Hello,
My husband and I will be in CT for 4 nights in September and wonder what your favorite town and place to stay is. We are leaning towards Manarola as it seems to be quieter, however we want lots to do (and eat) and are wondering if Vernazza may be better? Under $200 per night would be preferable and we do not care about night life.
Thoughts please?? Thank you!
My husband and I will be visiting Italy in April. I have booked a room at Aria di Mare in Manarola. After reading several great reviews online about Aria di Mare and its owner Maurizio, I emailed him to inquire about a room. He wrote back quickly, and we got a room booked. So far he has been very prompt and professional via email.
I honestly wasn't very picky with choosing the town. I was more concerned with making sure that we would be booking an accommodation that had good reviews online. I know we'll be busy checking out each town, and plus with the towns being so close in proximity, I wasn't particular about which town to stay in.
We're looking forward to our visit! :-)
Here's a few thoughts:
Monica Lercari Apartments in Vernazza - we loved this location because of the awesome balcony over the ocean. We were far enough from the piazza that we heard no evening noise, but there are 200 steps up to the lodging !
On my short list from notes I have taken from this forum:
B&B Le Terrazza, eterasse.it, in Corniglia
La Torretta, torrettas.com, in Manarola
We stayed at La Tourette in Manarola and were very happy with our choice. We hiked over to Vernazza and found it so crowded it was not enjoyable at all. All the sit-down cafes were full so we bought piadini at a bakery to eat, but all available public places to sit ( benches and low walls) were taken. Finally a shop owner allowed us to sit on the steps leading to her shop, provided we did not block traffic into her store.
If La Toretta is over your budget, take a look at the other recommendation above.
The towns are so close and a quick train ride from town to town that I would not worry about being in the "best" town. You can always eat a few towns over and ride back to your hotel. None of the towns have "lots to do" but if that is what you are looking for then Monterosso would be the best because it is the largest. Cornelia is the hardest to get to because it is not seaside and requires a bit of a hike or bus from the train station so I would prioritize it last.
.. we want lots to do
Just echoing Jen here that it's best to be self-entertained in the CT as there isn't otherwise a lot to do. It is, of course, a hot destination for hikers (who can handle steep inclines/declines and lots of steps) and exploring the 5 villages is fun but they're all very small. Take a ferry ride. Swim off the rocks, buy a spot on one of the few beaches or flop down on one of the free stretches of pebble-y sand. Check out the churches, climb up to the cemeteries, and take WAY too many pictures. 📸
I doubt that any will be quiet during the day when the day-trippers descend but any of them would be fine at night.
We stayed in Manarola and really enjoyed that. I would stay there again.
All of the 4 towns are tiny ; so if you really want variety you should stay in Monterosso.
There are a handful of places to eat in Manarola and other towns are so close by train that eating in one of them is not a problem either. You will probably find your self in Manarola around sunset/dinner time a couple of nights and in another town the other 2 nights not be design, just the way it will work out.
