Cinque Terre or Siena and San Gimigano

[millergj]

Have been to Florence and Pisa and will be traveling on Carnival Breeze. For those who have been to Cinque Terre and Siena and San Gimigano, which did you prefer and why?

Thanks

[CathyCruises]

Siena and San G. Just a personal preference--loved them all but those two are spectacular. Cinque Terre is picturesque but really just little dilapidated villages clinging to the walls above the sea. So much history in the other two.

[eh2zed]

Have been to Florence and Pisa and will be traveling on Carnival Breeze. For those who have been to Cinque Terre and Siena and San Gimigano, which did you prefer and why?

Thanks

Been to them all but tough question. Its like choosing a favourite child. I got this far on my post and 5 minutes later I still can't decide. So I asked DW. She says Sienna and San G. You really are not going to be disappointed either way.

[Hlitner]

Agree with the others that it is difficult to choose between the two options as they are both excellent ways to spend a port day.

 

Hank

[maidncruze]

We just returned from a Med. cruise and while I can't comment on Siena or Cinque Terra we loved San Gimignano.

 

I wish we could have spent more time there. The drive to get to San Gimi was absolutely beautiful. (pic's attached)

 

Being Italian, San Gimi is everything that I love about Italy. A small quaint town up in the hills that is so rich in history, unspoiled beauty, wonderful people and just a nice place to walk around and socialize with the locals.

 

Frank

[millergj]

Thanks for the replies and especially for the pictures. Are there any good wineries near those towns?

[maidncruze]

There are many wineries near San Gimignano.

http://www.cellartours.com/italy/italian-cities/san-gimignano.html

 

Frank

[eh2zed]

Tuscany is a great wine district.

[agabbymama]

Thanks for the replies and especially for the pictures. Are there any good wineries near those towns?

 

Not sure exactly how close it is to San G, but we did a ship's tour that included San G and Castle Oliveto(winery). Both were absolutely beautiful.

 

http://www.castellooliveto.it/photogallery.html

[slidergirl]

Wow. Like others have said, a tough choice.

I'll say go for the drive to Siena and S.G. It's a gorgeous drive. Make a day of it, with the driving, stopping to view the landscapes, taste a little wine. I'd even make a quick stop someplace and pick up some bread, cheese, salumi and have them as "munchies" as you drive the countryside!!!

I love Cinque Terre. But, IMHO, unless you have the time to walk between all villages and have time to spend a little in each, I would pass it up. I was lucky enough to spend several days there, basing in Vernazza. There is such a difference between the daytime when the crowds show up and what happens when they leave. I mean, they are small villages. Not much in the way of shopping except for a few tourist shops that sell the same things. It's the going into the produce store, the bakery, the cheese and meat store and picking up a few things for lunch or dinner that made it special. I got to talk to the locals, ask what their favorites were, taste some truly locally grown/harvested/fished items. Cinque Terre lends itself to a slow style, which is not really achievable on a part-day cruise stop.

[iancal]

I think it is akin to asking someone what their favorite color is so that you can determine what yours is.

 

Both are wonderful...it really depends upon you specific preferences and where you have travelled before.

[millergj]

Thanks again for all the replies. After your feedback and research I have started a group to share a tour to Siena and San Gimognano. I have plenty of time to research more. And we plan to go to a winery for lunch inbetween. Thanks again for your help and now I will start working on the next port.

[ny cruisequeen]

I just read your post. you made a good decision. The travel time to the 5 towns and back takes up a lot of the day. Travel between the towns takes time. If you go in the summer, and it very hot, the pace must be quick to see each town and you will be exhausted. You will have to skip two towns in order to get back to the ship on time. We did the 5 towns with the ship's excursion and we were an hour late returning in the traffic! We were also half dead from the pace! You need to either dock right there or have two days or more to really enjoy it! It is beautiful!

[millergj]

I just read your post. you made a good decision. The travel time to the 5 towns and back takes up a lot of the day. Travel between the towns takes time. If you go in the summer, and it very hot, the pace must be quick to see each town and you will be exhausted. You will have to skip two towns in order to get back to the ship on time. We did the 5 towns with the ship's excursion and we were an hour late returning in the traffic! We were also half dead from the pace! You need to either dock right there or have two days or more to really enjoy it! It is beautiful!

 

 

We are going Sept. 19 on the new Carnival Breeze. I use Share a Shore Excursion in Italy and already started a group. We did all private tours, and several through them on Carnival Magic about a month ago and they were great.

[Wildblue]

Hmmmm... some pictures convinced us to do Cinque Terra on our upcoming port stop at Livorno. We're going to do it on our own, taking a train there. We're not going to be frantic about it--we'll see what we see, enjoy the shops and sights, and if we run out of time? Ehhh... oh, well. We've been to Florence before. Would like to do Gimigiano, but this time around I think we'll stick with Cinque Terra.

 

Would love to hear if anybody has recommendations of specific thing(s) to see or do there!

[4774Papa]

Siena and San G. Just a personal preference--loved them all but those two are spectacular. Cinque Terre is picturesque but really just little dilapidated villages clinging to the walls above the sea. So much history in the other two.

I haven't been to Cinque Terre, but I have been to Siena and San G. Siena and San G. were must see items. Also, the ride through the Tuscan countryside is super.

