Another lovely place I have spent some time at is the Cinque Terre and each time I have stayed at the Hotel Venezia in the town of La Spezia. La Spezia is not actually part of the Cinque Terre however to me it is the gateway to the Cinque Terre.
I can highly recommend this hotel. It is small and modest but clean, modern, inexpensive and the owner speaks a little English. The tariff does include breakfast. It is about 20 meters from the train station and is an easy walk. It is close to absolutely everything. You can take the train to any of the Cinque Terre or the bus to the local beaches and surrounding areas.
The local markets which are on every Friday in the centre of town.
It is located between Pisa and Genoa on the Ligurian Sea and is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts the Arsenal of the Italian Navy.
You may find when you get there that you would like to stay in one of the 5 villages. There are signs out everywhere advertising rooms for rent.
It would be lovely to stay in these places but they are not as accessible as staying in La Spezia and certainly not easy to carry your luggage especially if you are traveling alone. When you are traveling with a friend or friends then it would be very easy to stay in one of the many places which you can find in each and every one of the Cinque Terre.
From La Spezia it is so easy to take the train to any of 5 villages.
You can also take the train to Santa Margherita and Portofino from La Spezia.
Portofino
Although the Cinque Terre is a popular tourist destination it does not appear to be very touristy and is certainly not expensive. The accommodation in general is very affordable, eating out is quite reasonable; the local transport is cheap and easy. Usually the only language spoken here is Italian so it would be advisable to have a few Italian words and phrases. I enjoyed a week here at the end of a 9 weeks stay in Italy. It was just so nice to spend the last week in 1 place relaxing and enjoying and having fun with the locals.
Cinque Terre, just gorgeous – a truly beautiful place to spend some time.
We are only 2 hours from Cinque Terre in Bagni di Lucca. We go fairly regularly as a day trip. Portovenere is lovely too. I have only been once to La Spezia….maybe I need to go back.
Hi Lyn,
Your email address has disappeared from my iPad. Would you like to get together for a coffee soon?
Deb
What a fabulous looking town!
love the Cinque Terre and Santa Margherita Ligure
Portofino looks like such an interesting place to visit! Jd.
Another gorgeous place to visit..Kay
We stayed in Rapallo and had a day boat trip to the Cinque Terre, it was just the most fabulous day and seeing the 5 towns from the water is just so beautiful.
Hope a question is okay! How easy is it to get to by train from Rome?
We stayed in Vernazza for a couple of nights, a very beautiful and unique part of the world. Your photos bring back wonderful memories, thanks for sharing :-)