pookymimi

I still haven't been able to find a place in Vernazza, only in Manarola that may be too boring for the kids.

I was going to stay 2 nights in Portofino and 2 in Rapallo, but now I'm debating in just renting a 7 day place in Cinque Terre instead. I saw also Lerici and Portoverene but they are not CTerre.

Which is a good town to stay in Cinque Terre?

Advise please!!!

bobthenavigator

For you, Levanto.

zeppole

If Manarola is too boring for the kids, any of the five towns is likely to be too boring. Are you sure you wouldn't rather visit le Cinque Terre from a nearby town on the train line? The only reason most people would want to stay in le Cinque Terre for a week is that

a) they are dedicated hikers

b) they want to experience the peace and quiet of the tiny villages at night after most of the hordes of tourists have left

c) they want to stay in a coastal town filled with mainly English-speakers

How old are your kids? These tiny towns are mainly only walkable by stairs and steep climbing, so if your kids are very small, they may get cranky. If you are going in summer, you will want to get up early to hike.

In another thread started by senorarroz, I linked to some one-week rentals in Cinque Terre.

Were it me, with kids and without a car, I might stay in Sestri Levante and use the train line for day trips to le Cinque Terre, Lucca, Rapallo, Portofino, even Camogli. The hard part is finding a rental, although recently I gave a lot of suggestions in another thread.

Or I might stay around the Lerici area, with a car, so I could take day trips to places like Cararra and Sarzana, and even Pisa, and boat rides around Bocca di Magra.

Rapallo can be a fun base if you do your research, with cable car rides up in to the hills, boat trips to Portofino, a day trip in to Genova for the harbor, day trips to le Cinque Terre, bus rides to Camogli and a boat trip from there to San Fruttuoso -- plus lots of hikes.

But generally a trip to coastal Liguria is really about soaking up sun and the great outdoors. There are no other attractions.

annabelle2

I was going to suggest Levanto also. You can buy a train/park pass that will take you in and out of the Cinque Terre - the first village is just minutes from the town of Levanto. Levanto has more restaurant & hotel choices, and a wide beach (I don't know if it is good for swimming; it wasn't quite swimming weather when I was there). My friends' kids said "Levanto has the best gelato in Italy" - okay, totally debatable, but a kid recommendation for you!

zeppole

PS: I just clicked on your screen name and saw that you have kids 9 and 21. I was cross-posting with Bob, and I don't really have an opinion about whether Levanto would be more interesting for 7 days than any of the other towns in le Cinque Terre.

Why don't you ask your 21 year old to get in on the research? Does he or she want nightlife? Sestri Levante might be my pick for that, or Rapallo.

zeppole

Here is the other thread

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ri-levante.cfm

Another choice for something sophisticated would be Santa Margherita Ligure. It is really a summer watering hole in some ways for young people for Milan. It is in between Rapallo and Portofino, and just a few minutes from Camogli by train (and longer by boat).

You might consider splitting your time between that and some town in le Cinque Terre or Levanto if you really think your kids would be bored with a week vacation at the beach.

zeppole

This is an extremely well-located b&b in Santa Margherita Liguria that offers a room with twin beds adjoining a room with a single bed.

http://www.lalunasuitetti.it/en_index.asp

zeppole

Added thought: While it's true that Levanto has more hotels and restaurants than le Cinque towns, and a larger swimming beach, I'm not sure it offers any more interest. It just can accommodate more people. Maybe that will be enough. Some of these other towns have lots of shops, cafes, some entertainments, even dancing on the beach in summer with live music.

Also bear in mind that the towns of Levanto and le Cinque Terre are closely connected by train. If your kids are bored in Manarola, it only takes 15 minutes at most to get to Levanto.

Andrew

I stayed in Levanto a couple of years ago (and I went swimming in the ocean - though it was October. Clearly beach activities are popular there in the warm weather.) Levanto is more of a conventional "tourist beach town" than the five villages are - so I can see how the kids might enjoy it more.

You have to walk up a slight hill up to the train station which I found slightly inconvenient (like when you are lugging a camera bag and tripod), but otherwise, it worked out very well for me. I think you'll find many more conventional hotel choices there, too.

pookymimi

Thanks a lot for all the advise.

We are hikers, from Colorado, so one of the highlights for me is the hiking between towns. Of course I also think we can do that while we are in Levanto.

I've been checking on some B&B rentals in Levanto and I also checked one website with some rentals recommended.

Andrew

You can hike from Levanto down to Monterosso al Mare for sure (but it's only a few minutes by train). Depending on how much time you have, there are lots of possible hikes, some very challenging I hear. The "classic" hike is from Riomaggiore through all five villages to Monterosso.

RainyDay09

I loved staying at Il Borgo Di Campi,
Strada Litoranea Per Riomaggiore Km 9.4, 19017 Riomaggiore. It has a panoramic view of the Ligurian Sea. Here is a link to more information: http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/il-b...&tab=2&lang=en

zeppole

If you end up deciding to split your stay between le Cinque Terre and someplace closer to Portofino, be aware that there is very pretty hiking in and around Portofino, and much less crowded than le Cinque Terre.

http://www.parks.it/parco.portofino/Eindex.html

annabelle2

pooky, just want to mention that I recommended Levanto thinking that there was a bit more to do (market, shops, waterfront, restaurants and bars) than in some of the CT villages. However, while a very pretty town, it does not have quite the same oh-my-goodness-look-at-this-charming-little-place quality. Andrew kind of nailed it.

We stayed at the National (Nazionale?) Hotel, which was absolutely fine and conveniently located. Smallish room, lovely huge bathroom.

The CT/Ligurian food was great. Fabulous pesto, fish, simple white wine. They call their limoncello "limoncino" and it is divine.