Are shops and restaurants open on Sundays or does it kind of close up on Sunday? We will be there for a whole week but I am just trying to kind of loosely plan out my time.

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Are shops and restaurants open on Sundays or does it kind of close up on Sunday? We will be there for a whole week but I am just trying to kind of loosely plan out my time.

Sunday is probably the busiest day of the week for the Cinque Terre villages....everything is open. I usually recommend avoiding weekends in the Cinque Terre if possible and planning visits during the week.

I agree with Jim. Sundays are full of tourists plus all the workers and people from La Spezia who are looking forward to a day out, so the crowds are much worse than in the week.

Everything is definitely open. Some shops may close for the siesta (i.e. 1pm-3:30pm) but in the summer I think they are open throughout the day.

Cinque Terre is beautiful, and worth a visit any day. I had the pleasure to go there last Autumn. Monterosso, the largest village, will probably be the most crowded of the 5 villages at Sunday. A tour to the beach in the smallest village Corniglia, or a quiet lunch there, might be an option.

Portovenere(not a part of Cinque Terre, but nearby) is a worth a trip to, because of the wonderful views, and nice atmosphere.

I agree with Jostein, that CT is beautiful every day. We stayed in Riomaggiore for a week and did the trails walk on a Sunday. This was in May 2006.

Okay, it was busy, but pleasantly so.

Elly

Thanks everyone-I think based on the recommendations we will lay low on Sunday and start our hiking on Monday. I Cant Wait!