[Budget Queen]

I haven't been to Cinque Terre, but I have been to Siena and San G. Siena and San G. were must see items. Also, the ride through the Tuscan countryside is super.

 

How long should a trip including San G and Sienna take?? I have to take a look at a map, but is there only one way there from Livorno?? I have a car rental and looking for a relaxing scenic day. Would like to drive by the Tower of Pisa, I have 12 hours in port, with 9-10 hours for touring.

[4774Papa]

How long should a trip including San G and Sienna take?? I have to take a look at a map, but is there only one way there from Livorno?? I have a car rental and looking for a relaxing scenic day. Would like to drive by the Tower of Pisa, I have 12 hours in port, with 9-10 hours for touring.

We stayed in Siena when we visited the area and drove to Pisa, coming back on the back roads thru San G. It seems to me that the distance is about 100 miles. I think you could do it in a day, since you won't spend a lot of time at San G. Siena is no more than half a day. The only thing to see at Pisa is the leaning tower/baptistry, etc.

[millergj]

Hmmmm... some pictures convinced us to do Cinque Terra on our upcoming port stop at Livorno. We're going to do it on our own, taking a train there. We're not going to be frantic about it--we'll see what we see, enjoy the shops and sights, and if we run out of time? Ehhh... oh, well. We've been to Florence before. Would like to do Gimigiano, but this time around I think we'll stick with Cinque Terra.

 

Would love to hear if anybody has recommendations of specific thing(s) to see or do there!

 

Let me know how it is.

[kuldalai]

Forget the CT as at late October, 2011 owing to torrential downpours, flooding and landslides .

 

SIENA is a great day out, just be ready to walk .

[PhylSam]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8850032/Villages-all-but-wiped-out-as-storms-batter-Italys-Cinque-Terre.html

 

How terrible for these people.

[sevenseassailor]

Can anyone recommend a place to stay for 3 or 4 days in Tuscany area?? Looking for smaller place (maybe 6 rooms max) just outside a town for around 100 Euros. Looking for end Oct 2012 before our Nov 2nd RCL Mariner transatlantic cruise. Just want to veg out, drink vino, and eat pastas!

[bobalink]

Can anyone recommend a place to stay for 3 or 4 days in Tuscany area?? Looking for smaller place (maybe 6 rooms max) just outside a town for around 100 Euros. Looking for end Oct 2012 before our Nov 2nd RCL Mariner transatlantic cruise. Just want to veg out, drink vino, and eat pastas!

 

Depends on where you want to stay in Tuscany. We stayed in Montepulciano at a wonderful agriturismo (farmhouse) called Villa Mazzi.

 

They get high marks on Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g194833-d1460315-Reviews-Agriturismo_Villa_Mazzi-Montepulciano_Tuscany.html

 

Villa Mazzi website: http://www.villamazzi.it/azienda.en.php

 

The Tuscan hill towns are dotted with many choices for an agriturismo, and they are very affordable. You must have a car to tour the hill towns, as trains and buses are not practical for the most part.

 

You mentioned you want to drink vino...

Montepulicano is famous for Vino Nobile wine. Nearby is Montalcino, famous for Brunello wine. Of course, Greve in Chianti isn't far, either.

 

We found plenty of good places to get good pasta in Montepulciano, Pienza and Cortona.

 

Enjoy your visit to Tuscany, it is amazing!

[rlse9]

Both are great ways to spend the day, though both would probably be a little rushed due to the travel distances. Siena is a beautiful city, spent a couple nights there back in August. Really enjoyed it, the Cathedral there is extremely beautiful, one of my favorites that I've ever seen. San Gimigano is nice, too, amazing views along the drive and from town, we climbed to the top of the tower in the center of town, The Cathedral there was a little disappointing, not as impressive as others had made it out to be in my opinion, and they didn't allow photos inside which I found a little disappointing.

 

As was mentioned, Cinque Terre got hit by major flooding and mudslides a couple days ago but hopefully they'll get things cleaned up and repaired soon. We managed to see all 5 towns briefly and did the hiking between towns along the coast, except for the one section of trail which was closed due to mudslides last year. The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza had stunning views the entire way and was definitely the highlight of the day. The towns themselves are nice but the views along the way were what made in special.

 

You can't go wrong with either one, it just depends on your interests.

 

One tip for Siena, if you go there try to get to the Cathedral early if possible. We got there at around 10:15am and the Cathedral didn't open until 10:30am so we waited around for it to open and were the first people inside. It was so much nicer right when we got in than an hour later when we were leaving and the place was filled with tourists.

[Hlitner]

For a short stay we love the area that extends from San Gimignano south to Siena. There are quite a few B&Bs and smaller inns that are listed on Venere.com (this is like the Expedia of Europe). Try going to Venere and just typing-in San Gimignano and you will get a long list (many under 100 Euros). Venere also has a convenient map feature where you can bring up all these places on a regional map. The reason we like this particular sub-region is simply location, location, location. You can visit many smaller towns (i.e. San Gimiganano, Volterra, Cole val d'Elsa), drive over to the Chianti area and explore wineries (and other small towns), of even go into Florence or Siena. If we want to go into Florence and do not feel like driving we will sometimes park at Certaldo (free parking) where we can catch the regional train into Florence.

 

Hank