Cinque Terre in July

[txcruiser121]

I will be in Livorno in the middle of July.My mom and I are thinking about going to Cinque Terre on the ship's shore excursion. I have read that during the summer the weekends are the most crowded...we will be there on Thursday. How crowded is Cinque Terre during the week? Do the crowds take away from the area and make it hard to find a place to eat lunch?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

It is not crowded during the week. I was there in July and it was really lovely. Not many cruisers go there- opting to do Florence instead. There will be about 100 people though on the ferry when you arrive in Monterrossa- the last village. This is where the tours stop for lunch. There are many restaurants there. We had a lovely lunch there and you won't have any trouble getting a table. The tour people tend to follow the guide because they think he will take them to the best place to eat. We wisely didn't and found a quaint place that wasn't mobbed with tourists. Olive oil, pasta with pesto and white wine! Yum.

[txcruiser121]

Thank you!!!

[kuldalai]

Be prepared in July the CT will be hot temperature wise . Take sunscreen and water and a hat .

[rebeccalouiseagain]

It definitely will be hot. It wasn't unbearable but there is really no shade while you are touring the villages. So yes- sunscreen and hat.

[see you soon]

I will be in Livorno in the middle of July.My mom and I are thinking about going to Cinque Terre on the ship's shore excursion. I have read that during the summer the weekends are the most crowded...we will be there on Thursday. How crowded is Cinque Terre during the week? Do the crowds take away from the area and make it hard to find a place to eat lunch?

 

 

We visited on Friday June 13 this year, and sad to say Cinque Terre is becoming a victim of its own success. It was very busy and the area is not really suitable for large groups trailing behind a guide. Getting on the ferries is a challenge for some, as the dock really don't exist in some of the ports, Manarola in particular. The boats don't operate if it is windy. Many of the trails day trippers use, are closed due to storm damage last fall. It is a beautiful area. It was very hot and much, of any exploring, requires uphill walking. There are many cafes, restaurants everywhere. Monterosso is the largest most resort like stop. Because it is accessible by road it has the most services. Some ship tours go to Portovenere which is not one of the Cingue Terre villages. It is a nice resort town. We were glad we went. I just wish we had visited years ago before it became a destination for so many tourists. We traveled by train to La Spezia and used a combination of train and bus transport.

 

See you soon

[txcruiser121]

We visited on Friday June 13 this year, and sad to say Cinque Terre is becoming a victim of its own success. It was very busy and the area is not really suitable for large groups trailing behind a guide. Getting on the ferries is a challenge for some, as the dock really don't exist in some of the ports, Manarola in particular. The boats don't operate if it is windy. Many of the trails day trippers use, are closed due to storm damage last fall. It is a beautiful area. It was very hot and much, of any exploring, requires uphill walking. There are many cafes, restaurants everywhere. Monterosso is the largest most resort like stop. Because it is accessible by road it has the most services. Some ship tours go to Portovenere which is not one of the Cingue Terre villages. It is a nice resort town. We were glad we went. I just wish we had visited years ago before it became a destination for so many tourists. We traveled by train to La Spezia and used a combination of train and bus transport.

 

See you soon

 

Did you have to use the train when you visited or were the ferries operating? I have read that you don't want to visit CT if it's raining because everyone will be on the trains & the shops & restaurants are even more crowded.

[see you soon]

Did you have to use the train when you visited or were the ferries operating? I have read that you don't want to visit CT if it's raining because everyone will be on the trains & the shops & restaurants are even more crowded.

 

 

We chose to mix it up because of time constraints. Some trains don't stop at all the villages. I had both the train and boat schedules and figured our how best to see as much of the area as we could.

 

In one day you can just get a very quick overview anyway. Unless you like hiking, for many, that would be enough.

 

See you soon

[txcruiser121]

We chose to mix it up because of time constraints. Some trains don't stop at all the villages. I had both the train and boat schedules and figured our how best to see as much of the area as we could.

 

In one day you can just get a very quick overview anyway. Unless you like hiking, for many, that would be enough.

 

See you soon

 

 

We plan on doing both as well. I hear the views from the ferry are awesome.

[see you soon]

We plan on doing both as well. I hear the views from the ferry are awesome.

 

It is pretty ride, although the boat can be crowded. It is the best way to get a glimpse of Corniglia, the third town. The boat doesn't stop there as there is no dock. The train stops less frequently and it is a long steep uphill walk to the village. There is a shuttle bus, but every time you have to make a new connection you lose time to actually see something.

 

There is little view from the train, as you travel through a series of tunnels.

 

See you soon