Walking disabilities I'm staying in beautiful Manarola. This enchanting village as well as the rest of Cinque Terre are not walking disability friendly. The roads are extremely steep and so are the stairs to many of the hotel rooms. I've had both knees and a hip replaced; my hands are disfigured from rheumatoid arthritis. Many staircases do not have hand rails. To leave and return to my room, I have to descend and climb 80 stairs to get to my room. I only do this once a day. I leave in early morning and rerun in late evening. Wheelchair is impossible to use here too.
CASH ONLY The privately owned hotels, the restaurants, markets and boat rides are cash only basis! Make sure you bring enough cash for your hotel, food, entertainment and shopping. In fact, over estimate how much you need before arriving here, so you won't go into shock! There's only ONE ATM MACHINE in Manarola!
RICK STEVES WATER BOTTLE
This is an Enormous Money Saver! My family didn't want one when I bought mine. I'm using it constantly every day. While they're spending 60€ euros a day on bottled water. I fill mine up at the hotel in the morning and at the water taps. It's especially handy on tours, riding trains and buses. I'm traveling for three more weeks of a twelve week journey. It's a life and thirst saver!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
"spending 60€ euros a day on bottled water" - What! In the rare event I have left my battered water bottle at home, I just buy one bottle of water and keep refilling it. A lot less than €60.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23642 posts
Wow, you must have a large family with you. That is at least 30 and probably closer to 50 bottles of water per day.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16618 posts
Sounds like you're having a bit of a time but cheerfully managing as best you can: good for you!
No, the Cinque Terre is definitely not an easy place for anyone with mobility problems. The fact that most of the villages are built on hills make for many steps and steep climbs, and most of the lovely-but-old buildings can't accommodate lifts. For future reference, Monterosso is the best choice in these situations as it has the largest amount of relatively flat ground. We also stayed in a hotel there which did have an elevator.
And no, it's not unusual for businesses to refuse credit cards (the hotel I mentioned was cash-only) as they're a more costly method of payment for them. Good advice to bring a healthy stash of euros!
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8337 posts
My wife has knee and arthritis problems, but I know her limitations. And I know the C/T is a place for those not mobility challenged.
I didn't know anywhere didn't readily accept credit cards in most of the modern world. And only one ATM in a village is travesty.
We take a couple of big water bottles with us, and Italian water is decent. We take small envelopes of iced tea and other water flavors to save money on soda, etc. We continue to eat a big breakfast (when free), picnic for lunch and pay for one meal per day.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16618 posts
David, it's more expensive for retailers to accept cards. As restaurants in the CT tend to be smaller than many we're used to in the U.S - and many close up over the winter when tourism is thin - it's a bit tougher to break even. And Manarola is pretty tiny so one ATM may be all they feel is needed for their population.
The other little villages are only a couple minutes away by train, and all have ATMS which can be used if necessary. Monterosso has more of them, being it's the largest of the five.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33994 posts
500 ml bottles of water are readily available at supermarkets for €00,29 so €60.00 per day would be over 200 bottles of water.
I know it is important to stay hydrated.
Posted by
Seattle
409 posts
Many small business, especially mom and pop ones, will refuse credit cards because they eat into the profit so much. An Italian restaurant owner explained it to me this way.
Two people have a meal at the restaurant - main course, wine and share a dessert. The total cost is 50 euros. The restaurant owner makes a profit of 10 euros after deducting all his various expenses - food, staff, operating costs, rent, etc. The credit card company charges him 3% of the total bill - 1.50 euro. But that 1.50 means that 15% of his profit goes to the credit card company. That's why he does not take credit cards. He needs the food, drink, staff to provide the delicious meal, but the CC adds nothing to to the dining experience. The food does not taste better, the wine is not better, the service does not improve because I pay with a credit card.
I don't blame him one bit. I would rather he got the money than the banks.
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
I know to pay in cash when I travel to Europe, especially in places with few large chain stores/hotels/restaurants - i.e. the places I do want to see! I also bring my own water bottle everywhere and refill it on the go.
However, arriving in Monterosso, there was no place to refill my water bottle. The public fountain and the sinks in the public washrooms had signs indicating that the water was NOT potable. No supermarket in sight so we bought bottled water on the beach. And that was at least 2 Euros if not more (can't remember) for a small 500 ml bottle. It was 95F and we were planning to hike to Vernazza, bought a few bottles and still ran out before reaching the next place to get fresh water ....
Posted by
Paris
10287 posts
Are you traveling with 30 or 60 family members??