Riomaggiore or Manarola in Cinque Terra?
 

Can't decide if we should stay in Manarola or Riomaggiore for a night's stay on our way to Milan from Rome. We will be travelling by Train.

Any hotel recommendations would be appreciated.

Aussiefamily

Both are nice stops so you can't go wrong. Can't help with a hotel though - hope someone else can.

Steve

Both towns are very similar, and can are connected by a paved path that can be walked in 20 minutes. They are also connected by frequent trains that take only a few minutes. We ate lunch in Riomaggiore but didnt stay there. There are many rooms to rent but not many hotels.

We stayed at the delightful little Piccolo Marina Hotel in Manarola, right by the "harbour", which is really a cliff down which they lower boats on cables. They have an open restaurant right by the edge with excellent food and even more excellent atmosphere! It's a bit of a chore there, you can get a permit to drive your car into the town most of the way, then unload your luggage and walk the rest of the way -- no more street. Then you need to take your car back outside the gate and park it overnight. We left most of our luggage in the car and it was fine -- they said there is a guard there all night.

We stayed in Manarola last month at Affittacamere Da Baranin. We loved Manarola and the view from our room across the village rooftops to the harbor and the sea were incredible. But the climb to the top of the village from the train station was a bear. If you're only spending one night you might be better off staying in Riomaggiore for the convenience of a slightly larger village. You can't go wrong with either choice, but I suspect you'll wish you had more time to spend there in either case. If you're flexible, I'd trade fewer days in Milan for more days in Cinque Terra. -- enjoy!

Steve, cpi, patrick & sheepdog.

Many thanks for your tips.

aussiefamily