Favorite Cinque Terre village?

[cruisin73]

We will be spending a few hours in Cinque Terre in our upcoming Symphony of the seas cruise.  Not sure if we will be able to see all 5 villages without rushing.  Which ones would you not miss?  The only village I know I want to see is Monterosso since that's the one that's on the beach. Looks like a  nice spot to stop and have lunch.  

[mapleleaves]

A great way to see them all is on the ferry.  We started in Monterosso, rode to Riomaggiore, then walked to a few villages, then took the train. Board wherever it's convenient.  If you have time ride past all 5 villages, then on the return trip stop at whichever one interests you.

Boat excursions (cinqueterre.eu.com)

[PurpleTraveller]

A number of years ago I did a ship excursion that drove us to Riomaggiore then on to Manarola to get the ferry from there to Vernazza and then to Monterosso. Vernazza was my favourite village to walk around, have lunch and admire the very pretty village. The scenery from the ferry was beautiful. Even though the entire area was very crowded I loved our day trip to the Cinque Terre and would love to go back one day for a longer visit.

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[cruisin73]

3 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

A number of years ago I did a ship excursion that drove us to Riomaggiore then on to Manarola to get the ferry from there to Vernazza and then to Monterosso. Vernazza was my favourite village to walk around, have lunch and admire the very pretty village. The scenery from the ferry was beautiful. Even though the entire area was very crowded I loved our day trip to the Cinque Terre and would love to go back one day for a longer visit.

 

From doing a little research it seems Vernazza is a favorite of many.

[pfopma]

Love Vernaza too. Manarola would be 2nd.

[Milhouse]

It obviously depends on what you are looking for but our fave was Vernazza because we found it to have the right balance of quaintness and services that appealed to us.  Monterosso is likely my least favourite because it's the most urban but I still enjoyed it.

Not sure if there's enough time during a port of call but we really enjoyed walking the path between towns.  Starting from Riomaggiore, it starts off really easy but does get harder during the last stretch to Monterosso.

[lynncarol]

Spent 3 nights in Vernazza in Sept 2021 as part of our 3 week independent tour of Italy.  Even then, with Covid impacting the number of visitors, the place was mobbed with tourists.  We even had to stand in line to get into the village's tiny grocery store. I can only imagine the number of folks there now. That said, it is a pretty place, especially at night when the day trippers depart.  There is a small beach and lots of folks were in the water.  Maybe it was because of the crowds, but Cinque Terra was our least favorite stop in Italy.

[Hlitner]

I think lynncarol gets it right.  If you are going to Cinque Terre during the busy tourist season it is going to be a mob scene at any of the villages.  While we agree with those who favor Vernazza, even that village has suffered from the ridiculous overtourism found at these villages.  If you are prepared for hoards of other tourists than Cinque Terre is the place to go.  

 

The best way to do Cinque Terre is to spend a few days/nights staying in one of the villages and leave for other places during the daytime.  Come back to your hotel/B&B around 5pm, and the charm will begin to return as the last of the day trippers depart.  

 

Hank

[Over from NZ]

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I think lynncarol gets it right.  If you are going to Cinque Terre during the busy tourist season it is going to be a mob scene at any of the villages.  While we agree with those who favor Vernazza, even that village has suffered from the ridiculous overtourism found at these villages.  If you are prepared for hoards of other tourists than Cinque Terre is the place to go.  

 

The best way to do Cinque Terre is to spend a few days/nights staying in one of the villages and leave for other places during the daytime.  Come back to your hotel/B&B around 5pm, and the charm will begin to return as the last of the day trippers depart.  

 

Hank

We've got 4 nights in La Spezia early June before our cruise. Is there much open after 5pm do you know? The trains run till quite late I think.. we could plan to spend the evenings in Cinque Terre towns and train back to La Spezia late evening?

[Hlitner]

17 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

We've got 4 nights in La Spezia early June before our cruise. Is there much open after 5pm do you know? The trains run till quite late I think.. we could plan to spend the evenings in Cinque Terre towns and train back to La Spezia late evening?

We have never stayed in La Spezia, but I am sure you will have plenty of open cafes/restaurants with some touristy shops being open until at least 7pm.  In the villages it varies, but many of the shops stay open until at least 9 with a few open somewhat later.

 

Hank

[sgmn]

On 3/14/2023 at 6:44 PM, mapleleaves said:

A great way to see them all is on the ferry.  We started in Monterosso, rode to Riomaggiore, then walked to a few villages, then took the train. Board wherever it's convenient.  If you have time ride past all 5 villages, then on the return trip stop at whichever one interests you.

Boat excursions (cinqueterre.eu.com)

Can you advise how easy it is to get to the ferry from where the cruise ships dock (La Spenzia) and how long it would take to walk.  Also is it easy to buy a ticket on departure?

Trying to decide to DIY by ferry or by train

thanks for you help

Regards

Sue 

Edited April 14, 2023 by sgmn