Review of Cinque Terra, Italy

[commodoredave]

Here is my review of the Cinque Terra on the Ligurian coast of Italy. We recently stayed 3 days there as part of a post-cruise tour. Hope you find it useful.

https://gentlemansportion.com/2019/11/18/italys-five-hidden-gems/

[ChasingSunshine]

Nice pictures!  Thanks for sharing.  

[commodoredave]

7 hours ago, ChasingSunshine said:

Nice pictures!  Thanks for sharing.  

My pleasure. I try to do reviews of most of our cruises and related land trips. 

[dogs4fun]

Great photos - appears that you had a wonderful time. It is a gorgeous area - especially during the shoulder seasons when the tourist hordes are less intense.

[commodoredave]

On 11/19/2019 at 8:31 AM, dogs4fun said:

Great photos - appears that you had a wonderful time. It is a gorgeous area - especially during the shoulder seasons when the tourist hordes are less intense.

We were there the last weekend in May, and the area was just starting to get busy. So going shoulder-season if possible, is a good strategy. Making dinner reservations at the most popular restos like Miky is also a must. 

Edited November 21, 2019 by commodoredave

[cruisingaussies]

Hi Commodoredave

Thanks for your post, it all looks and sounds great. I’ve always wanted to visit the CT and now have the opportunity to as a shore excursion on an upcoming cruise. My DH can walk a bit but not long distances and has trouble with long flights of steps and steep upwards climbs. This is the description of the excursion, we’d be very grateful if you could expand the info, particularly getting to the harbour in Manarola to board the motorboat and getting to the train in Monterosso, if you had experience yourself. 

Thanks in advance for reading all this. 

Leaving Livorno, drive north for 1.5 hours, passing Pisa and the resorts of Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi until reaching Manarola, where you'll begin your exploration in earnest. Cinque Terre is a National Park protected by UNESCO, and Manarola is one of the five villages within the territory. Arriving in Manarola, you'll enjoy a guided introduction of the village and some free time. You will then embark a motorboat for a scenic cruise (weather permitting) that will take you to the fishing village of Vernazza, where you'll enjoy time at leisure. No visit to the Cinque Terre can end without visiting Monterosso al Mare. After an introduction from your guide, you'll have free time to explore the tiny shops and have lunch on your own. Then you will board a local train from Monterosso to Levanto where your motorcoach is waiting for you for the return drive to Livorno. Please note: Guests must be able to walk approximately two hours over various surfaces, including steps, and stand for extended periods of time. 

[commodoredave]

Hi CruisingAussies. Apologies for the delayed response, but we have just returned from a Caribbean cruise and the ship's internet made checking CC a challenge.

There will be a number of steps and paths that go downhill/uphill in the CT.

In Manorola, you should be going downhill to the water as the bus will drop you off at the top of the village. 

The motorboat will decant you at the pier in Vernazza, so you can choose how far up hill you wish to go. If too challenging, just stop at one of the bars/cafes in the piazza or along the road for a coffee or drink, enjoy the scenery, and then rejoin the group when they return to the boat. This is assuming that the motorboat will take you from Vernazza to Monterosso. If the group is hiking from Vernazza to Monterosso along the trail above the towns, this will be too challenging for you. But I doubt they would do this without explaining it in the shore description, which does not mention it. 

Decanting the boat and walking around Monterosso should not be too challenging. I don't recall any stairs in Monterosso near the pier, and you can certainly enjoy the lower part of the old town without coping will hills or steps.. You will then walk through a tunnel and along a road to the new part of Monterosso to catch the train. This road has a small incline and is not difficult. However, the train station is a long flight of steep steps from the road, and you will need to give yourselves time to navigate it. . 

All in all, I think you will find it doable and worthwhile. I say this as my wife has a bad ankle, and she was able to enjoy the CT by only doing what she felt comfortable with.

Hope this is helpful. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

[cantgetaname]

I hope you don't mind if I ask a couple of questions.  I'm going to be going on a cruise that departs and returns from Rome, and would love to extend my trip by spending a few days in Cinque Terre.   However,  I've never been to Italy (and don't speak any Italian),  won't have a car, and have never travelled by train before.  Is this just too complicated a journey?   I should note I'd be by myself for this.

[CruiserBruce]

16 minutes ago, cantgetaname said:

I hope you don't mind if I ask a couple of questions.  I'm going to be going on a cruise that departs and returns from Rome, and would love to extend my trip by spending a few days in Cinque Terre.   However,  I've never been to Italy (and don't speak any Italian),  won't have a car, and have never travelled by train before.  Is this just too complicated a journey?   I should note I'd be by myself for this.

No, traveling by train in  Italy is not difficult. A few years ago we did a 15 day, train only trip, Rome-Venice-Florence-Cinque Terre back to Rome using only trains (and one private tour, and one private transfer). It just takes a little research and planning.

