disagree with comment about seeing each of the towns in an hour? Not really as mentioned staying in maybe Vernazza and enjoying the town early morning and in the evening and night is what it is all about. It is not a mad dash but Italy and things move slower...at least 3 days to fully explore and allow for maybe one day of not so perfect weather.

One caveat: if the winter is a harsh one, more of the trails in the Cinque Terre may be still closed for repair in May. Here's a website with information: http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/E...ri-outdoor.php