VERNAZZA, Italy
 

while I was planning and booking my Easeter vacation in Greece, I came up to this site on Vernazza. The pictures taken from the villages and area around it are just amazing beyound words. Anyone visited this area lately? I am going to look into it for our next vacation.

I walked through Vernazza last June whilst spending 10 days in and around the Cinque Terre. It is indeed a fantastic area. Whar would you like to know?
Do a search in the Europe forum for "Cinque Terre" and you'll find lots of posts.

Hi seeall,

Vernazza is one of the Cinque Terre villages in Ligure, Med coast of Italy. Yes, zillions of people have been there lately!

Buon viaggio!

Dayle:
I am sure many people have visited, however, I was hoping to hear from traveler's experiences. I know where the location is, try getting smart ass with someone else. Thanks.

It was discovered about 30 years ago and is now wall to wall back packers. You are at least 10 years late, but still worth a visit if not in high season. I would stay somewhere else---Levanto or Portovenere.

Hi seeall,

Sorry - didn't mean to have my reply sound "smartass". The wording of your question sounded to me like you were not familiar!

I visited Vernazza a few years ago. We trained down from Santa Margherita Ligure to Riomaggiore (about 1 hour). Hiked to Corniglia and had lunch. Continued on to Vernazza where we pooped out, refueled with gellato and trained back from there.

Vernazza is very tiny, scenic, probably the most scenic of the Cinque Terre. We were there in mid-May. Started hiking at 10;30 am and wished we had started earlier as it was in the mid-80 degree F range and very humid.

The hiking trail was quite busy. Riomaggiore was a bit busy with tourists, Corniglia was not busy at all, and Vernazza was mobbed. Hence my comment about "zillions."

Hope this helps!

Vernazza is just lovely, as are the other villages in the Cinque Terre. We were there at the height of tourist season and still loved every minute. Took the boat from village to village, walked along the ViaDell'Amore... Don't think we found a great restaurant but didn't mind. Got terribly stung by a jellyfish while swimming, even this didn't dampen my enthusiasm. Lovely people! Found an inexpensive and somewhat quirky hotel in Riomaggiore on Via Colombo.

Hi Seeall - I had never heard of Vernazza either but saw rave reviews here. I had never heard of Cinque Terre and did not even know where to find it on the map but with Fodorites' help since I was planning a trip to Tuscany anyway we decided to go. We stayed in Riomaggiore and hiked to Vernazza. We thought it was the prettiest of the five villages but the most packed with tourists. Cinque Terre is beautiful and really worth a trip but we found 3 days to be enough.

Seeall, The Cinque Terre is indeed amazing. My sister, her husband and I were there in April 2 years ago. We came without reservations an found a room on one of the side streets. We stayed a week, hiked, took the boat and train and one rainy day went to Pisa on the train. Vernazza was packed during the day, but the day trippers were gone by early evening and then it was quiet as well as early morning when we went down by the harbor for breakfast. We loved it and were glad we had the week. My brother-in-law was in need of some downtime as he has a stressful job.

I hope you enjoy it!

Seeall- Oh.....Yes! I was there this summer with my daughter. I had the most beautiful place and I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Seeall- I had wished I had gone to Vernazza when we had first arrived in Italy. Instead we went to Venice. I loved Venice but I was so tired from jetlag, next time I'll get rested there first.

Late september this year We stayed in LaGrazie just around the corner from Portovenere (that is a good idea!!) We took the ferry up to Monterosso and walked back, not all that hard! All of the villages have their own charms, but Vernazza is very pretty and user friendly. The train system is also very handy. So in conclusion..go !!

I am mystified as to why someone would recommend Portovenere or Levanto over Vernazza. It's not as if Porto and Lev'to are undiscovered.

Vernazza is great. We also like Monterosso. Yes, both are crowded during the tourist seasons. So is everywhere else, including Portovenere and Levanto.

