lrjones

We will be driving from Barcelona to Italy in June. Which Italian beach towns and hotels are a "must"? I have viewed posts on Portofino, Positano, Ravello, Capri, etc. If cost were no object, which towns and hotels would you absolutely have to do? We only have seven days and want to make the most of our visit. We move fast and want to get in as many stops as possible. Thanks so much

alihutch

Gosh, that's some drive. I take it that you realise that Barcelona to the Italian border is nearly a 7 hour drive?

lrjones

We do. We just love driving and seeing as much as possible. It would give us a chance to pass through France and hit Monaco on the way, too. I know it seems crazy but we've done much tougher drives. I'm really interested in stopping through a few of Italy's best coastal towns. Even one night in one place is fine and then on to another. I'm looking for those place not to be missed. Thanks for any input.

Wooders101

Hi Irjones. If you're heading from Monaco toward Italy, and are considering a stop in Portofino, then the Cinque Terre is not much further south and in my opinion, worth a stop of a few days. It's not an easy place to visit with a car though, because the five villages are traffic restricted. You will need to investigate a place to park your car somewhere above one of the villages for the duration of your Cinque Terre visit, and you can hike, catch trains or boats between the five towns. It will also be getting busy in June, so you might want to consider booking accommodation there beforehand. Monterosso al Mare is the largest of the five towns (although perhaps not the prettiest) so it will probably have the most accommodation options. For me, Cinque Terre is amongst the prettiest scenery in Italy.

jamikins

Hi there,

I have never been to those areas, and you may already be aware of this but it never hurts to let people know.

Have you checked into the cost of renting a car in Spain and dropping it in Italy (perhaps you arent renting it...?) The drop off fees for this are usually very high. Might be something to budget in...

Enjoy your trip!

Massimo1000

im thinking about cinque terre as well......ill be in nice and heading down to the amalfi. wasnt sure the best way to see cinque terre and move on to the amalfi

i can get a cheap flight to rome from Nice but the amalfi coast is still a few hours away.

i will have a car in nice but didnt want one for cinque terre and didnt want one for the amalfi.

im trying to watch the budget too.

any ideas

zeppole

In June you are going to find the coast crowded with cars, especially on weekends. Unless you have made hotel reservations in advance that include parking, you will find it difficult to park in coastal towns in Italy, and nearly impossible on weekends. Some roads -- like the ones into Portofino and le Cinque Terre -- will be backed up solid with traffic jams.

If you want to wing it, you need to pack the Michelin Red Guide for Italy, the Cadogan Guide for the Italian Riviera, and the Italian Touring Club Guide (if you can find it in English). You will do better finding last-minute accommodations by looking slightly inland.

The tourist destinations on the Italian Riviera are Portofino and le Cinque Terre. Both can be reached for a sightsee by boat from adjacent towns with better parking: Santa Margherita Ligure and Rappalo for Portofino, Levanto and Lerici for le Cinque Terre.

The Tuscan coastline has few prize beach destinations and, even moving at warp speed, I do not think you can reach the Amalfi in your time frame.

Instead of driving, you might consider taking the overnight ferry from Barcelona to Genova, renting a car in Italy and using it to travel into France and Monaco, and then spending some days on the Riviera near le Cinque Terre.

lrjones

Thanks to all for the excellent advice. In order to see Amalfi, it sounds like we're going to need to fly into Italy. Thanks for the "reality check" on the driving. Any hotels that are high on your list in these areas? Thanks.

Massimo1000

this helps shape my itinerary too.

the overnight ferry from barcelona to genoa sounds very interesting. im wondering what other ferries there are too.

im thinking a car in nice to venture out and make day trips should be ok and actually cinque terre should be reachable and then back to drop the car off in nice.

from nice you can fly to rome very cheap (30 euros) or to naples more expensive (100 euros) and then i assume busing it from there to get to a nice spot in positano or therabouts.

bobthenavigator

Where do you plan to drop the car?
Are you aware of drop charges?

Massimo1000

pick up in nice and drop off in nice. the only thing i didnt check is how far cinque terre is from nice.

jhager

If you stay in Vernazza in Cinque Terre try Elisabetta Villa- a tiny apartment built into the mountain wall. She has a website. You can park your car in the lot above the town and roll your suitcase down(and up). Vernazza is so beautiful and you can hike to the other towns or take the train. Lots of tourist during the day, but like most of the popular spots in Italy, the tourist disappear at night...I'm not sure where they go. Santa Margarita near Portofina is a little larger and easier on the budget, if that is an issue. You can drive there or take the train. The Amalfi Coast is always crowded, but it is beautiful and you can save time by taking the train and renting a car for the day or 2 you are there if you like to drive the coast road. Sorrento is larger and has beautiful views over the bay of Naples towards Naples . Ravello, Amalfi and Positano are quaint, pretty and very crowded, but worth every bump and jostle. If you stay in Sorrento, the Imperial Hotel Tramontana is lovely with views to die for and a short walk from the train station if you pack light. Most hotels will help you arrange a car rental. The trains in Italy are wonderful, on time, easy, you can enjoy the view while you sip a glass of wine.