Good rates, great rooms, and magnificent balcony views of the sea. In my opinion, you need to experience this area during the summer, and that means tourists (like you). You just won't have as many in Manarola. Go and enjoy!