Could someone tell us which town would be best to stay over night in at the Cinque Terre. We will be travelling through for one and a half days.
Thanks

i went to cinque terre for a weekend about two years ago. i stopped in the 3rd town, corniglia.

we weren't even planning on stopping there, but we heard jack johnson BLASTING out of one of the enotecas... it was called "il pirun" named after the oddly shaped drinking mechanism they used that looked like a glass teapot with a really long stem. we went in and chatted with the owner, he gave us a few tastes of wine out of the infamous pirun and then reccommended this grandma-looking lady as having great apartments for the night. he was right!!!! it was super cheap (i think about 40 for the night), with tv, kitchen, and even extra pullout bed (there were three of us) and the lady was so accomodating. we called her our nonna and she called us her tesori.

it's a fabulous town with a couple of windy roads packed with shops and enotecas that all lead to great views of the sea. including a fantastic spot over-looking the water which was perfect at sunset.

it's a good place to stop because it's halfway through. the next morning we hiked to the 4th town and took a boat to the last one. i might call ahead for accomodation if going anytime soon, though. we went mid-october and it obviously was a little emptier than this time of year.

have fun!!!

I believe you'll find earlier discussions of this if you search the archives - and you'll probably find proponents of all five towns and Levanto as well. From my own experience I'd suggest low-key Manarola if you're going by train, and easier-to-drive-to Levanto if you're driving. But it depends on what you're after.

I was just in the CT a week and a half ago and visited all of the towns. We didn't stay in one of the 5 CT towns, but after seeing them all, my favorite was Corniglia. It looked like a fun place to overnight. Probably after that I'd say Vernazza was very handy and beautiful.

You can find a lot of previous information both by searching the board and on our main website Slow Travel. Here our pages on Cinque Terre and a link to hotel reviews in Liguria. I second the recommendation of Manarola. We enjoyed our stay. Many others recommend Vernazza but I find it a bit too touristed since it is a favorite.

Has anyone stayed at Hotel Shelly e dell palme in Lerici?

We were driving so opted for Levanto. We were there 3 weeks ago and stayed at http://www.levanto.com/villaclelia/. Very nice and relaxing. 10 minute walk to the train station and then only 6 minutes to Monterosso and on to the other villages. We liked coming back in the evenings to the lovely town of Levanto. We had a couple of nice meals at Trattoria Da Rino just a few steps from the B&B.

The answer to your question is like so many others - - it really depends on what you're looking for.

We stayed in Riomaggiore - we loved it! But I can see why many might not. It is not a resort town - - and lots of luggage wouldn't do well there! Up hill and lots of stairs w/o lifts!

Monterosso gave me a feel of a more resort town.

Hiking & views are INCREDIBLE

Hi tx, where did you stay in Riomaggiore? We're there for 2 nights and have booked the Locanda del Sole. The reason I ended up booking that one was that it actually has a parking lot (and Rick Steves gave it a pretty good review when it was called Albergo Caribana). They called it "spacious", but looking at the pics, it's just enough room for a couple of very small cars.

Did you find any good restaurants right in town? We're arriving midafternoon so might head off to Corniglia for the afternoon and then back to Riomaggiore for dinner.

Any info would be great.

Thanks,

Linda

We stayed at Vernazza which we really enjoyed. It was amazing how the crowds cleared out at night. There is a parking lot above the town with a shuttle. We rented a room right at the top which was easy to get to with our luggage and not far from anything.
We must have missed everything in Corniglia. After walking up the hill from the train, we found an old church that was closed and a quiet little square. I guess we should have explored further, but jumped back on the train to the next town.We didn't see all the shops etc that were mentioned.

We stayed in Vernazza also, but it has been so many years now I cannot remember which hotel. I do remember LOTS of stairs. We walked to each town except Monterosso al Mare; we hopped on a boat for that. We were there in '93 I think, so there were not very many non-Italian tourists. We parked near Riomaggiore.

Beautiful area! Have fun deciding.

Our first trip to the CT was over 11 years ago. We arrived in Vernazza with no reservation and had no trouble booking a great room with a private terrace overlooking the Med, breakfast included for under 40 euros.

Those days are gone. Now it is very crowded during the high season. Which ever town you pick, and they all have their merits, book early! And expect lots of people on the trails. But it is still worth it!

We stayed in an apartment on S.Antonio, which really isn't a street, but a stairway intertwined between the apartment houses.

We booked through Cinque Terre Holidays. Didn't eat in restaurants in Riomaggiore, since we had a kitchen.

The markets are great - wonderful bread, fresh fruit!!

It is beautiful and a unique little village!

How old are you and are you driving--it all depends.