We will be in Cinque Terre October 25-28 (2 adults & 1 teenage boy). We are taking the train from Venice to CT. Where should we stay (budget up to 300 euro a night for something special)? Has anyone walked through the gated tunnel to Guvano Beach where you have to ring the buzzer and pay 5 euro to get into the tunnel? Is it worth it? What's on the "do not miss" list for that area?

I liked Villa Steno in Monterosso!

My main do not miss would be some of the walking between towns; we enjoyed walking between a couple, train between a couple, and boat. I was there in April so not sure what weather you should expect October (seems like it should be pleasant). I didn't do the tunnel thing.

Lunch or cafe in Vernazza on the water (by the tower) was fun.

I will be folloing this thread! I have a similar trip planned for May and I am excited to see what responses you get. Good question.

The landscape and the sea are the "do not miss" reasons for being there. As Annw says, the walk between towns is wonderful and the best, only really, way to fully appreciate the setting. And take the train back to where you start if the rt doesn't appeal. It's nice you'll be there for more than 1 night. Posts I've read before tend to discount the area as a place to stay for a while. I was there one spring in an apartment and loved it, especially out on the paths and in the evening when the day trippers left and a relative peace returned.

If you search for 'Cinque Terre' you'll find literally dozens of previous posts about accommodation and recommendations in the area.

Thank you for your response. I am reading through the posts now but most likely will stay in Manarola.

We stayed in Casa Capellini in Manarola but it was pretty basic. The best thing was the balcony and wonderful view over the village and sea. There were only 2 small hotels when we were there, one with (I suspect) no view at all due it's position and one right by the sea. Probably your best bet is to try and find a private apartment with good views. Be prepared for lots of uphill walking in all the villages. We had 4 nights in Manarola and did a lot of exploring of the area. 3 nights would have been enough in hindsight.

Good luck with the search.
Kay

My husband and I visited the CT during our honeymoon in July of 1999 and we dream of going back. We stayed at the Marina Piccola in Manarola and would stay there again: http://www.hotelmarinapiccola.com/. We walked to all of the other villages, except for Monterosso. Have fun!

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Have you reviewed this trip report re: CT? The original poster as well as a respondent described their trek thru dark unlit tunnel to that beach .....
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

At least when I was there in 2002 and 2004, Guvano beach was a nude beach. Just FYI . You don't have to strip down of course, but most of the people there were at least partially nude. The beach itself isn't anything to speak of. It's a pebble beach and everytime I've been there, it was covered in seaweed and cigarette butts. There are some big rocks at one end where you can sunbathe. For a better beach, try Monterosso (2 sandy beaches) or the tiny sand beach in Vernazza.

P.S. Your visit will be pretty late in October... be prepared for the possibility of rain and cool weather.

We like Hotel Villa Steno in the old town portion of Monterosso. We've also had nice stays in rented rooms in various houses in Vernazza. If you stay at Hotel Villa Steno, you're just a few minutes walk from the start of the hiking trail to the other 4 CT villages. The hikes from Monterosso to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Corniglia are the most difficult but are also the most beautiful in my opinion.

We enjoyed our stay at Hotel Puerto Rocca in Monterosso, beautiful views and excellent dining..

Thank you for the information. Upon further reading of the tunnel to Guvano Beach I did indeed find that not only was it a nude beach but also that the tunnel lights have been shut off so you need a flashlight to get through it. We ended up renting a lovely apartment in Manarola which came highly recommended.

Through some reading, La Mala in Vernazza seems to be another recommendation.

http://www.lamala.it/en/camere/index.html

While I haven't been there, I am also debating where to stay in CT. However, we are looking at November. My dd is 'dying' to go there, so I'm planning on trying to hedge my bets and have a good weather plan and a bad weather plan with regards to days and order of where we go.

I don't mind cold, clouds or even mist, I just don't want downright downpour!

We, too, loved the Porto Roca in Monterosso. Room had a large private terrace with spectacular views.

http://www.portorocahotel.com/index.html

Byrd

I will be there this coming week (can't even believe it) and will return before your trip. So watch for my trip report. I'm bringing hiking sandals and comfie clothes to hike between the towns. Anyone know how difficult the hiking is?

I'm staying in Vernazza and had success with renting an apartment. It's the most I'm paying for lodging throughout the whole trip, but wanted something nice for my first stay in order to unwind. =)

Hi joon7th,
The hike isn't difficult in the technical sense of the word (i.e., you don't need cramp-ons or ropes or poles). There is quite a bit of elevation gain and loss between: Monterosso and Vernazza and between Vernazza and Corniglia. Those two segments are also the most beautiful parts of the hike between the villages in my opinion. If you are reasonably fit and don't have issue with steps/stairs, you should be just fine . Take some water with you and go at your own pace. We have never used hiking sandals as until recently, we lived north of Denver in the Rocky Mountains where the trails were so rocky that sandals didn't provide adequate protection. I've always hiked the CT trails in my Saucony running shoes and never had an issue with grip. I remember seeing some Italian female tourists doing the hike in fairly glamorous high heels .

Thanks for the info. I'm actually from Denver!

High heels? I suppose, Italian women are used to all that cobblestone so hiking in heels would be a breeze! =) By 'hiking sandals' I mean Chacos and I use them here quite a bit. Mind you, I'm not a 14'er hiker! I hike pretty often and am in reasonable shape (and used to higher elevation), so after reading your comment, I'm not anticipating too much struggle!

Hi joon,
You should be fine with your Chacos . The trails are nothing like CO in terms of rocks/gravel. Hope you have a wonderful time in the CT! We moved to TX from the Denver area about a year ago. We sure do miss CO.

The worst parts, if I recall correctly, are some rocky areas of the path. Nothing that Chacos can't handle.