 

English is spoken very widely, and most, if not all signage, will either be international symbols, or in Italian and English. English is the official language of the EU, and if you think about it, French, Germans, English, Italians and all the other other EU members travel all over Europe by using...English, for the most part. Yes, Europeans are far more skilled at languages than the average US citizen, but English is still the most common language.

 

The biggest issue, mentioned here frequently, is hauling luggage. Our trip was carry on only, but I assume you will have checked bag(s). I would seek to lighten that as much as possible, as there is no baggage checking on European trains...you are responsible to carry your own luggage on board and stow it.

 

There are many threads here on Italian train travel. It is pretty fast and efficient, and relatively cheap, all things considered. It is a VERY good way to get around.

[commodoredave]

23 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

No, traveling by train in  Italy is not difficult. A few years ago we did a 15 day, train only trip, Rome-Venice-Florence-Cinque Terre back to Rome using only trains (and one private tour, and one private transfer). It just takes a little research and planning.

 

English is spoken very widely, and most, if not all signage, will either be international symbols, or in Italian and English. English is the official language of the EU, and if you think about it, French, Germans, English, Italians and all the other other EU members travel all over Europe by using...English, for the most part. Yes, Europeans are far more skilled at languages than the average US citizen, but English is still the most common language.

 

The biggest issue, mentioned here frequently, is hauling luggage. Our trip was carry on only, but I assume you will have checked bag(s). I would seek to lighten that as much as possible, as there is no baggage checking on European trains...you are responsible to carry your own luggage on board and stow it.

 

There are many threads here on Italian train travel. It is pretty fast and efficient, and relatively cheap, all things considered. It is a VERY good way to get around.

I agree with CruiserBruce that train travel in Italy is very easy. We booked our tickets online in advance (in English). We went from Milan to CT, then from CT back to Milan, and then on to Lake Como all without any difficulty. As CB mentioned, the only challenge is getting luggage on and off the train, and storing it. 

[kochleffel]

On 12/26/2019 at 2:34 PM, commodoredave said:

We booked our tickets online in advance (in English)

 

Also, ticket machines in the stations - at least those that I've used - have English as an option.

 

[CruiserBruce]

31 minutes ago, kochleffel said:

 

Also, ticket machines in the stations - at least those that I've used - have English as an option.

 

Yes...most do. But the choice is usually indicated by the British flag...which many Americans won't connect with being the English language option 🤔

[kochleffel]

On 12/28/2019 at 2:46 PM, CruiserBruce said:

Yes...most do. But the choice is usually indicated by the British flag...which many Americans won't connect with being the English language option 🤔

 

This also affects many European web sites that one might use in planning travel - very often the option for English language is indicated by a British flag. And then there are those that show the name of the language being used in that language. Clicking on it might bring up a list of other languages, but if you're using, say, the Deutsche Bahn site and you don't know that Deutsch is German, it might not occur to you to click on the arrow next to it to select another language.

[cruisingaussies]

On 12/23/2019 at 2:43 AM, commodoredave said:

Hi CruisingAussies. Apologies for the delayed response, but we have just returned from a Caribbean cruise and the ship's internet made checking CC a challenge.

There will be a number of steps and paths that go downhill/uphill in the CT.

In Manorola, you should be going downhill to the water as the bus will drop you off at the top of the village. 

The motorboat will decant you at the pier in Vernazza, so you can choose how far up hill you wish to go. If too challenging, just stop at one of the bars/cafes in the piazza or along the road for a coffee or drink, enjoy the scenery, and then rejoin the group when they return to the boat. This is assuming that the motorboat will take you from Vernazza to Monterosso. If the group is hiking from Vernazza to Monterosso along the trail above the towns, this will be too challenging for you. But I doubt they would do this without explaining it in the shore description, which does not mention it. 

Decanting the boat and walking around Monterosso should not be too challenging. I don't recall any stairs in Monterosso near the pier, and you can certainly enjoy the lower part of the old town without coping will hills or steps.. You will then walk through a tunnel and along a road to the new part of Monterosso to catch the train. This road has a small incline and is not difficult. However, the train station is a long flight of steep steps from the road, and you will need to give yourselves time to navigate it. . 

All in all, I think you will find it doable and worthwhile. I say this as my wife has a bad ankle, and she was able to enjoy the CT by only doing what she felt comfortable with.

Hope this is helpful. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

Hi Commodoredave

Our turn to apologise, we are currently on a cruise!  Thank you so much for your extremely helpful comments, exactly what we need to know.  There is no hiking, so I think we’ll be fine.  I’ve been wanting to visit the C.T. For a long time, so looking forward to it.

Again, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Best wishes for 2020 with plenty of cruises!

[commodoredave]

On 12/30/2019 at 3:06 AM, cruisingaussies said:

Hi Commodoredave

Our turn to apologise, we are currently on a cruise!  Thank you so much for your extremely helpful comments, exactly what we need to know.  There is no hiking, so I think we’ll be fine.  I’ve been wanting to visit the C.T. For a long time, so looking forward to it.

Again, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Best wishes for 2020 with plenty of cruises!

Happy New Year to you as well. Guess it has already past in your time zone!!