Cinque Terre with car question...
 

My friend and I are renting a car when we leave Venice and driving to the Cinque Terre for one night before heading for our stay in Tuscany. We realize this isn’t enough time there but we really just want a quick look at the coast and a nice dinner (Pesto is my favorite!) and then kick back in the evening and enjoy the view. It has been suggested to me to stay in Vernazza, but I am wondering if this is the best place to go with a car? We don’t expect to be driving around in Vernazza, but we will obviously need a place to park the car. The other place that looks interesting to us is Monterosso. Would parking be easier there?

Also, taking into consideration that we won’t be there long, and therefore only need a basic hotel or B&B but with private bath, does anyone have a recommendation that would be in a good location for enjoying the ocean view and ambience of the town, preferably with a balcony for no more than $200 a night (would prefer less) for the room?

Parking is easy at only 3 places on that coast---Monterosso, Levanto, or Portovenere. The latter two are not part of the 5 villages but are my favorite places to stay and are good gateways. Portovenere will put you closer to Tuscany and the routing via Parma is good. Check out Albergo Belvedere there.

yes Monterosso only convenient parking i saw in the 5 villages last Jan.

Monterosso has two public lots - one right on the sea - actually in the sea and they were expanding it significantly last Jan when i was there. You can then take the frequent shuttle trains to Vernazza.

Problem with staying in Portovenere is that unless the ferries are running (and they don't if the water is choppy) you will be stuck either driving to le Cinque Terre anyway or taking a combination of bus and train.

Since you are only going to be there one night and what you want to see and experience is le Cinque Terre, you might as well bed down there. I don't know if you can find a place, however, that meets all requirements. If you do, and you are traveling between May and October, book it immediately.

one-night stays are iffy in high season in tourist mobbed places like this IME - esp if it involves a weekend - July and August the very peak season here

We are traveling the first week of June, on a Wednesday. I have emailed some places in Monterosso and so far a few have responded and had availabilty. Obviously I'm not familiar with the area, or where the best location for a hotel is in the area, but it sounds like that town might be my best bet for partking. Would you suggest a beach front hotel or one that is set back a bit?

The large parking lot on the beach is right by the train station - 2 minutes the train takes you to the heart of Vernazza, which to me has a lot more romance than even Monterosso and which is a perpetual recommendation on Fodor's. 2-4 trains an hour.

Do I understand you to say it takes only a 2 minute train ride to Vernazza?

Can someone tell me if they prefer a rooom to be right down by the water in Vernazza or high up on the hills overlooking the harbor? Or maybe at least what the pros and cons are of each location?

I actually did the reverse of this a few years ago when I rented a car in Rome, drove through and stayed in Tuscany, drove to Monterosso and stayed a few days, then drove to Venice and returned the car. We stayed at the Hotel Villa Steno and they had parking so that was not an issue and I certainly didn't want to drive once I got there. Let me just say that the drive from Tuscany to Cinque Terre was rather challenging with the winding, narrow, mountainous roads. However, if you are an experienced driver and plan accordingly, you should be able to do this. It is a bit out of your way for just one night though.

Once you park you car in a public parking lot, the train you take can take you to any one of the five towns at a max of 10 minutes. So you can stay in any town.

If you are uncomfortable leaving your luggage in the car, you will have to carry it. Hotels nearer the water are nearer the train stations. If you don't mind carrying your luggage up steep hills, you always have less company the higher you go.

How much are the trains? Sorry...trying to get a detailed budget for my friend...she's a single working girl :)

The train are dirt cheap - maybe one euro or so between each village.

and there is a day pass for unlimited local trains for about 5 euros i think.

If you buy a hiking pass (7 euros or so) i think it includes free use of the trains for that day as well.