Hi seeall

We were in the Cinque Terre this September and spent 3 nights in Monterosso. We hiked the trail and visited all the villages.

I would agree that Vernazza is especially scenic but if spending more than 1 or 2 nights I would lean towards Monterosso as it is larger with more restaurant choices, shops etc.

You can't make a wrong choice here the whole area is visually stunning.

Vernazza is known as the "Portofino" of the 5 Cinque Terre villages among the locals. Indeed, it is very charming but quite populated with tourists as Rick Steves "discovered" it on his radar over 15+ years ago. There are a lot of daily crowds 3 out of the 4 seasons of the year; and the prices for the ristorantes, souvenirs, etc are higher there than in the other 4 towns, but it certainly is worth a visit if in the CT. I would recommend staying in either Riomaggiore or Monterosso for lodging, then taking the train (or walking) to Vernazza for the day. To concur with bobthenavigator, it is certainly worth visiting nearby charming Portovenere and/or Levanto.

I have been two Vernazza twice in the past 10 years. First in 1996 when the villages really were undiscovered. The fishing boats went out in the morning and brought in nets of fish which the women of Vernazza sold along the main (and only) street that led to the harbor. The local restaurants served the catch of the day on their menus each evening. Pesto was invented here.

Fishermen fixed their nets in the afternoon, the shops closed at lunch, and rooms for 4 were dirt cheap ($35/night, this was a time when this sleepy little village was quiet and peaceful.

Today, Vernazza is bustling with tourists (that is you and me)flocking to see this darling jewel of the Cinque Terre. The restaurants are busy at lunch and the town is a magnet for any tourist near by.

But, it is wonderful. When you stay in Vernazza you will probably spend the day hiking the trail and enjoying the other villages along the Cinque Terre. You won't even notice the crowds in town. When you return to your room in Vernazza after your excursions you will find that the majority of the people that came for the day are gone and the town becomes quiet again. There are many outdoor cafes sprinkled throughout the harbor for a nice evening meal. And a great pizza place up the main street on your right from the harbor.

There has been progress over the years, there is a nice cobblestoned street that leads down from the train station to the harbor and the harbor is now a great place to sunbath, read a book or just people watch if you have hiked too much.

Sure it might be crowded, but you won't find another place like it on earth.

I highly recommend going here.

Thank you all so very much. I am planning my trip already. I just have to pick another area to combine for a complete 12-13 days trip. I have been in Venice, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Genoa, Bologna and Siena. I haven't been in Sicily yet which is in other direction but it should be doable in a 12 day period. Thanks again for all your great suggestions.

seeall: Since you will be up in the northern part of Italy, you might consider also seeing Umbria (Perugia, Spoleto, Todi, Assisi, also Orvieto, etc). It is an area oft-overlooked with tourists who go to Tuscany and the Cinque Terre.

Sicily is do-able by all means, but note that from La Spezia (near the Cinque Terre), it is a it is a 15 hour train ride down the boot of Italy to Catania, then additional travel time to your destination city in Sicily. I was just there in September and found getting to and around the island of Sicily challenging many times due to infrequent (often cancelled) transportation schedules for the busses, trains, Metros, etc; and also island-wide midday closure of stores, shops, etc that wasn't always the same practice in the larger cities (i.e. Rome, Milano) on the Italian mainland.

The lakes---a natural extension from there.

seall,
We recently returned from a trip that included 3 nights in the cinque terre area. I absolutely did NOT get enough and I can't wait to go back. We stayed in Levanto, which we found very charming as well as convenient. The Hotel Nazionale was perfect for us and I highly recommend it. We spent a day on the boat visiting each village, and continuing on to Portovenere(which I highly recommend also) so I don't feel like we spent as much time on the trails as we would have liked. From 5T we took the train to Lucca (maybe 2 hours with connections.) Lucca would be a perfect extension from the villages. Whatever you do in Italy, you will enjoy!!!