Cinque Terre Travel Tips

Riomaggiore

Cinque Terre, the five cliffside villages on the Italian Riviera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an entry on the bucket list of many travelers. If you’re going to Italy, it’s worth the effort to make side trip to the Ligurian region, where you can enjoy the spectacular natural beauty of this national park as well as the scenic villages of Santa Margherita and Portofino, which are about an hour away by train.

Getting there

Most travelers find the most affordable way to arrive in Italy is to take a plane to Rome. From there, you can rent a car and drive from city to city on your own schedule. You can also take the train, which takes about seven hours. The closest major city is Genoa, about two hours away by train.

Where to stay

Hotel Italia in Rapallo

To get a better view of the entire region, I searched online for a hotel in Santa Margherita. While there are plenty of hotels in this town, they tend to be rather pricey, so I settled on Hotel Italia e Lido  in Rapallo, the quiet seaside village next to Santa Margherita. I was thrilled with my choice. A five-minute walk from the train station, the hotel is on the seaside overlooking a small castle built to defend the village against pirates in the fifteenth century. Rooms are clean and comfortable, and there’s even a free hot breakfast buffet and wifi in public areas. Since I was traveling in September, the hotel was not fully booked, so I got a free upgrade to a sea-view room, where I enjoyed my evenings sitting on the small terrace sipping wine and tasting cheese from the nearby shop. Talk about la dolce vita!

From Rapallo, you can take the bus or small boat that runs throughout the day to Santa Margherita and Portofino. I recommend walking along the seaside to Santa Margherita, which takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how often you stop for pictures. Just be sure you walk before sunset because there is a stretch without a sidewalk that can be pretty dangerous after dark.

Note that there are no roads in some of the villages, so it’s best to take a train. To go from Rapallo to Cinque Terre, take the train to Riomaggiore, the farthest village, which takes about an hour. You can also take a boat that will stop in one or two of the villages, but if you want to walk from village to village, or if you want to see all the villages, the only option is to take the train. Schedules are posted in all the stations. If you’re coming from the east, take the train from LaSpezia.

Seeing Cinque Terre

Lunch in Riomaggiore

Plan to spend at least a full day visiting Cinque Terre, especially if you are hiking between the villages. When you get off the train at Riomaggiore, you will find a tourist information window outside the station, where you can ask for a map. If you want to do the hike, you will climb some stairs to the starting point, where you will buy you ticket (€5). Before starting the hike, be sure to visit this fascinating village. You can either take a short walk through the tunnel from the train station or wander around the side of the cliff, which offers a spectacular view of the harbor and sea. If you have difficulty with stairs, be sure to take the tunnel. For a treat, stop for lunch at one of the cafés overlooking the harbor. You can also find picnic fixings in some of the shops and have lunch along the seaside.

If you don’t have time to visit all the villages, be sure to make a stop in Vernazza. This scenic village has a lovely harbor and beach, a delightful place to stop at a café for a glass of wine, some ice cream or a meal. You can also climb up the cliff to visit an old castle and enjoy the view of the sea and the town below.

Note that when you buy your train tickets to and from Riomaggiore, you can use them for up to six hours from the time you validate them.

Other Sites to See

Porto Venere

Not far from the Cinque Terre area is Porto Venere, a scenic village with tiny streets, ancient ruins, a beautiful port and seaside cafés. Some say this village is more beautiful than Cinque Terre. Be sure to visit and decide for yourself. The ferry that runs among the villages of Cinque Terre also visits Porto Venere. In addition, you can take a boat on a day trip from the same place where you pick up the boats that operate in Rapallo and Santa Margherita. This cruise includes commentary in Italian and English, and it makes a brief stop in one of the villages in Cinque Terre. This cruise isn’t available every day, so be sure to stop by the ticket booth to find out when it runs. Also, if the captain decides the sea is too rough, the cruise will be canceled, so tickets are only sold shortly before the boat departs.

The first time I tried to take the cruise, it was canceled, but I quickly and easily made it to the train station, bought a ticket to Riomaggiore and found my way there. I met several other people who were making the same journey, so we found our way together and ended up running into each other throughout the day.

After wearing yourself down in Cinque Terre, you can take a relaxing stroll through the towns of Rapallo, Santa Margherita, Portofino and Frutuosso. Again, it’s simple to take the boats, which run about once an hour. Just be sure to check the schedule to avoid getting stranded in another town. Depending on what you want to see and do, covering these towns will take a day or two.

