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Cannes vs. Cinque Terre

Howdy fellow travelers- My fiance and I are headed to Europe for our honeymoon (September 2013) and are contemplating between Cannes or Cinque Terre for a weekend retreat. We are also visiting Barcelona and Rome while in Europe and we enjoy doing tourist things and getting some R and R. We figure our time in Cannes or Cinque Terre will be more R and R with Barcelona and Rome being more of our tourist times. Any recommendations? Thoughts to those who have been to both?

Posted by
454 posts

If you want true R & R, unquestionably head to the Cinque Terre. You can't help but relax when you're down there. Also, fabulous food, wine and views. One of my favorite parts of Italy.

Posted by
32350 posts

Brynne, I've been to both, and Cannes was somewhat of a "disappointment". My vote would be for the Cinque Terre, without a doubt. If you decide to go there, get a hotel booking SOON!!! Congratulations!

Posted by
7 posts

My vote is for the Cinque Terre as well. Each town is breathtakingly beautiful! You can do some wonderful sightseeing by walking trails between some of the towns (be careful which trails you choose! Some are more strenuous than others and you may get a "work out" you didn't intend!) You can also travel between towns by boat or train. Relax and enjoy one of our favorite parts of Italy! The food is delicious. Seafood and basil are abundant.
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and have fun in Europe!

Posted by
249 posts

Not even close, Cinque Terre is the winner!

Posted by
28 posts

Another vote for Cinque terre! it was one of the highlights of our entire trip! The views are amazing! I highly recommend taking the walks between towns. The most incredible walk ever!

Posted by
3696 posts

Have been to both and while Cannes was interesting, it was also very pretentious with little ambience other than a Hollywood type scene. It was crowded and lots of high end hotels, etc. while CT, although crowded in the day, has the natural beauty that is amazing. Totally different, but from what you describe that you want head to CT.

Posted by
668 posts

Another vote for the CT and especially Vernazza. Try Francamaria hotel Room # 1. It is right on the square and a great view from your window. Book soon. You can take the ferry from there to Manarola and hike the trail back to Vernazza. Also do some research as to the other 4 towns, Please set aside at least 3 days to explore this unique area. Congratulations and Enjoy your honeymoon in a most exceptional country.

Posted by
3398 posts

My opinion is that Cannes is very overrated. It doesn't have a lot of French character or opportunities for R&R. If you're on your honeymoon I vote for CT! It's quiet, picturesque in the extreme, and terribly romantic! R&R can be had in abundance...relaxing on the beach, wandering the beautiful little towns and olive groves, taking boats from one town to the next, you really can't beat it.

Posted by
3941 posts

Don't get me wrong - I love CT, but last Sept when we were there on a weekend (3rd week of Sept), it was so crowded (compared to our visit in 2008) I was very disappointed, as was my husband...but still enjoyed it, just not as much...and had I realized, I would have tried to rearrange so we weren't there on a weekend. We stay in Corniglia. Now, we didn't go to Cannes, but there are a lot of gorgeous villages thru there - we stayed in Villefranche sur Mer and took a quick trip to Eze and Monaco (spending most of the time in Nice)...but taking the train thru all those lovely looking little places along the way...I have vowed to return someday to explore the French Riviera better. My one, learned the hard way, warning about CT - take some toilet paper or Kleenex's with you - I have ranted before about the horrible toilets in Monterosso at the train station (avoid unless an absolute emergency) and the lack of tp or paper towels at the public washroom in Manarola when we visited.

Posted by
922 posts

I always carry a small travel-size packet of TP and seat covers when I travel - the seat covers for when there is a seat! Charmin makes a tiny packet of 5, and Magellan's sells small packets of travel TP. Tissues from hotel rooms are also good - when there are some in the hotel room.

Posted by
811 posts

"...and Magellan's sells small packets of travel TP." People actually pay money for something like that ($7.50, to be exact, as I just had to look it up), when a small Zip-lock and some strips from your roll at home will work just as well? At any rate, Brynne, if you decide on Cinque Terre, my husband and I stayed in what I would consider a honeymoon-worthy hotel called La Mala in Vernazza. It's been a few years since we've been there, but it looks like online reviews still regard it highly. They also have some rooms with views. http://www.lamala.it/en/

Posted by
3941 posts

I 'borrowed' a roll of tp from the B&B :) I did notice here at a local drugstore in the travel size section, they had about a 1/4 roll of tp you could buy for .99 - the nice thing was it was in a little plastic cover - tho I'm sure your own tp and a Ziploc would work just as well...lol.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful responses. Tim and I are going to CT for the weekend, based on the feedback provided. Funny to hear there are TP issues, I'll make sure to bring some with me. :) Also, does anyone have any recommendations for hotels (I reached out to La Mala to see if their is availability), but I looked on BandB and it doesn't look like their are a lot of options. Any other hotel or town recommendations? Also, we are coming from Barcelona, thoughts on train vs. plane to La Pisa and over? Thanks again this was really helpful!

Posted by
33819 posts

Fly, if you can find a decent and reasonably priced cheap airline. The train takes 4 evers.

Posted by
3941 posts

I used arbaspaa.com both times to book our stay (in Corniglia, same b&b, diff rooms). They also offer excursions (boat, scenic flights, wine tours) and have a little shop in Vernazza where they sell hiking gear.