Vernazza-Top or Bottom?

Uphill: train station noise, no steps (at Tonino's) probably no ocean view.

Downhill: possibly view of the ocean, no train station noise, possibly Piazza Marconi noise, possibly lots of steps.

The town is so close that distance to anything is not an issue.

There is no railroad noise at the top of the town. We have stayed at Toninno Basso's and it was great- FYI his rooms are air-conditioned and he has a computer in each room for your use. However, he books up very far in advance.

What do you all think my odds are on finding public parking space on Wednesday August 13th?
I am now considering stopping in Levantro and taking the train into Vernazza for our one night stay.

We are staying at Nicolina's on the main square.

re: No noise at at the top of town, my apologies. I could have sworn that I had read that somewhere.

re: Public parking on a Wednesday, I would consider driving to Vernazza. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, on the 8th of July, and there were plenty of spots. At the advice of our "hotel", La Mala', we called them that morning, and they called the parking lot to give them a heads up of our arrival. No guarantees, but they said that that helps. The drive was truly spectacular; in our opinion, not the nightmare a lot of folks make it out to be (but, different strokes and all ...).

Lori. We stayed at Maria's Cozy Studio right on the square by the sea wall. Her other room is even closer to the water. We just loved being down by the water. It's a protected cove, locals gather there after the work day and in the evening. While its not a long walk from the train station area, for us (obviously a personal choice), we found being in the centre of the town space was a real advantage. The old church, right by the sea wall has amazing bells (around 5 pm the bells play Ave Maria). For ambience, feel, and one of the best seafood restaurants (Vulanet- fresh and very reasonable) I would vote for down by the water. Also, depending on the time of year when you visit, the foot traffic from the train station down to the water can be very, very, busy...packed. Either way you'll have a great time.

Unless you are on the water, everything is uphill. We stayed in an apartment about a block or two uphill behind the church. The water to the train station is only equal to about five or six city blocks (maybe less).

Closer to the water is good but it's not so far that you can't walk from anywhere.

I wouldn't plan on a parking space. We were there in late October and found we could have parked even though it was a tiny lot. In August, I wouldn't expect any space. You will need to park in La Spezia or on the other side if you're coming from the North.

Thanks for your help :)

We stayed also at LaMala and I was worried about the parking issue. We arrived late Sunday afternoon last week and there were lots of spots available. The folks at LaMala did offer to assist by calling the parking lot in advance, but we didn't do so and encountered no problems nonetheless. The drive, for the last 30 minutes from the autostrada, was OK ... very steep and narrow roads, but no problems.

As for uphill or down, Vernazza is a very small village so you're really talking about a 3 minute walk from the upper limit of town to the lower limit of town, so I think either is fine. We loved LaMala, despite the steps. We could faintly hear the train arrive and depart, we could faintly hear the activity on Piazza Marconi - - - but after all day walking and exploring, we could have slept through anything!

Enjoy Cinque Terre ... one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen.