kwren

I've always wanted to hike CT but have read that it's really (really) hot in July/August. Is there any shade when walking between the towns? Are we crazy to consider it during a summer trip?

The rest of this trip will be spent in the Bernese Oberland, Tuscany and Rome over the course of 2 weeks. After Fodors research, I'm starting to think of skipping one area and it might be CT.

zeppole

Today it is 85 plus in the Riviera Levante, and I haven't gone outside yet! I'll go out when the sun is about to go down, because I live on the side of a mountain and must do stair-climbing. After about 10am, the sun is so high in the sky there is almost no shade to be had on the mountainsides -- and in le CInque Terre it is worse. There are very, very, very few trees of any height, and few structures.

I am increasingly puzzled by the popularity of le Cinque Terre as an international destination. The Italian Riviera is a wonderful place to simply relax. There are only a handful of moments during the year when it is pleasant or possible to hike. There are many lovely hiking areas in Italy, there are many pleasant seaside resorts along the Italian coast. Le Cinque Terre is picturesque, but it is also overrun now with tourists, with very little authenticity.

If you would like to come to a beautiful place filled with pastel houses above the blue sea, and swim a bit in the morning, snooze in the afternoons, have cocktails at sunset, enjoy dining outdoors on pesto and seafood -- the Italian Riviera makes for a wonderful vacation of beauty, good food and relaxation.

If you want an active vacation of hiking and enjoying nature, July and August in not the time to come to Liguria, where you will suffer high heat and crowds -- and bear in mind too there are many hiking areas that surpass le Cinque Terre in Italy.

kwren

Hi zeppole - I think you'll be my best friend by the time I actually take this vacation! Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions! The popularity of CT for me is the beauty of the towns as you round a curve - that's what I see in pictures and it looks gorgeous. Certainly I've never seen towns like that where I live! But I do understand what you are saying. If I could see that type of picturesque area with less tourists that would be fine by me.

<there are many hiking areas that surpass le Cinque Terre in Italy>

which are your favorites?

Myer

I'm a believer in living with what you have. If that's when you'll be there then adjust to it.

Sunscreen, a wide brimmed hat and take your time.

We were just in CT near the end of June (a couple of weeks ago). Yes, it was sunny and quite warm. There were tourists but it wasn't overrun.

Maybe we beat the crowds by a few weeks. Maybe it's the economy. But a day in CT was an excellent change of pace from visiting the inland Tuscan town and Florence.

We only hiked the first two legs (from the south - the easy part) and then back to the 2nd village (Manarola) as we had just missed the train (next was over an hour wait and there was a partial strike) and Corniglia doesn't have a port.

After a day in the villages and walking between them we to the ferry from Manarola to Riomaggiore to Portovenere. Maybe we were tired by then but found Portovenere a larger version of the towns and more commercial. So after an hour or so we bused back to La Spezia and took the train back to Florence.

If your trip doesn't include any other small towns on the ocean, I would leave it in. Will you skip Tuscany and Rome because of the heat? We found Florence and the Tuscan towns just as hot. The advantage with Florence was that we could circle back to our hotel several times during the day to freshen up.

The vews you see walking between the villages and approaching and leaving by ferry is exactly as you described - " the beauty of the towns as you round a curve".

Unfortunately my trip report is not yet complete and I'm still reviewing and dropping photos from about 1,000 taken on a 10 day trip. It'll still be a week or two before I'm done.

Go for it.

bobthenavigator

I have been to the CT 4 times now and have yet to actually hike any of the paths. To me it is all about natural beauty. We usually stay in Portovenere and take the ferry boats to the villages. And, we find Portovenere to be the most charming destination on that coast. Go for it !

iris1745

We hiked four towns in July. It was hot. A family of twelve and eight went all the way. The others just took the train back. We took a boat from the first town to the fourth and the view of the towns was spectacular from the water. There is some shade on the trails, but much of the trail is open to the sun. The heat bothers many people, but for most of us, it's just a state of mind. Fot the most part, the towns were busy. The trails were not overrun. Many people just start up a trail from the town for a few hundred yards and then return. When we wanted a drink in a town, we always found a place to sit. Richard

eliezra38

We did it last year end June (active senior citizens), not too hot, wanted to do it all, but not necessarily hike, so hiked some ("The Love Route" obviously), train some, and boat some - boat was great - you might consider a compromise if it gets too hot

zeppole

I can understand stopping off on the Italian Riviera to get some downtime away from cultural sightseeing in cities. I can also understand it as a stand-alone destination for weeks if you really want a marvelous vacation with little to do. What is hard to understand is why people who can so easily hike along the Hudson, the coast of Maine, Mendocino, in any of America's spectacular parks, or in Canada, Mexico or Costa Rica etc would make le Cinque Terre some sort of international destination as a sightseeing experience. It's just so far to come to hike. Or even to see seaside villages.

