dsevig

Looking forward to a 3 week or so trip split between a week in Nce to further explore the cityand Provence coast and inland and exploring the Riviera.

we would like to explore the Italian Riviera by either trains, buses and boats vs a rental car - any thoughts on how easy this can be?

starting with 3 days north of Ventimiglia and exploring the Nervia villages like Dolceacqua

then maybe 2 days or so around Noli for the seaside villages

How about 2 days in Genoa and the center treasures?? not too crazy about big cities but looks like interesting sites.

then to Levanto to explore the Cinque Terra and other villages by rail and boat..

Head back to Nice for our week there.

any suggestions as to B&b's , restuarants, getting around etc will be most appreciated!!

HappyTrvlr

Noli. Palazzo Vescovile is high up,a cliff and with sweeping views of the sea, beautiful place to,stay. Ot's restaurant has a Michelin star.

kja

For the Cinque Terre, I enjoyed La Torretta in Manarola:
http://www.torrettas.com

sandralist

If you want to get into the hills near the French border then you will need a car. Dolceacqua is only the beginning of a string of remarkable hilltowns. You need a good guidebook like Cadogan to make the most of your time there.

If you don't like cities, then give Genoa a miss. Albenga is worth visiting for its cultural treasures.

You don't say what time of year you are going but for most of the warm weather months, le Cinque Terre is extremely crowded, especially on weekends. South of Genoa, many people prefer to stay closer to the Portofino national park if they want lovely scenery and boat rides and some hiking.

You might want to think about all the driving or train time you will be doing if you go as far south as le Cinque Terre, or even much past Genoa. The hills away from the coast are fascinating and fun to explore, and lovely seaside towns like Bordighera near the French border and Noli are very similar to the towns south of Genoa, but they are much less geared toward foreign tourists.

sandralist

Sorry -- I think my last sentence wasn't very clear. I was trying to convey that exploring the hills around Dolceacqua is really a vacation adventure, and Italian coastal towns near to France like Bordighera, Noli, Cervo and Albenga are rewarding and scenic. Beyond Genova, there are beautiful spots but they are crowded and the towns are not essentially different than what you find closer to France (and in most ways less interesting and more expensive). If when you arrive to the area you get forecasts for rainy weather in areas past Genoa, I would definitely skip driving all the way there and back.

dsevig

We hope it will be May of 2015 but could be as early as late March or mid April. won't be hot but less touristy I would think. some weather risk I know

sandralist

If you get rain during Spring (which includes May), you have to suspend any plans to go driving beyond Dolceacqua into higher elevations and go find something else to do. The steep twisting mountain roads in Liguria often lack guardrails and are not the best, and the risk of slides after rain isn't to be taken lightly. Unless you are hitting a holiday period like Easter or April 25, you should be able to travel without reservations, so you can make infinite adjustments for weather. Genova has some interesting rainy day attractions but I don't think as many as Nice and its low-hill surroundings.

dsevig

what Cadogan guide would you suggest for the hill towns up north

sandralist

The Cadogan guide to Piemonte and the Italian Riviera. It lists every highlight, all along the Riviera, and has a lot of great off the beaten track tips, plus interesting historical background.

If you plan to spend as much as a week in the Riviera, I also highly recommend the guide Food Wine Genoa and the Italian Riviera by David Downie. In addition to deciphering the local food (which is fairly independent of the rest of Italy) the book has a lot of information about very small towns and interesting itineraries, from the French border to the Tuscan border. Lots in inland tips as well. The restaurant recommendations are solid and budget friendly. It also has beautiful pictures and it is a great book to read before the trip to give you a sense of the personality of the Riviera as both a tourist destination and how the locals live.