Cinque Terre Help - Is March OK?
 

All,<BR><BR>Going to Milan, Venice and Florence and then back to Milan the last two weeks in March. I've read a lot of postings on the Cinque Terre here so I'm thinking of adding it to our trip for a few days before heading back to Milan. I looked into the Hotel Splendido which looks fabulous but it is closed in March. Is the entire area closed still as it is a seasonal area?<BR><BR>Is it still worthwhile to go or can you recommend another city on route to Milan (Genova or Portofino?)<BR><BR>Thanks for your help.

Dawn, You want Santa Margherita in that itinerary--it is 3 miles from Portofino. Many hotel choices, depending on your price range.

Dawn, You want Santa Margherita in that itinerary--it is 3 miles from Portofino. Many hotel choices, depending on your price range.

Hi all,<BR>I've read and surfed on this topic immensely. I would like to hear more about this region in the springtime. (the last 2 weeks in March until Easter) <BR><BR>I'm thinking of staying at the Continental or Grand in Ponteverde. PLEASE if you have any info about CT at this time of year, I would love to hear about it.<BR><BR>Rex, Elvira, Bob (again), Pam, Patrick??

Not a lot of help here. I have only been to the CT once, and to me the whole point is hiking the seacoast trail between the five actual villages. Staying in Santa Margherita or another place may be OK, but it isn't really the Cinque Terre. We stayed in Manarola at the very small Marina Piccolo Hotel, which we throroughly loved, including their wonderful open air restaurant above the rocky little "marina". The town has no cars once you get down near the water, because the fishing boats are all hoisted up and rolled into the streets. March sounds a little early, so I can't say how the coast will be, but certainly since the advent of the Rick Steves crowd (he really put this area on the map), I would think March would be pleasantly quiet which would be a great way to enjoy the villages. I'm sure that some of the hotels in Monterosso will be open, although I can't offer any specifics for you. Normally that is the busiest and my least favorite of the five villages, but in March, how crowded could it be? Where is this Hotel Splendido you mention? You don't mean the famous one at Portofino, do you? And I'm not even sure where Ponteverde is? Is that somewhere near the Cinque Terre?

Patrick: Although I am not Dawn, I have a couple of answers for you. The Splendido is in Portofino & it IS splendid. It is located above the harbor and looks down upon it. I think a lot of the "stars" go there to get away from it all. I bet Dawn is refering to Portovenere when she writes of Ponteverde. Rick Steves may have put CT on the map (so to speak), but I think Bob the Nav put Portovenere there.

Hi Dawn - Portofino and S.Margherita are both lovely but Patrick is right. Neither are part of the CT villages. It takes about 50 minutes on at train from S. Margherita to reach Monterosso which is the largest of the CT villages and probably has the largest selection of hotels. March does sound a bit early to me but to be honest I have only been there in May/June. Best of Luck. Liz

Thank you! Sorry I did mean Portovenere. Based on your wonderful feedback, I'm rethinking my situation. I would rather stay in the CT or in Portovenere.<BR><BR>Any tips on which hotel is better? Money is not a concern; Easy access to the hiking trails is preferred; convenient walk to restaurants is better. We are taking the train from florence.<BR><BR>Porto Roca (Monterosso al Mare)<BR>Grand Hotel (Portovenere)<BR>Royal Sporting (Portovenere).<BR><BR>Thanks for responding!

Yes, I know the Splendido Hotel in Portofino, I just didn't understand what that has to do with the Cinque Terre. Now that the Splendido has added their second property right down by the harbour with reciprocal dining and activities, it is even more "splendid" than before.<BR>Maybe I'm just being too literal. I haven't been to Portovenere and maybe it is a great place. But again it just isn't part of the true "Cinque Terre" which only consists of the actual five villages for which it was named. If access to the CT hiking trail is a priority, then it just seems logical you'd want to stay in one of the five actual villages that are on the actual trail. If on the other hand you're looking for more of a luxury place to kick back and enjoy local scenery, it would be hard to beat Portofino and the Splendido. I am very surprised that that hotel would be closed in March. Are you sure about that?

We stayed at the Grand Hotel this past Sept. Although it is rated 4*, I think 3* is more accurate. The room was very small, and the shower was so tiny you could hardly turn around in it - I'm NOT kidding. However, the view was really lovely, especially in the morning when the sun was just coming up. All the buildings in the little fishing village were colored in different hues. I would request a room facing the harbor. Also, if the room you get is small ask if they would have a larger (?) one available. The location of the Grand is better than the Sporting Club (I think) although they are not that far apart. I just loved looking out on the harbor & village from our minute balcony. The ferry ride to CT is about 25mins., but of course that depends on which village you might want to start your hike from. If you stay somewhere in CT, you can always take the ferry over to Portovenere. It is a small place so all you need is 1/2 a day.

Dawn, As usual, Patrick makes a good point--I was wimping out because of the time of year. Among your choices there is no doubt that the Porta Roca is the best. Fabulous location at the start to the hiking path to Vernazza. I like Portovenere if you are driving, but it is hard to beat the Porta Roca anytime.

Dawn:<BR><BR>Do note that Portovenere is NOT accessible by train. If you stay there & want to hike the CT trails, you'll either need a car (not best idea due to parking challenges in CT) OR you can take the ferry OR probably a bus. I know the bus runs between LaSpezia-Portovenere. Assume there may also be a bus run to CT villages. BUT, as you're going in March, which is outside the main season there may be fewer ferry runs. <BR><BR>If hiking the trails is a priority, then I'd suggest either staying in one of the CT villages OR Santa Magherita/Portofina, which IS on the train line. Also, you may keep an eye out on what weather is doing. I haven't been paying attention to how winter's been in Italy --- during late winter/early Spring, there can be alot of rain which causes muddy conditions & certain CT trails to be closed.

Hi everyone,<BR>Well it looks like Porto Roca will be the best place! Yes Patrick the Splendido is closed until the end of March. That's what got me thinking that we really are going off season. Ideally this is where we would stay. We are going primarily for the trails and Portovenere has a church built into the rock with beautiful views so we thought it would be nice to check out and see the town. Glad to know that it would be wiser to be based in the CT. <BR><BR>Thanks for the tips everyone.

Dawn<BR><BR>We hiked the CT in March a couple of years ago. The day we did the whole trail was beautiful--sunny and warm. It was nice because there were very few people on the trail. The next day, however, we hiked from Monterossa to Levanto and it was rainy and chilly. We are from the NW and had brought the right clothes but it was still wet and muddy.