JandaO

Where would you base out of for 4 nights?
My sister cant walk too far and stairs hurt her but she really wants to see the CT. Where is best to shop around and enjoy the harbor and views.

bugswife1

Wow. CT is all stairs! Even if you based yourself in one of the 5 towns, they are pretty much all vertical. We flew into Genoa in September and then took a cab for about 30 minutes south to the little fishing village of Camogli. Teeny tiny little town-serene, picturesque, adorable. And the main strip of town is along the water with no stairs. The only stairs you will encounter will be to get to your hotel. From there we took the ferry to Portofino. While not CT, it will give you the feel for the little coastal villages. If you take the train to any of the CT towns, there are stairs just to get to the town. She also can't hike there. The only way would be to pick the most level of the 5 and drive in as far as possible, if that is even doable.

pat

You might stay in Levanto, and do the train into the villages. It`s a cute little town. You can get on and off the train at each cinque terra town.

bobthenavigator

Stay in Levanto or Monterosso and take the ferry boat to the villages. The stairs to the train level are killers. The area near the water is flatter.

McBetsy

I agree w/Montorosso. Once you are in town it is relatively stair free along the main strip and waterfront. It is the one CT w/cars and as a result has the most hotels,restaurants etc, but you can take the train or a boat to the other towns. Vernazza, once off the boat, can be seen from the town square. It is small and you can have dinner or lunch right on the town square. One of the towns, (I can't remember which), is actually situated up on the hillside w/no beach front. If this is a dream it can be done w/thoughtful planning. Good luck. Oh, Santa Margharita, Spezia, Portofino are all beautiful Med. towns too, maybe more accessible.

italianconcierge

If you really want to be in the Cinque Terre and (not the Liguria Levante coastline) Monterosso is your best bet. The villages are charming because they were isolated due to the character of the terrain and the lack of any Roman road nearby to assist with development until the railroad was built that linked the five towns.
Not to be missed is San Fruttuoso- A FAI ( Italian National Trust) monastery restructured and recently donated by the Doria family. It is accessible by boat from Camogli or Portofino. ALso worth the visit is Portovenere.

As for stairs, even to walk on the Via del Amore there are a few.
If the seas are good and the boats are running then I suggest using that option.
IC