More Tips

• Cafés and restaurants in Italy have a cover charge for table service. The fee is generally about €1.50 per person, but runs around €3 in some places like Portofino, a more popular spot on the Italian Riviera. In fact, everything in Portofino costs a lot more, so if you’re trying to save money, don’t plan to eat here.
• Be sure to stroll up the hill above Portofino to visit the Church of St. George and Castello Brown. If you still have any energy, hike out to the lighthouse.
• Buying train tickets in smaller Italian towns can be a challenge if you don’t speak the language. I have yet to find a ticket seller who speaks anything but Italian. If you’re lucky, you can find another person in line who speaks English and will help you translate. Otherwise, you can write down the name of the town where you’re going. If the ticket window is closed, you can use the machine, which offers information in English, but you will need a credit card with chip and PIN technology.
• Before boarding the train, you must validate your ticket by placing it in the small device usually found just outside the ticket office. If you present a ticket that hasn’t been validated to the conductor, you could be thrown off the train and face an expensive fine.
• Be sure to try pansotti cum salsa di noci, a specialty of the Ligurian region recommended by someone who grew up in the area. It’s a mild ravioli-like pasta with walnut sauce, and it’s delicious.

If you’ve visited the Ligurian region of Italy, please share any additional tips you have for other travelers. If you haven’t been there, but would like to go, feel free to post your questions, and I’ll be happy to respond. 

See more of my photos from Italy.

Back to School

Wondering where I've been lately? No, I haven't been slacking off. In fact, I've been quite busy attending French classes in Nice. If you're looking for a great way to learn and practice a language, taking a vacation at a foreign language school offers many opportunities.

The school provides affordable housing options with a host or a family, which enables you to practice the language in an everyday setting and learn first-hand about the local culture. You even have the option to pay a little extra for dinner and/or breakfast with your host.

The schools screen hosts, but some can be a nightmare, like the one who had me sleep in the living room, or the one who would only let me come out of my room for dinner, which was usually no more than a bowl of green beans or a boiled egg. However, there are some great ones, like Solange, who included my classmates in family gatherings and even went out for dinner and drinks with some of us. If you are unhappy with your host, you can always ask the school to find you another place to stay.

If you don't want to take the risk, the school can also recommend a studio apartment or nearby hotel. After a few bad experiences in the past, I opted to rent an apartment on my own, mostly because I knew exactly where I wanted to stay, and because I planned to remain in Nice after the class.

If you want to look into classes, start with EF International or Apple Languages. Use their sites to select the language you want to study, your preferred city, housing preferences and any other options. For example, I chose the program that included morning lessons and afternoon excursions.

On the first day of class, you will normally take a placement test and be placed in a class, typically no larger than ten students, based on your level of knowledge. Generally, schools don't accept beginners, but you can always take an intro class at home before you go. Most community colleges offer non-credit classes for adults.

Besides learning more about French language and culture, I was also happy to find out more about the countries where the other students live. I also enjoyed going out with them for a glass of wine after the excursions and exploring nearby villages with them on the weekend. Since most students attend  the school on their own, everyone is looking for someone to hang out with, so there's no need to worry about being lonely or bored, even if you're shy. In fact, I actually made several new friends.

Oh, and according to my certificate, I am finally ready to proceed to advanced level French. C'est bon!

Live Like a Native on Vacation: Rent an Apartment

In a recent episode of Househunters International, a woman was hunting for a Paris flat that she and her husband could rent to tourists after using it for a long-term business stay. If you were wondering who would ever rent a property in another country and why, I will be glad to tell you.

View of pedestrian street and
Place Masséna from Ajoupa
apartment in Nice, France. 

I have rented four apartments in Paris when my stays lasted a week or more. For the same standard of living in hotels, I would have spent a lot more. My apartments offered amenities that a hotel did not, most notably a kitchen, which was a huge convenience at breakfast time or when I was too tired to eat out or just trying to save some money. It also gave me the opportunity to enjoy one of my favorite aspects of French life: wandering through the markets in search of fresh vegetables, cheese, baguettes and other goodies for meals. I didn’t even miss the maid service.

How to Find a Flat

You’re probably wondering where to find a list of apartments and how to avoid getting ripped off. I found my on the following websites:

• HomeAway is a reputable site recommended by several travel magazines. Renters can search the site based on all sorts or criteria, even whether the property has Internet access. If you register, you can create a list of favorites, and the site records which properties you have contacted. Best of all, the site provides protection against Internet fraud.
• HomeAway has some sister sites, including vrbo.com and Homelidays.com. While most of the properties are the same, it’s worth looking on them because you can sometimes find some additional ones.
• New York Habitat offers properties in New York, Paris, London and the South of France. Unlike HomeAway, which is not involved in agreements between renters and property owners, New York Habitat is a leasing service, so you will deal with an English-speaking agent who can provide a list of apartments based on your criteria or simply facilitate a rental agreement for an apartment you find on the website. This company also handles long-term rentals.

