Im traveling to Italy and Austria this fall. Is it worth going to Cinque Terre? Im staying in Umbria and flying out of Milan at the end of the trip. The beginning we are thinking about Milan to St Moritz to Salzburg, then to Innsbruck and Venice then Umbria. We have two weeks.
Posted by
Austin, Texas, USA
573 posts
I was there about a month or so ago and if you did not know about the flood, you would not tell by looking. Monterosso and Vernazza looked great and the trails from Monterosso to Corniglia are open. The other trails are closed but the towns are open. For train travel times, it depends on your origin. I would suggest looking on the DB train site. For your luggage, if you stay two nights (which your really should) then you take the train there in the afternoon, check in and leave your luggage at the hotel, and then you are luggage free until you check out.
Posted by
Austin, Texas, USA
573 posts
I have been twice and really like it a lot. If you like to hike then it is a must see. Even if you aren't a hiker and just want something different, it is worth it. There are boats and trains that can get you from town to town if you don't want to hike. If you go, stay at least two nights so you can have a full day there. You won't regret going. It is definately a very unique place and different than any of the other places I have been in Europe, even different than other places in Italy. Enjoy!!
Posted by
OP
Rydal
6 posts
Thanks for all the replies! Does anyone know if Cinque Terre is ok after that flood? How long does it take to get there from Umbria or Florence? What do we do with our luggage if we don't have a car?
Posted by
OP
Rydal
6 posts
Thank you
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Barb, IMO, the answer is YES, it is worth visiting the Cinque Terre. Although it's often somewhat crowded in the daytime in peak season, it's one of my favourite parts of Italy. Two or three nights would be good. When is your trip taking place? Just to clarify, the "floods" occurred in October 2011 and only affected two of the five towns. The damage has been substantially repaired (especially in Monterosso) and there are few signs of the damage (which was substantial). If you're planning to hike the Sentiero Azzurro trails, you'll have to take your chances. At the moment, two out of four are open but the situation can change at any time if there's a heavy rainfall or other events. There's an extensive network of trails in that area, so there are many others which may be open. Regardless of the status of the trails, it's very easy to get between the towns using the local trains, which are cheap. There are also boats (weather permitting). I'd suggest getting a hotel booked SOON, as the fall is often busy in the C.T. I often start contacting hotels there in February or March for travel in September, and even that early it can sometimes be challenging. You might start looking for hotels in Monterosso, as it's the largest town of the five and therefore has the greatest number of accommodations. It also has the nicest beach of the five. I don't know how current this is, but have a look at www.rebuildmonterosso.com/p/visitors-information.html for a list of hotels, etc. It's relatively easy to reach the C.T. from Umbria. Where are you staying there? It's also an easy trip to MXP via Milano Centrale. Happy travels!