Another thumbs down for the Cinque Terre
 

I have just returned from a trip to Europe that included a visit to the Cinque Terre. This was one of the things I was most looking forward to, but paradoxically I enjoyed it the least !

The hiking was reasonable and you could enjoy nice views. Also the towns themselves appear to have some charm to them. But I have to say, I've seen many comparable ocean views, and visited many towns in Italy that are as charming or more so, so the Cinque Terre was nothing spectacular in this regard.

The main thing that spoiled it, was that the villages and trails were completely overrun by a plague of tourists. Any character the place has is overwhelmed by a traffic jam of tourists sucking down Pizzas and Gelato.

I'm interested in whether many people share this opinion? Other places in Italy also have many tourists, but larger towns can absorb that many tourists to a greater or less degree. Unfortunately the Cinque Terre cannot.

I recommend people give the Cinque Terre a miss.

Two words - Rick Steves

I have never considered going there, just from the excessive discussion of it on all of the travel forums.

It's too bad you had a bad experience. I was there for 5 days in July and immensely enjoyed our trip. I didn't find it overrun by tourists in the slightest.

Go there during winter time like I did, and you'll have the place to yourselves. We went one mid January, perfect weather - 16 deg c, and counted about one dozen tourists sharing the whole place with us. Magic !!!

Thanks - friends of ours had the same experience so it's not on our Italy "must see" list - there are plenty of other charming Italian villages and sea views.

I am so glad we did the CT about 15 years ago. Once in a while we'd pass other tourists, but we were there in the height of summer and it was magical and not at all crowded. I would agree that Rick Steeves is to blame -- he made it a "must see" for thousands and thousands of tourists.

I loved it for the hiking and the views, but agree that it was very crowded. Plus as I live in Sydney we are very spoilt for beautiful beaches and coastline.

We loved it when we were there for 5 days at the end of May. Yes it was busy, but we did our best to avoid the crowds. We had a huge balcony overlooking the sea (in Manarola) that we retreated to every afternoon with wine and books. We hiked in the mornings and had a lovely dinner in Manarola each night. We would definitely go back, but ensure that we have a place to sit and enjoy in private.

Thank you for posting this. Already on my last visit to the Cinque Terre, about ten years ago, I had precisely the same impression that you had this year, and decided not to return there unless I had the possibility to go, as nz101 said, in deep winter.

We went for 5 days in June 2009 and didn't have a problem with tourists. Never had to wait for a place to eat for dinner, rarely passed hikers on the trails, and had a great view of the ocean from our balcony.

We chose to do there because the costs were so much lower for ocean view rooms than what I could find in the Amalfi Coast.

The homemade lemoncello on the trails and the pesto were excellent, we never once touched gelato or pizza while in the Cinque Terre.

"I recommend people give the Cinque Terre a miss. "

I agree. I visited in 2003 and wished I had gone MUCH sooner, before it became a theme park. :( We left after a few hours and would never return. It was full of tourists carrying Rick Steeves guide books and whatever charm is must have had has long been lost IMO.

We enjoyed the CT most from the sea while on a ferry and were delighted with our decision to base in Rapallo instead of the CT for this late September visit. There we were among mostly Italian tourists enjoying the last warm days of the season.

It was one of my biggest disappointments in 25 visits to Italy.

It is on my list of places to avoid :-)

We were there in July 2008 and while it is certainly isn't off the beaten path, I wouldn't say it was overrun at all. There were no traffic jams of tourists on the trails, but it was pretty hot so maybe some were put off? We stayed in Manarola, had an apt with a nice view and especially enjoyed our dinners out in Manarola and Riomaggiore, we never had to wait either.

Our photos are here if anyone is interested:

http://kellyee21.smugmug.com/Italy-T...rre-July-2008/

I am so glad we were there in the 70's and again in the early 80's. Rick Steve sure did make it a "must see" as Patrick posted. A younger family member was there as an exchange student in the late 90's and he ended up being transferred to Turin as he told the exchange student organization he couldn't stand the flood of tourist and he would go home before staying in the village where he had been placed. He loved Turin! Anyway, although I wish I were younger I am so grateful that I did experience Italy before it became so flooded with visitors that one has to make reservations in most cases to even visit a lot of the famous sites. But everything in life has its pros and cons. There are still places in Italy that are not flooded with tourist as in Rick Steves hasn't written about them so do some research and you can still have a beautiful and relaxing time in Italy.