How to Choose the Perfect Property

A reliable website will provide an ample amount of information about the property as well as plenty of pictures. Following are some of the most important factors to consider when making your choice:

• Location: If you’re staying in a city, you don’t need to pay high rates to be in the tourist area. As long as you are close to public transportation, and it looks like a decent neighborhood, you should be fine. Beware that some listings show the center of town on the map rather than the property’s actual address. Be sure to verify the address and look it up on Google maps. You can also research the neighborhood on tripadvisor.com or other travel forums.
• Language spoken by the owner: If you are not using an agent, check the listing for languages spoken by the owner. Many of them speak English, but you could run into problems if you don’t speak the local language and the owner doesn't speak English. If the owner speaks English, the contract could still be in his native language. In that case, use Google or a free translation website to translate to English.
• Floor: Since many old buildings in Europe do not have elevators, I learned the hard way that you should always ask which floor the apartment is located on if the listing doesn't mention an elevator or indicates that it’s unsuitable for the elderly or infirm. Dragging a heavy suitcase to the fifth floor is one thing I will never do again. Also, what Europeans call the first floor, we call the second, so add one to the number you’re given.
• Floor area: Space is limited in other countries, especially in the cities, so it’s important to check photos and floor area to make sure you’ll have enough space.
• Beds: This is an important issue, especially if you are traveling with other people or a person who is not your significant other. If you’re looking at a studio, the bed may be a sofa bed. Again, check the photos closely.
• Noise level: If you’re staying in the city, it’s convenient to be close to a lot of commercial activity, but it could also make for some sleepless nights. Find out if the double glazed windows (double vitrage in French). It could make or break your trip. I always bring ear plugs just in case. 
• Air conditioning: While most American buildings are air-conditioned, this is not the case in other countries. Check the average temperatures for your destination and decide whether this amenity is necessary.
• Payment form: Most rentals require a deposit of 25 to 50 percent. Before signing a contract, make sure you can pay in the form requested, typically PayPal or a bank wire. Some apartments accept credit cards. Note that some banks don’t offer wire services. If they do, they usually charge a fee of $30 to $45 and a currency conversion fee of one to three percent of the amount wired. Owners may charge an additional fee for PayPal or credit cards.
• Security deposit. Most owners require a security deposit when you sign the lease. The amount will be mentioned in the listing. Be sure to find out how you will recover the deposit at the end of the trip. Typically the owner will give you cash when you leave. You’ll probably return to the United States after renting the apartment, and if you’re splitting the deposit among several people, it shouldn't be a big deal to spend the foreign currency on cab fare to the airport and last-minute souvenirs or to save it for a future trip. However, if you are footing the bill on your own, you’ll have to decide if it’s worth it to hang on to the cash or lose a bit of it when trading it for greenbacks.  Note that owners sometimes send a check to the renter a week after the rental, which is not convenient for foreigners.
• Additional fees: Is there a cleaning fee? Are utilities included? Are sheets and towels included?

A Few Tips on Contacting the Owner

• The best places go quickly, so find a place well in advance, especially if you are going during peak travel times, like summer, Christmas and local holidays.
• Contact several owners because some places may have been recently booked for your preferred time although the schedule says they’re available. Also, some owners don’t respond if they are busy, or if  they have booked the property.
• Don’t book with the first owner who responds if you’re not absolutely sure you want the property. It sometimes takes a few days for owners to respond. Allow at least a week for a response on a property you really want.

Another Option: Apart’hotels

If dealing with the foreign language, security deposit and payment to a stranger is too much for you, but you still want the apartment experience, try an apart’hotel, which is basically a hotel room with a kitchenette. Apart’hotels don’t offer the local charm of most privately owned apartments, but they usually accept credit card deposits, they don’t require a security deposit and there is usually someone on staff who speaks English. In addition, you can stay at most of them for a few days.

To find an apart’hotel, just do a Google search for apartment hotel in whatever city you want to visit.  If you are visiting Nice, I can recommend two:

• StudiosFloreal: located next to the tram by the main train station in the middle of the main shopping area of Jean Médecin. It’s a very lively area, but double-glazed windows block the noise. 
• Ajoupa Baie des Anglais: in an ideal location on a pedestrian street just off the beautiful Place Méssina. It’s very clean and reasonably priced, so book early because rooms go quickly.

Renting an apartment isn't for everyone. If you want to live like a native, though, it’s the best way to go. 

Where would you like to immerse yourself?