Cinque Terre and Portofino
 

Added these places to my itinerary. 2 nights in Cinque Terre and only afternoon in Portofino.

And the question is.....???

When are you going - in high season Portofino is a complete zoo - sardine city IME - at other times reverts to a cute former fishing village - the only angling today is to hook the tourists' euros it seems.

That said Portofino is the kind of place you just gotta see - I'm glad I went but then I kind of love tourist traps - in busy times road access is blocked - are you going by public transit - if so take a train to Santa Margharita Ligure and then take boats or buses from there or do a lovely walk - easy walk along the sea but a rugged steep walk - but great walk up and over the hills from SML.

So it's an easy day trip from the 5 Lands to Portofino.

The Cinque Terre is similarly mobbed in summer but delightful in off season - when are you going?

Pal--

She's going in September per her other post. We were underwhelmed by the CT--which, as you indicate, is almost certain to be mobbed at that time of year-- but liked Portofino as a fairly easy way to see something along the Italian Riviera.

mels--better make reservations now if you are going to have any chance of staying in the CT at that time of year.

Thanks we are trying......giving up Positano for CT. There is so much I want to do. I was searching and checking hotels I think there are nicer hotels in Positano. Is there more to do in Positano?

to me the Amalfi Coast - Positano area - offers so so much more things to easily do than the Cinque Terre and its area - not that there is not a ton of nice day trips from there but not IMO as awesome as those from Positano - day trips to Pompeii, Capri, Pasestum and of course along the Amalfi itself.

Hand's down for me at least - Amalfi over 5 Terre - though I like the 5 Terre too.

I also prefer the Amalfi Coast/Naples area, but you're flying in/out of Milan and have only 14 full days. Last I noticed, you were already moving around quite a bit and not spending very much time anywhere. What would the two versions of your itinerary look like (one with CT, the other with AC)?

Venice 2 nights, Rome 2-3 nights, Positano 3 nights, Florence 2 nights, Tuscany 3 nights and Lake Como 2 nights. Leave from Milan next day.

Venice 2 nights, Rome 2-3 nights, Florence 2 nights, Tuscany 3 nights, 2 nights in the CT area and 3 Lake Como, next morning Milan airport 10:40 flight.

It looks like it really does not make to much of a difference.

We have 15 full days.

Well although I agree with the others that if I HAD to pick, I'd pick the AC over the CT region, with your itinerary I'd go with the CT. Going down to the AC (and back up) is going to cost you at least 6 hours of travel time - so essentially most of a day. Three nights is just not enough for the AC area. So with your rushed itinerary I'd stay north of Rome.

It seems like you are trying for a "best of" itinerary, nothing wrong with that as long as you get enough time to at least get a taste of each place you are going, as opposed to just seeing the inside of trains.

I would tweak it just a bit. Florence is in Tuscany. Just base there, for four nights, and take a day trip or two to Siena or a smaller Tuscan town, or an organized wine tour trip or something to get a taste of rural Tuscany. Add the night you are saving to the CT region. Base in Rapallo and do one day trip to CT and the other to Portofino.

Here's my photos of all those places to help you decide which ones are most important to you. www.pbase.com/annforcier

Okay, but I could follow your suggestion and add the extra night to AC. It is 6 hours total but I would also subtract the 2 hour trip to Rapallo. 4 hour difference in travel time and everyone thinks AC is worth it. The pictures are beautiful! Thanks.

Since you mentioned you're not big on art and museums... If you're going to have a car for Tuscany, I wouldn't stay in Florence the entire time. I'd base in a smaller town and make an excursion to Florence one day. For me, five nights in one place would be a relief, and it's much easier to drive into and out of a small town than Florence.

Thanks

We will have a car so we can stay in Florence 1-2 in the Tuscany Region for 2-3 total 4 nights in Tuscany. Any suggestion on where to stay outside of Florence?

If you plan to stay in Florence with a car, you need either to stay in lodging located outside of the city's ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato) or learn all about zone, where the boundaries are, hours, etc. Violations of the zone carry fairly heavy fines.

Tuscany is about 9000 square miles, so where to stay depends on where you want to explore. I love the Montepulciano/Pienza/Montalcino area, but I also like to keep day trip driving within a 90-minute or so radius of my base which would put much of northern Tuscany out of reach. So what do you want to see in Tuscany?