A beautiful place but, yes, over run with tourists. I'm glad I've seen it but will not return. Give me Santa Margherita Ligure or Camogli any day.

We went in the month of October so it wasn't too bad, but glad we went.

I went to the area on a north & central Italy trip about seven years ago. We were there for three nights, but we stayed in Levanto (which we liked very much) and took the train each day into the CT Park to visit the villages and the check out the hikes.

It was late May, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Yes, there were quite a few tourists (and yes, many of them w/ Rick Steves' book in tow), but we had a great visit. The food and wine were good (and it was my first introduction to limoncino, their version of limoncello), and Levanto proved to be a mellow and interesting town to base ourselves in - although I am sure in the height of summer it would be nuts.

I did not feel the need to return there on a subsequent trip, but am I glad I went? Definitely, yes. But I am glad we avoided the busiest months.

We just loved Cinque Terre.
We rented an apartment at Manarola and spent 8 Glorious days there.

My daughter still talk about CT and called it HEAVEN on Earth.

I always have to laugh when someone comes back from someplace and mentions all the "tourists" that were there, as if they weren't tourists also.

We did the same thing last year on our trip. In crowded areas we would always ask each other why all these "tourists" were there, as if weren't tourists also.

We did enjoy the CT, crowds weren't too bad last October, but I can't imagine going during the summer. Too many tourists then. :)

It was gorgeous 20 years ago. You couldn't pay me to go back there, especially since there are so very many untrammeled places with equal charm.

<<I have never considered going there, just from the excessive discussion of it on all of the travel forums.

Really?

I can't imagine missing something for such a reason. I would have missed out on many wonderful places if I used that criteria.

My husband and I were there over 10 years ago. It was an interesting place to see. We had fun there and it was beautiful. If you want to visit it, go for it! There are tourist everywhere.....It's Italy. and it certainly is not a secret. ;-)

I was there in 2003 and went back in 2004; loved it, and would go back in a heartbeat. ....now that it has come up....maybe next year! :)

I have no specific prejudice against popular spots -- and I was in the Cinque Terre in March of this year.

But I will soon be inviting you to read my Trip Report on Puglia, the Heel of the Boot, where we are heading in just over a week.

Initially I feared we would not find enough to occupy us in the little-known region (Little-known except to Italians). Now I fear we won't have time to see all there is to see.

Someone has described the beaches as "Caribbean-quality". And there are Greek ruins and wonderful Baroque architecture and....

For some, the pleasures of the tried-and-true, R-Steeves-attested sites may be the greater lure. But after 6 Italian visits in the last 6 years, I'm ready for something decidedly UNconventional.

Does anyone else on here prefer to go somewhere that others do NOT go???

<i>If you want to visit it, go for it! There are tourists everywhere.....It's Italy. and it certainly is not a secret.</i>

You said it all, cmndesign! All this talk of "too touristy" gets old, ad nauseam. We are, each and every one of us,
t-u-r-i-s-t-a-s ! Deal with it, kids!

I must be the oldest person here. I first went to Portofino and the CT in the early 1960s and again in the early 1970s. It was enchanting and time-warpy. Portofino had its wealthy residents and a few visitors, but the CT were working (fishing and small farm) villages visited by tourists not expecting very many amenities. I next visited in the late 1990s with my husband. As a first-time visitor, he could see the CT's charms, but I thought the area was teetering on the edge of theme park-ness with nearly all the employment tourist-related.

tedgale ther was a really good trip report on Fodor's about 6 months ago. Written by a couple who had just been to the 'heel of the boot' did you read it? It sounded wonderful!

I have no problem with being a tourist when i visit Europe - I know that's what I am, although I try to be a traveller rather than a tourist. I guess one of the things that didn't interest me about CT was the number of knick knack shops etc that seem to fill the streets. I prefer galleries/museums/churches etc.

