80sGirl Posted March 23, 2015 #1 Share Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) We're on Nieuw Amsterdam stopping in Livorno on 29th of June. We'd like to see Cinque Terre and are planning to do it on our own, if feasible. As it stands, we're leaning toward renting a car and cutting the number of towns to visit down to two; so due terre not cinque :D It would make us happy to visit the quieter towns to avoid the crowds and have a more relaxed pace. We're not the type to feel that we must "complete the set" if you see what I mean. But if we do that, visit only two or maybe three, will we really be missing out on what may be unique to each village? Is it essential to visit all five to truly experience the region? Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide! Edited March 23, 2015 by 80sGirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 23, 2015 #2 Share Posted March 23, 2015 We do not think there is any formula for enjoying the villages of Cinque Terre. Just move at your own pace and do what feels right at the time. The most crowded villages are usually Riomaggiore and Monterossa al Mare..because these are the villages at each end that are commonly used by tour buses and private cars as a starting point (these villages have parking). So if you are walking around Riomaggiore and you feel "crowded" just grab the train or a ferry and head off to another village. Unfortunately, since the Lovers Walk is still closed you will not be able to hike out of Riomaggiore. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuldalai Posted March 24, 2015 #3 Share Posted March 24, 2015 One thing you do NOT do is visit the CT by car . Most villages are really only accessible by sea or train . Sailing with Holland America they offer just the VERY BEST Shore excursion of the CT where you travel by coach from Livorno to Portovenere, then by ferry along the coastline of the CT alighting at Vernazza for lunch, then after lunch you work back with your guide through other villages . This is one excursion where you are miles better off taking the ships Shore excursion ex Livorno . Yes you could do SOME villages by car, but you will not see the real magic of the Cinque Terre . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 24, 2015 #4 Share Posted March 24, 2015 (edited) We would just mention that we have often gone to Cinque Terre by car and have even done this a couple of times from the Port of Livorno. A rental car, when the cost is split with 2 couples, is often the least expensive and fastest way to get to Riomaggiore (the closest Cinque Terre village to Livorno). At Riomaggiore we park our car in either the paid parking lot/garage or sometimes park along the road for free. But once parked we use a combination of ferry boats, train and hiking to enjoy our visit. Many tours (including cruise tours) do essentially the same thing...dropping their group in Riomaggiore from where they use the same options (train, ferry, hiking). Hank Edited March 24, 2015 by Hlitner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sGirl Posted March 24, 2015 Author #5 Share Posted March 24, 2015 (edited) Thank you Hank and kuldalai for your help. The HAL excursion just doesn't appeal to us and it is really expensive. I had no knowledge of the area so do appreciate the information that some of the villages can only be reached by train or boat. Still, I think renting a car to Riomaggiore (as per Hank's experience) and training it from there seems like the best plan for us. The slightly frightening variable is the Italian summer traffic and road works. :eek: Edited March 24, 2015 by 80sGirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornishpastyman1 Posted March 24, 2015 #6 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Thank you Hank and kuldalai for your help. The HAL excursion just doesn't appeal to us and it is really expensive. I had no knowledge of the area so do appreciate the information that some of the villages can only be reached by train or boat. Still, I think renting a car to Riomaggiore (as per Hank's experience) and training it from there seems like the best plan for us. The slightly frightening variable is the Italian summer traffic and road works. :eek: Hi Beth This shows a bit of what you will see (hopefully in sunshine). My plan was to walk from Vernazza-Monterosso and take a train back to La Spezia but I got cold and wet at Vernazza so came home from there. Good luck, Tony [YOUTUBE]MPZfm28F_lc[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sGirl Posted March 24, 2015 Author #7 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Thank you Tony! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 24, 2015 #8 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Thank you Hank and kuldalai for your help. The HAL excursion just doesn't appeal to us and it is really expensive. I had no knowledge of the area so do appreciate the information that some of the villages can only be reached by train or boat. Still, I think renting a car to Riomaggiore (as per Hank's experience) and training it from there seems like the best plan for us. The slightly frightening variable is the Italian summer traffic and road works. :eek: If you plan on doing the rental we often recommend dealing with Sifracar.com who is the local (Livorno) Hertz franchisee. They actually have a link on their web site for "cruise ship specials" which, although a little pricy, include delivery and drop right at the pier. This saves time and the need for a taxi to get you to a rental car agency. Just beware that most rental cars in Italy (especially at Livorno) are manual transmissions (stick shift). The last time we rented a car at the port we decided to take another couple with us to split the cost. We posted on the CC Roll Call, and within 2 hours we had 3 couples who wanted to go with us (we chose the first who asked). Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryann ns Posted March 24, 2015 #9 Share Posted March 24, 2015 My favorite village is Corniglia, partly because it take an effort to go there (train and hike or train and shuttle - google it!); partly because of its wonderful setting high up on a cliff with a fabulous view of flowers, vineyards and ocean; and partly because the people there are more friendly - not being bothered by hordes of tourists. My husband and I had a truly magical lunch just at the entrance of the village in an outdoor restaurant overlooking the cliff and the sea below. The waiter spoke no English and they were out of whatever we ordered. He said something about sardines and we said OK. They were fresh, breaded and flash fried and heaped on a platter. Along with this we had linguine with pesto (which comes from this area) and it was all washed down with a lovely local white wine. It is a very special memory. A year later my son and friends were there and spent an afternoon in a bar with a very friendly barman who chatted with them for hours and charged them next to nothing. My next favorite town in Vernazza but it is a favorite of many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sGirl Posted March 25, 2015 Author #10 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Hank: thank you, you'd mentioned sifracar in another thread somewhere so we got a quote from them. It is pricey, to be sure, but the convenience of having them waiting for you at the pier with the car and then again at the pier for the drop off is worth the extra euros. DH and I both drive stick so that's not an issue for us, thankfully! I do plan to offer to share with another couple on our roll call but even if we end up going it alone, it'll be fine. Still much cheaper than a tour. Maryann; your visit sounds wonderful. When we lived in Naples, we got used to going into restaurants where there was no menu at all. They would ask if you wanted fish or meat or both and then the plates would just arrive. Such an adventure and the food was always so good! Our plan thus far is to drive to Riomaggiore and park there, then train it out to Vernazza and work our way back to the car. We're in port for 12 hours so are quite confident we'll have more than enough time. Thank you all again for your advice and memories! It makes it that much more fun to look forward to! