Hi there,

I will be staying in Vernazza in May for 4 nights (as part of a 3 week Italy trip). I've never been to the Italian Riviera before and plan to do the following:

-hike to all of the CT villages
-visit castle in Vernazza
-climb bell tower in Vernazza
-in Monterosso, visit old town
-visit Portovenere
-day trip to Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino
-in Santa Margherita, visit beach promenade, old town, Church of Santa Margherita, Durazzo Park, Via Palestro
-in Portofino, do hike up to ruins of Castello di San Giorgio

Am I missing anything? Is any of this not worth it? Can I take a train directly from Vernazza to Santa Marghertia or do I need to go to Monterroso first?

Thank you!!!

Daria - Are you missing anything? Well - you could always go deep sea diving

I would definitely add CAMOGLI ... and also RAPALLO. Both are near Santa Margherita ... so really you could spend 2 days visiting that area.

You could take the boat from Camogli round to San Fruttuoso and then on to Portofino ... or hike from San Fruttuoso to Portofino.

The bus ride between Camogli and Santa Margherita (or vice versa) is very scenic. It takes much longer then the train but is well worth it for the fine coast views. (The train just goes through tunnels ...)

Hope this helps ...

Steve

If you like hiking, you may want to also hike from Monterosso to Levanto, which is about a 2 hour hike, and much less travelled than the more popular CT hikes. Levanto has a very nice beach, and is worth exploring.

Check out San Fruttuoso on the Portofino peninsula. A 10th century monastery built by the Doria family located on a small cove with a stony beach, only accesible by foot or boat. There are boats from Portofino, and the hike offers great scenery and less crowds than on the trails in CT.

Dear Daria,

Have pesto pizza out on the jetty/pier in Vernazza.

The boat ride from SML to Portofino is very pleasant as is the walk out to the lighthouse point.

P.S. The hike from Vernazza to Montarossa is very strenuous if it's hot out.

Tam

Don't forget to just relax and drink in the atmosphere, not to mention the outstanding wine. Hiking is great in this area, but it is also so beautiful that you need to spend some time just enjoying the beauty! The food is also terrific!
Have a great time... Cinque Terre is my favorite place on earth!

the hike from Levanto to Montorosso was the high point of our visit! We loved it but it took more like 4 hours, not two. Definitely less people. No fencing between the paths and the sea and great views. We did stop for rests though. You can come back via train.

we are thinking of renting a car,instead of taking the train,from Lucca to Cinque Terre.Are the towns worth stopping by on the way there? Train seems to be 2hours plus...car 1 hour..but it looks like a nice drive..

Wow! Thank you all very much for the great advice! I will add your suggestions to my list!

If you had to choose between visiting Levanto or Portonevere, which would you prefer?

Does anyone know if there is a train that goes directly from Vernazza to Santa Margherita?

Thank you!

Yes Daria is does - with lots of stops....

Daria - Early morning trains are direct, but others require a change at Sestri. For details see:
www.trenitalia.it

Steve

thank you both. any other comments?

Once you've done Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino and Camogli you will leave the Cinque Terre to Rick Steves.

Larry J