I am not American. I feel it is unfair to blame Rick Steves. Any guidebook or travel forum provides the same information as to travel shows and documentaries. No doubt people who travelled to southern Sicily 20 years ago would have a different view if they travelled there today. I read about the crowds in Rome and the Vatican - when we went 20 years ago there was no crowds. Who should I blame for what is happening now?

tower, you are right of course, and I often make a similar comment to people who say things like "I want the ultimate wonderful restaurant in Rome (or Paris, or wherever) where no tourists go." That simply doesn't make sense when half the tourists of the world are looking for the same thing. It's pretty difficult to find a great restaurant in this day and age which hasn't been "discovered".

But I think the Cinque Terre is a little different as it's GREATEST charm is that is supposed to be so remote and secluded. If it is clogged with tourists, then it loses what it is supposed to be all about. That's way different than avoiding the Eiffel Tower because there are too many tourists there.

I love Cinque Terre! As Tower said "we are all t-u-r-i-s-t-a-s."

We were there in April and it was perfect. We are going back again next year. Sorry your experience was not as magical as ours. To each his own. ((L))

Tower: "Deal with it, kids!"

Your age is not a free pass to be condescending.

We HAVE dealt with it - we've opted not to go there.
The CT has no monopoly on beautiful views and charming villages. And NP makes a good, valid point.

I have never been there. But I wonder if many of the people who fall in love with the area now are people who have not traveled much in Italy. I certainly see CT on the lists of many people who appear to be planning their first, or second, visit to Italy.

What I want to know is: Do people tend to return to the CT over and over again? (As with the Amalfi/Sorrento area)

Or do you think this area is a one-time destination?

Just curious.....

Well we have been to many places in Italy (Venice, Florence, Umbria, Tuscany, Amalfi Coast, Rome, and lastly Cinque Terre and Turin...) and we really enjoyed it. I think having our large balcony to retreat to in the afternoons made all the difference. We hate crowds and because of that didnt really like Vernazza. We stayed in Manarola and never had to wait for a seat in any restaurant. I also found Amalfi Coast was WAY more expensive than Cinque Terre.

Would we go back to Amalfi Coast - in a heart beat, but I also think thats because there is so much more to see there.

Would we go back to Cinque Terre - we are planning to take my brother and his girlfriend in 2013, but by ourselves, probably not. Not due to crowds, but because we saw everything we wanted to see there. Its also a lot cheaper for my brother (he has also been to the Amalfi Coast and loved it).

I have to congratulate the responders to this thread. When I first read the title I was like "Oh boy, here come the attacks", where in reality everyone commented in an absolutely mature and thoughtful manner. Gee, is this Let's All Be Nice On Fodors Day?

:-)

dave

"But I wonder if many of the people who fall in love with the area now are people who have not traveled much in Italy."

That would be my guess. The more we travel to Italy the more we choose to avoid the places that are most popular with tourists. This forum is a great resource for those spots thanks to the posters who share the same preferences.

"There are tourists everywhere.....It's Italy. and it certainly is not a secret."

I disagree. While there are certainly tourists in many places, there are definitely many that are not over run with them. These places are not advertised in guide books, may be more difficult to get to, and may not offer what the average tourist looks for in their personal trip to Italy.

Different strokes but I do not look for the theme park experience on my travels to Italy.

Saying first time visitors to Italy should not go to (or wouldn't enjoy) the Cinque Terre or touristy places is like saying first time visitors the the USA should not go to LA, NYC, Florida, Grand Canyon, etc but should instead go to Kansas or Nebraska.

Obviously when you can go to Italy every year (which I can't, and when I do return nexy year I don't plan on going to Italy) you will go to more places but for a first or second time visitor the Cinque Terre is a great place to see. I would go back for a day or two if I return to Italy, while at the same time going places I haven't seen before. The train connection are great and it is relatively close to Tuscany, Florence, Milan, and Rome and that makes it easy to add to a trip.

Hey lindy; I agree. Having been to Italy only eight time, different locations, we have been to the C

Cinque Terre twice. Probably would not go back, but it is a great place to visit. Our first trip there, we only visited one town. The second time with family, we walked between four towns. We loved everything about the CT.

Cinque Terre twice. Probably would not go back, but it is a great place to visit. Our first trip there, we only visited one town. The second time with family, we walked between four towns. We loved everything about the CT.