Travel to Cinque Terre

Three. Yes.
Four. Yes, but it won't help. It will be crowded no matter what and you and I are the masses. You don't say what your interests are, perhaps there are other Ligurian cities you'd prefer such as Santa Margherita Ligure. Look at this article to get a handle on the crowds. http://www.apathtolunch.com/2016/03/cinque-terre-16-tips-for-avoiding-crowds.html#more
Five. You better hurry as many places will be full for August already.
Six. No car rental offices in the CT. Rapallo Europcar is the easiest northbound, then you won't have to drive around within Genoa. La Spezia Avis is also fairly easy. Mind the open times for the offices.

One. There is only one rail line along the coast, with a variety of trains running on it. InterCity trains actually provide more of the service between Genova and Monterosso. Buy the ticket in the station, but it will be for a specific train with seat assignment. Continuing from Monterosso to Vernazza and other Cinque Terre towns is usually by unreserved regional trains, which make all the stops, and now run twice per hour. How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it; schedules published through June 11.

Thank you both! Have either of you stayed in Cinque Terre? Do you have a hotel recommendation? Looking for something with a view, but also accessible for shops, dining, wine, etc.

Trying to knock out all of my hotel bookings this week!

Shari,

Are you flying into Genova, or travelling from somewhere else?

Regarding your questions......

1. There's only one route so it's an easy trip to get from Genova to the Cinque Terre. I haven't checked but there will probably be more departures from Genova Piazza Principe than from other stations. Use the Trenitalia website to research the various options. What time will you be arriving in Genova?

2. What happened to question 2?

3. The travel time for Genova to Monterosso ranges from ~1H:17M to 2H:32M either direct or with 1 or 2 changes, depending on which train you use.

4. There may be a web site that shows when the cruise ships are docking in Livorno or La Spezia, but I've never bothered to check. It's possible to minimize the problems with crowds by not being in the town centres from about 10:00 - 16:00 (Vernazza is especially problematic and doesn't handle crowds well).

5. As you have a generous travel budget, here are a few hotels you can have a look at.....

Hotel Villa Steno - one of my favourites in all of Europe, but at this late date you may not be able to get a booking (but try anyway). It's a bit above the old town but not difficult to get to, and the location ensures that it's a quiet oasis and far from the cruise ship hordes.

Hotel Pasquale - also an excellent choice and easier to get to, however it's right on the main street at the entrance to the old town.

Hotel Porto Roca - given your budget, this would be an excellent choice. It's at the far end of the old town but in somewhat of a secluded location so you won't have to deal with crowds while you're there (although hikers going to the trails will be walking past the hotel). The hotel has incredible views and a relatively new swimming pool, where you can sit in the sun overlooking the gorgeous ocean views with a Prosecco (or other beverage of choice).

Whichever hotel you choose, you'll need to get cracking and get something booked SOON!

1. There are no car rental agencies in Monterosso or Vernazza. The closest office is probably La Spezia. Note that each driver listed on the rental contract will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are easily obtained at any AAA office for a small charge, and are valid for one year.

2. A few restaurants in Monterosso that you could consider....

• Cantina di MIky (new town, close to the station, closed Wednesdays as I recall, they also have craft beers)
• L' Alta Marea (old town, part way up Via Roma, small outdoor patio and more seating inside, wonderful owners)
• Ristorante Belvedere (old town, facing the beach, gets busy in the evenings so go early, don't order the famous Amfora Belvedere unless there are at least four of you and you all really like seafood).
• Ristorante Ciak (old town, close to the main piazza, mostly seafood)
• Miky (new town, towards the north end, and again mostly seafood and somewhat "upscale")

Buon Viaggio!

Shari, at this late date you may have to take whatever is still open. We like La Spiaggia in Monterosso (not a luxe property but you can't beat the location) but I'm pretty sure it's already booked for August.

Ken's post:

Cantina di MIky (new town, close to the station, closed Wednesdays as
I recall, they also have craft beers)

Yes, yes, yes: great spot and good food.

https://www.facebook.com/La-Cantina-di-Miky-135177229885708/info/?tab=page_info

Thank you all for your feedback. This forum is amazing.

We are traveling from Atlanta to Genoa, returning same route. It was a purchase on the Delta app over multiple margaritas when we saw a great flight rate. We were originally looking for Barcelona... following the margarita theme in our muddled brains (should have been looking for Cabo)... and then I recalled that Guiada did a recent show in Italy and Googled closest airport to Portofino and found a great rate to Genoa. Of course, Guiada filmed in Positano which I figured out a day later after the margarita haze.

I think that's why we are a bit behind the 8 ball as this was not a planned trip with known destinations. All of your feedback is so helpful as we try to quickly map out what we are going to do for our brief 8-day stay. I am really looking forward to a visit. Haven't been to Italy or France in over 20-years! Keep the recommendations coming. From Cinque Terre we plan on renting a car to drive up the coast to Cannes.

And obviously Ken, I can't count :) But this time I can't blame it on margaritas.

Shari, You might be interested in the pretty town of Camogli and the Hotel Il Cenobio del Doge part of the movie 'The Trip to Italy'. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0406rg3

Shari,

As you haven't been to Italy in many years, there are a few potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware when using trains or other public transit. You may already be aware of these, but if not here's a quick tutorial....

• For travel on Regionale trains, buses, metro or whatever, you MUST validate locally purchased tickets prior to boarding on the day of travel or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! DO NOT validate the day prior to travel as they have a "shelf life" (about 6 hours) once validated and will have expired by the time they're used.
• For travel on the fast trains such as Freccia or Intercity, you MUST have a seat reservation or again, fines on the spot! The seat reservations are specific to train, date and departure time, so can ONLY be used on the one train listed on the ticket. If you board the wrong train by mistake, you guessed it, possibly fines on the spot. Reservations (if required) will be included with your tickets. Tickets for these types of trains do not have to be validated. Therefore it's important to be aware of the type of trains you'll be using.

For the few short trips you'll be taking, buying tickets in Italy is probably the easiest solution. You can buy either at a staffed ticket office or at one of the automated Kiosks (they have an English-language option). It is possible to buy advance tickets for the fast trains and save some money, but keep in mind that the cheapest Super Economy tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable once purchased. If you miss the train, the tickets are worthless. You may find it helpful to watch THIS short video which describes how to use the Italian trains.

Although your trip was planned in a Margerita-induced stupour, I'm sure you'll be able to make the best of it and have a nice holiday. Be sure to try some Pesto in the Cinque Terre, as it was invented in that area.

As I mentioned above, there are also some "caveats" with rental cars. For driving in Italy, you'll need to do some research on the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas as hefty fines there too.

I like your spontaneity!

About the car: I would drop it in Italy, take a short train ride to Nice and rent there, to avoid a drop off charge out of country. You won't need a car for Cinque Terre.

Hope you get to Positano next time!