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 25, 2015 #11 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Just thought I would mention my parking strategy for Riomaggiore. As you drive down the final hill into town you will see cars parked along the side of the road (this is free). As we near the city if we happen to see an empty spot then we park and walk into town. Otherwise, as you enter the village you will see the usual blue "P" signs to a paid parking area that has both a multi-level garage and some outdoor parking spots (the price is all the same). We have always found parking in this paid area although we might have been helped by arriving before 10am. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sGirl Posted March 25, 2015 Author #12 Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) As always Hank, your help is invaluable! We will definitely keep our eye out for spots along the road. Though, if that fails, we know that the road ends at the parking garage so we don't have to panic about not getting a spot somewhere! Edited March 25, 2015 by 80sGirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slidergirl Posted March 26, 2015 #13 Share Posted March 26, 2015 (edited) I spent a few days in CT with friends a couple of years ago. One of my all-time favorite trips. We based in Vernazza. One of our days was devoted to hiking between all 5 villages. Totally wore us out, but so much fun. Loved just hanging out at one of the outdoor bars at the waterfront in the evening. Montersosso was fun for doing a quick "beach" afternoon. All of CT is totally DIY-able, as there is nothing that needs a guide to tell you what you are seeing or interpreting what you are seeing. It's a kind of place where you just wander and pop into places that call to you. Although, at the end of the beach at Monterosso is (or was - don't know if it survived the mudslides) this house that has a rather unusual sculpture of what seemed to be Neptune... Edited March 26, 2015 by slidergirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare marazul Posted March 26, 2015 #14 Share Posted March 26, 2015 (edited) Although, at the end of the beach at Monterosso is (or was - don't know if it survived the mudslides) this house that has a rather unusual sculpture of what seemed to be Neptune... The statue is called "il gigante", the giant. It is made of concrete and it was built in the early 1900's. It is supposedly holding a seashell. The beach road ends there at a gate under the giant. Inside the gate is a private beach/boat club. Be careful not to go in, the gate locks and you need to know where to press the button to get out! How do I know? Mmmmm.... BTW - there are some good beach restaurants just before you get to the gate. Here is the official website for CT: http://cinqueterre.it/info.php Edited March 26, 2015 by marazul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacationlady Posted April 9, 2015 #15 Share Posted April 9, 2015 We stayed in Riomaggiore for a couple of day at the end of August. We really enjoyed all the towns but felt we made the right choice for us in staying in Riomaggiore. We were only able to hike from Monterosso to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia. The other trails were closed. We did both trails in one day but started early. If you go to the town of Vernazza walk to the top of the hill for the view. You will get good pictures from this vantage point without going on the trail. Monterosso is the largest town, it has an old section and new section to explore. Manarola is the smallest town, but you can get great pictures of the town and the harbor if you take the beginning of the trail, you can not go very far, but you will get some pretty pictures from this point. Do your research on all the towns to see which one suits you, as they are all different. Enjoy the food and take time to relax and enjoy the views. Cinque Terre is a beautiful place to spend time. Keep in mind that if you want to use the ferry, they do not run if in bad weather so have a backup plan. If you ride the train, they are very crowded. Make sure you have a train ticket and are going in the right direction. The conductor was on all the trains we rode in Cinque Terre checking tickets and fining people for not having the right ticket. If you want to see pictures of our time in Cinque Terre and what each village looks like along with our hikes you can see them on my web site at winenchocolate dot com Enjoy Cinque Terre its worth the visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_cruise Posted April 10, 2015 #16 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Why don't you post on your roll call and get a group of 8. We did http://www.italytoursharing.com. They even make a stop at Pisa . I have got two groups of 8 together within a week of posting on my roll call. It is a wonderful place to see. Doing it again this july!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sGirl Posted April 11, 2015 Author #17 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Thanks to everyone for your help and advice! Your pictures are beautiful vacationlady, thank you for sharing! We're actually re-evaluating whether one day there will suffice and are thinking we may put it off for another time when we can stay longer. We would really love to hike between all the towns and immerse ourselves into the area. Too many beautiful parts of the world and not enough time or money to do them all justice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryann ns Posted April 11, 2015 #18 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Leaving it until you have more time would be a good decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkr Posted April 13, 2015 #19 Share Posted April 13, 2015 If you plan on doing the rental we often recommend dealing with Sifracar.com who is the local (Livorno) Hertz franchisee. They actually have a link on their web site for "cruise ship specials" which, although a little pricy, include delivery and drop right at the pier. This saves time and the need for a taxi to get you to a rental car agency. Just beware that most rental cars in Italy (especially at Livorno) are manual transmissions (stick shift). The last time we rented a car at the port we decided to take another couple with us to split the cost. We posted on the CC Roll Call, and within 2 hours we had 3 couples who wanted to go with us (we chose the first who asked). Hank BE SURE TO BUY INSURANCE, THE MAX AMOUNT! Whenever we rent in Italy, we get the max insurance so that you just have to hand in the keys...if need be. They get you for every bump and bruise and Italian drivers will be happy to help you acquire these!! Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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