I was there the first week of October. There were a few school groups but most were individual travelers or one or two.

The weather was turning then too. It was cool and the rains were starting...which I really enjoyed.

WE spent 5 great days in Manarola last May. My favourite of the towns with a great little restaurant on the waterfront. We had a lovely one bedroom apartment. There are some good apartments mentioned on the Cinque Terra website I think they were called Palma Rosa -great views.

I would not wait for a local to approach you. My recommendation is to book a hotel/rooms in advance. I like Riomaggiore and recommend the Hotel Villa Argentina, on Via De Gasperi (the main road in town). You can request rooms with seaview and there are balconies/terraces to sit outside and watch the sunset. The room rates (you would want 2 doubles I presume - 2 per room?) are approx. 100 euros each and include an ample breakfast every morning. There is a small shuttle bus at the base of town (outside of the "La Grotta" restaurant on the R) that can take you up the hill to the hotel. Otherwise, it is a hike up the incline and can be interesting with lugguge.

If Riomaggiore is full, I would then recommend staying in Monterosso al mare. It is a bigger town and there are more hotel options available there. Hotel Villa Steno is a nice option there.

I've also been there twice, in May; stayed at Gianni Franzi in Vernazza both times; 100+ stone stairs plus the spiral staircase in the building -- bathroom across the hall; but I wanted the wonderful little balcony, with the water view. Would definitely stay there again. The crowds are definitely there during the day (but you can do your hiking and visiting of the other villages then); the early mornings and evenings, without all the people, are wonderful!

One nice perk of the Cinque Terre card is that you can use it not only for unlimited use of the Cinque Terre train (within the day limit of the card) but also for several other Cinque Terre amenities like the little green bus in Riomaggiore that Huitres mentioned, a green taxi/cart that took my luggage back down the hill and the elevator that takes riders from the second level to the train level. I'm sure there are other applications that I missed, but it was fun finding if the card was useable for all sorts of things.

Surprisingly I haven't seen the hotel where we stayed in Monterosso mentioned: Albergo Degli Amici

You can read all about it in our travelogue, which admittedly is 9 years old.

http://www.thetravelzine.com/table.htm

Know this is a late reply but we stayed in Vernazza at Elisabetta Carro's and the view was wonderful. She has multiple rooms. Also a website.

We are going to Cinqueterra this July and have reservations at Ca d Andrean in Manarola. I researched alot and this seemed to fit our needs and the town sounded just right for us. Also I checked for reviews and it got good reviews - it's not a fancy place however. It does have a website so you can take a peak.(www.cadandrean.it)

One question for anyone out there - is it possible to take a day trip to Pisa from CT?

Thanks.

We stayed at a small ( 4 rooms I think) bed and breakfast in the old section of Monterossa. It's called La Poesia and is in a renovated old home. The owner was extremely friendly and helpful plus she provided a great breakfast.

lizkn: Yes, you could do a day-trip to Pisa from the Cinque Terre (it's 1 hour, 20 mins away). Also, since you are staying in Manarola, try "Il Porticello" ristorante on the main street, by the harbor. It will be on your R side as you are walking down the road from the top of town (towards the water). Also, the gelato place on the L side, overlooking the little harbor serves some of the best gelato. You will like Manarola and the CT - have a great trip!

Thank you Huitres for the tips - much appreciated!

we will be in the CT in May, using SML as our base (staying at Hotel Lauren).
where can I find info about the CT card? can you use it on the boats as well as trains??

daisy58: The CT cards are available for sale at every train station in the 5 towns. They sell them in increments of 1 day, 3 day, or 5 day passes (may have even increased to a 1-week, 7 day pass) for unlimited usage within those parameters. They are quite useful as they can be used on the trails (Via dell'More, for example between Riomaggiore and Manarola), local 5-digit trains, etc. You cannot use them on the boats as I recall. However, the 5Terre boats that operate between the towns are reasonable.

tadaa - I ride that elevator for free in Riomaggiore because I know the lady that operates it, I didn't realize that they take the CT card on that too. That is good information to know, as most visitors/tourists pay each time they use it.