Anyway, my favorite part of Liguria for a relaxed and beautiful stay is the area on the Riviera Levante is the Portofino promontory area, with the towns of Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure and Rapallo offering shady hiking in the Portofino Park, or cable car rides up the mountains from Rapallo, or boat rides from any of those towns into other picturesque towns and coves. The town of Portofino is a huge tourist pit stop-- but if the point is to see a beautiful town as you round the curve, entering Portofino harbor by boat is certainly that. You just don't want to hang around Portofino. See it and leave -- or skip it.

If you are traveling with kids, I think pretty and charming Sestri Levante is the most fun and kid-oriented -- and it has the added advantage of being flat with shady alley ways (as do towns around the Portofino Promotory) so you aren't always climbing in the heat. Sestri Levante is also closer to le Cinque Terre if you want to day trip in to see it.

If you don't have a car, I think it is better to stay somewhere on the train station line because sightseeing boats may not run if the sea is rough. Portovenere isn't on the train line, it doesn't have much to do in and of itself, and if boats aren'te running you end up having to take buses into La Spezia to catch a train, or plump for taxis.

To me, the most beautiful natural sight in Italy is Lago di Como, or perhaps the Piano Grande in Umbria, which are more unique to me that the villages of le Cinque Terre (or the Amalfi). I'm not big on rural Tuscany, but it is definitely a unique landscape, the experience of which can't be duplicated anywhere else in the world. I live in Liguria because it is a great place to live and likewise to have a romantic vacation surrounded by natural beauty, great locally grown food, wonderful people enjoying themselves, and lots of hills to climb! But in the often sweltering heat of July and August, we just bake around here in the fierce sun. You might enjoy a shadier spot!

zeppole

http://italyfaves.typepad.com/italy_...n-camogli.html

zeppole

And you might find this thread helpful:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...here-to-go.cfm

karens

Hello. We just recently returned from Italy and everyone in my family (of 4) loved the Cinque Terre. We were there July 1-3, and it was hot. We hiked Corniglia and Vernazza, and made sure to get an early-ish start. Much of this hike is shaded. (I would recommend starting in Corniglia – it spares you some step climbing than if you start in Vernazza). We took the hike, ate lunch in Vernazza and returned to our hotel in Monterosso and then headed to the beach. The next day we walked Manarolo to Riomaggiore, which is not shaded but is a short walk. (And again we returned to the beach in the afternoon).

I don’t think the trails or the towns were overly crowded. (It certainly wasn’t anything like the area around San Marco in Venice!)

Whatever you do: make sure your hotel has AC!

BrainyJaynie

Personally I find Italy to be too hot that time of year. But I am from a British family, very fair-skinned and we don't tolerate the heat very well.

No matter when you go, I hope you have a lovely time. I prefer to visit Italy in "shoulder season".

Paul1950

The hiking is one of the main reasons to go, and I don't know that likely temperatures at that time of the year are conducive to an optimal hiking experience.

lizziea06

I got back from Cinque Terre yesterday. It was bright and sunny during the day with temperatures in the mid 80s. There are many places along the blue trail to go swimming if you need to cool off. We hiked in our bathing suits and brought a backpack with towels in it. It was perfect!

In August, it will be break time for most of Europe and the crowds will go up dramatically. I didn't find it to be crowded at all last week.

kwren

If the kids would EVER leave home we could choose any time other than summer to visit! Their schedule is my schedule for the time being so we'll just make the best of it (especially since two are coming with us). I'm starting to think of waiting for another trip for the CT because of the heat, but haven't decided for sure...I know I want to see it someday and I already have 3 other bases for this vacation - Bernese Oberland, Tuscany and Rome. Hearing my kids (and husband) whine about the heat throughout the hikes might put a damper on things. So many decisions!