Cinque Terre/Lake Como - Bookends to a May vacation?
 

I am in the midst of planning a Tuscany/Lake Como trip. We are an active group of 4 in our late 30's, and we would like to combine fun, relaxation, and sightseeing into our trip. We will have approximately 10 full days in Italy. The 4 of us have been to Italy a few times, so there is no need to hit the "must sees" on this trip.

We were thinking of starting our trip in Cinque Terre, traveling on our own through some of the Tuscan towns (including Florence), and ending with a few days in Lake Como. (Or, we could do the reverse.) Our goal in Cinque Terre would be to take in the scenery, do a limited amount of hiking, and visit the towns via boat.

We are planning on going from mid-May through late May. While we probably will not swim, a day or 2 at the beginning and at the end of the trip just relaxing in the sun or leisurely walking through a charming town sounds about right.

With that said, is going to Cinque Terre and Lake Como in the same trip too much of the same? (Boating from town to town?) I've done the research, and I know the topography of each place is very different. (I also see that some people hate Cingue Terre and some hate Lake Como.) Simply put - I want to see both places! I thought we could use one to start our vacation/recover from jet lag, and the other to leisurely end our vacation. Any thoughts from those who have been? I appreciate any thoughts and suggestions!

Thanks in advance,
Chels

We've been to Lake Como four times and on one of those trips also went to the Cinque Terre. I love being on the water and these destinations are so very different so that you won't be repeating the scenery nor the local culture. We've also spent time in Santa Margherita Ligure a little north of the CT in combination with Lake Como.
Tuscany in doable too, perhaps the northern area would work best, Lucca and/or Chianti region.. You have a good plan!

I think it sounds really nice, having lake and sea bookend your trip; we really like water, too. What I would do now is figure out where you plan to fly in and out of, and get out a map, look at Como and the CT, perhaps that will help you decide what the filling on the sandwich is going to be - you have lots of options and all are good.

Love them both and have been multiple times each.
We will be in Liguira and Tuscany in mid-May as well.
Have fun!

Chels, I just did a similar trip last May, starting at Lake Como and traveling to Cinque Terre. Both are fantastic places and not too similar. It was a great trip!

Click on my name to see my trip report on these locations.

Thanks for the replies! We are water lovers, and lovers of scenic places, so I think that this may be a good option for us based upon the replies.

I am planning on flying into either Pisa or Rome and out of Milan (or the reverse).

Krgystn - Awesome trip report. I should not have read it right before a meeting as I was daydreaming the hour away! Your trip sounds great; however, I am now a bit concerned about the amount of rain you had. We visited the Costa del Sol one December, and we got Costa del Rain. While we still had a great trip, it certainly put a bit of a damper on the experience. I think I would prefer the rain to hordes of tourists that June or July would bring.

Thanks for responding, and I welcome any additional suggestions.

We did that same trip 2 years ago in Mid-May and had great weather. Started in Varenna at the Hotel Du Lac right on the lake and then trained to Cinque Terre and stayed at La Torreta in Manarola. Loved both places. La Torreta is very special.

macdogmom, thank you for your input; I really appreciate it.

Assuming that flight schedules/costs are equal, would any of you recommend doing the trip in any particular order?

Thanks,
Chels

Since you are there in May, I wonder if it makes sense to travel south to north, for the weather to warm up. Probably doesn't matter for such a short time span.

Getting a good deal on airfare will probably determine your plan. Are you flying in and out of Florence and Milan?

We stayed in Santa Margherita Ligure for three nights and liked its location a lot, for day trips to Portofino and Cinque Terre. Stayed at a nice B&B there: the Nuova Riviera, via Belvedere 10, www.nuovariviera.com

The Cinque Terre is gorgeous from the water. I think your plan sounds very good.

I met a family who rents Ferrari's in Tuscany, if you want to try that out!