Aine

Hi there, I recently had last minute trip to Italy with my husband, and we were lucky enough to stumble upon the Cinque Terre. (Stuck for time, research done in the hired car) By chance, we ended up in Vernazza and completely fell in love with it of course. But sadly, we could only stay one night.
Now I have a chance to visit the Cinque Terre with my sister in October for a couple of nights. Vernazza was magical and I am so tempted to go back there to stay, but would you recommend another village? We plan to drive from Florence. Is it possible to park the rental for a couple of days in La Spezia and take the train to and from? Any info would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

e_roz

I was just there too and Would still recommend Vernazza. Not as big as Monterossa but enough restaurants and things to do/shops. We stayed in Riomagiore which would be my next choice, unfortunately since it's a bit cheaper it was full of young backpackers in June. Corniglia and Manarola really didn't have much going on at all but are worth a check out if you do the hike from town to town. Enjoy!

wantagig

I was in Riomaggiore the end of Sept and if you go in October, you'll have it all to yourself! It felt like an Italian "Mayberry". A quaint little town, and I SO fell in love with it! We had good food/service at a restaurant that had a big yellow awning and another good meal-if you walk toward the sea, it looks like a little blue house with white tables on a patio. It was the cheapest place to sleep. we had a two bedroom apartment, several flights up.

I went back in July, and it didn't seem like the same town as it was overrun with tourists. October will be the perfect time.

As far as parking in La Spezia, I don't know, but I do know that La Spezia is the gateway to Le Cinque Terre via train. In July, driving this time, we parked on a hill with all the other cars about a 1/2 mile outside the town. I would think that you could get a little closer in October.

mshaw

I have stayed in Riomaggiore twice. June of this year and October a few years ago. June is better for swimming...but October doesn't have the young student backpackers. October is better for hiking. Do you have to have a car? It is so easy to get a train there.You will not use the car while there. Hike,train or boat between towns...Check out Porta Venere...great place..eat at the Cafe Medusa....Yum. Maggie

PalenqueBob

Given that all the five Cinque Terre villages are incredibly cute and quaint, Monterosso and Riomaggiore will be less so to some folks because main roads enter these towns, and thus they are larger and busier and can even be plagued by traffic problems. While legend sometimes says that the other three are still inaccessible by road, this is not true, but the roads are so crude and restricted to outside traffic that in effect it's true, and thus the middle three, Monterrosso and Riomaggiore bookended these, are correspondingly much more quiet. This is not to say that Riomaggiore and Monterrosso and not terrific places and have many more accommodations available. Trains, buses and a 7-mile-long goat path connect the three villages. Contrary to popular opinion, Rick Steves did not popularize these gems, which have long been a tourist mecca.

CarolJean

We stayed in Manarola in early June and enjoyed it. If you are there, please try to eat at the Marina Picolo hotel down by the water. We had two meals there, the food was excellent and the waitstaff great. This was a reccomendation from Patrick on this board. I have grown to really respect his recs. Manarola is between Riomaggorie and Corneglia. It was perfect for us, we arrived in early afternoon so we strolled to Riomaggorie. Then the next day got up early and walked the other way. Have a great trip. CJ

capo

Hi Aine. I understand you falling in love with Vernazza. I did too, on my first visit there in 1987. I've been to all five villages and, while I like all of them, I find Vernazza, with its castle tower and harborside piazza, to be the most picturesque and, as you put, it magical. When I returned to Cinque Terre last spring, Vernazza was the choice once again, and I loved it even more than the first time.

I'm sure you could park your rental car somewhere in La Spezia but, should you choose to stay in Vernazza again, there is also a pay parking lot (unfortunately, I can't remember how much it costs) above Vernazza. A shuttle bus takes you from the lot down to the town. The road to this lot is not for the faint-hearted (but it's not dangerous either) and it's very scenic.

brooke

I love Vernazza! My favorite town of the whole trip in Italy (and of the 5 villages) ! I'm jealous you're going again!

Aine

Thank you to everybody, I am so happy to have the chance to go back there. FYI I am flying from New York to Shannon, my sister lives in Ireland so I am meeting her there. The direct flights to Italy were off the wall on Expedia, (over $1000) but if you fly direct to Shannon or better yet London Stansted at a fare of $450 or less you can get RyanAir (no frills flights) Ryanair.com for about $39 return to many towns in Europe Genoa being one). They also operate within Europe and are cheaper than the train many times.

Now, all we have to do is get our mom to look after her kids! Yikes!