We have found rooms in Manarola, Riomaggiore and Vernazza for the time we plan on being in CT. Any suggestions on which to choose would be helpful? Also, 2 or 3 nights? Thanks
Pete
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
We stayed at Rick's favorite, Vernazza, and found it's probably the most picturesque of the towns. We were happy with our choice.
If I were to choose a different town it would be Monterosso because there is some nightlife and a beach for swimming. Monterosso is also the best choice for drivers and people who have diffuculty with stairs (though still not perfect for someone with limited mobility).
We stayed two nights on a month-long vacation and I thought that was plenty. There isn't much to do other than some light hiking - it's more of a place to take a break from your vacation, so you should judge how much of a break you're likely to need during your trip. The chance to relax and the ocean made CT one of my wife's favorites.
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
Hey Pete,
To add to what Brad was saying, your choice will probably depend on what you are looking for. Manarola is the smallest and quietest of the three, but also very nice. If you stay in either Riomaggiore or Manarola you can easily walk the Via dell'Amore any time you want - which is especially beautiful at sunset. I stayed in Riomaggiore and thoroughly enjoyed it, though it is the largest of the three towns that you have mentioned.
Vernazza is the most picturesque of the three but I would suggest that you let the type of room you found dictate your stay. Go for the best view you can get regardless of the town, as it is very easy to get to any of the other towns anyways.
For the number of days, I think three full days is sufficient so long as you want to spend one day hiking, another day touring each of the towns, and one last day relaxing on the beach. If you want to cut out any of those activities, you can remove your days accordingly.
Posted by
Shubenacadie, NS, Canada
40 posts
we visited all the towns last September(other than Corniglia-I just COULDN'T face all those steps!Riomaggiore was horrible-it may just have been a bad day,but I found the people unfriendly where we went,and honestly,it was falling apart and dirty.Vernazza was PACKED when we went,but pretty,but we stayed in Monterrosso which was by FAR the nicest-the old town and new town make if feel like 2 separate towns joined together,and the beaches and shops are lovely.Manarola was very small,quiet,and didn't look like there was anything to do.