Best place to stay, eat, see, do in Florence and Cinque Terre
 

Please give us your advise on where to stay, what are must do's and we are girls so we want to know the best places to shop and for what. Cinque Terre - where should we stay and how many days. One last question, how do you get from cinque terre to Florence. Much thanks.

If you aren't driving, take the train from Florence to the Cinque Terre. Pretty easy; you'll probably change in Pisa. I did it that way in 2007. Go to the Trenitalia website to check train connections: www.trenitalia.com .

Why are you going to the Cinque Terre? It's a wonderful place, but it's main attraction is the hiking between villages, not so much shopping. Of the five villages, Monterosso is the largest with the most hotels, restaurants, etc. The other four villages are smaller and more quaint.

Check out the Rick Steves Italy book for lots of good info on the Cinque Terre.

Perhaps you should start by reading guidebooks, searching the internet for general information and reading through the great many trip reports on this forum and others.

Only you know what you enjoy, what your budget is and what your expectations are for this trip. Come back when you have a basic plan and Fodorites will be happy to help you finalize it.

When are you going? This will also help with suggestions.

Andrew thanks for your reply, Cathies we're going in the 3rd week of September - a last minute thank heavens we have 1 week off kind of deal. Kfusto, we have Eyewitness travel guide & Rick Stevens - if you don't want to be helpful please don't respond. I'm looking for the great/helpful folks who helped me book trips into Africa and who pursuaded me to go to Zambia instead of S. Africa. A friend told us if there were only 2 places they could go in Italy it would be Cinque Terre and Florence (City/history & outdoor beauty). Someone else recommended for Cinque Terre we stay in Vernazza and use it as a home base for a couple of days versus walking from one end to the other, what do you think? Seems like you're walking back and forth.

Your posts are lacking some details. If you supply more we can be of better assistance.

What is your hotel budget for how many girls? Do you have a budget for food? What do the girls want to shop for? Any other interests besides shopping and history?

Do a search on this forum for lots of hotel suggestions in CT and Florence. venere.com may also be helpful.

If you don't want to walk you can take a public boat or train between the villages. Your guidebook can give you details.

If only one week, I suggest 2-3 days in CT and the rest in Florence (with possible day trips to Siena and Lucca).

ez4ucolo, do read the section on the Cinque Terre in your Rick Steves Italy book. It's basically five small or smallish villages connected by hiking trails (though vineyards and olive groves) with spectacular views of the coastline. All the villages are also connected by train. I wouldn't call it "walking" from one end to the other. They are really moderately difficult hikes between Vernazza and the two adjacent villages (you don't need hiking boots - I didn't have them - but some sections of the well-marked trails are very narrow and a bit scary). The path between a few of the other villages is very easy, though.

Otherwise, the villages themselves are delightful. Small, quaint, not spoiled (yet) by tourism even if English-speaking tourists are everywhere. But there's not much to do other than stroll, enjoy the views, drink, and eat. If that's what you seek, the CT is a great place for it.

Well, you're certainly in the right region to see some of the most scenery in Italy! If I could only ever see 2 places in Italy, Firenze would be one, and Marche would be 2...and Rome would be 3. Can't forget how amazing this place is :) I always direct people to people who've helped me, and last April they booked me a FABULOUS room in Casa Del Garbo in Firenze. The booking staff at the agency is great but the hotel staff is fantastic too, and really make you feel like one of the family:

http://www.italiancollection.com/en/...del-garbo.html

The view and location couldn't have been better either....and why did I mention Marche which has nothing to do with your question? The Saturday morning flea market in Civitanova! All the shoe and purse factories are there, so that's the mercato to hit for cut rate new shoe styles that last at least 5 years and don't disintegrate in rain. If you're girls who love to shop, this is heaven for you. Firenze has a nice mercato as well, active until 17:00 or so daily right near the duomo, which will definitely save you money over stores, but is not really the place if you're a shoe fanatic. The clothing is awesome though, and you can find great coats and jackets. To get a discount on a jacket:

Look your prettiest and don't act interested, look like you saw something nicer elsewhere and wait for them to drop rates. Try the jacket on, listen to their banter for 20 seconds and then let your hair DOWN (make sure it's up when you walk in) and see how you look. You're sure to get at least E100 knocked off the price of whatever. I'm no supermodel by any means, but this ALWAYS works for me and I have a pretty respectable collection of Florentine leather jackets now.

And one of my favorite places to eat in Firenze? If not a hole in a wall near the main station (there are sooooo many, a lot of times I stay on Via Del Sole, and it's packed with delicious goodies), then here:

http://www.4leoni.com/index.php

You should also find out when mercati are held in the small surrounding towns because that's a good trick for finding the same things at lower prices ;)

My sister and I stayed at http://www.cinqueterre-laposada.com/...partments.html in the CT. Ask for Sole y Luna Apt. It was truly the most scenic place I have ever stayed. In 2013 I will return with my husband. It is beyond beautiful. We loved Corniglia. There was a bus to take you up and down to boats or train. We went to all 5 villages and had the time of our lifes. Dont forget to try the local wine Sciacchetra with little biscuits.

We were there in Sept. and it wasnt that crowded.
We never waited for anything.