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gumbytraveller06:45 UTC04 Apr 2007

Hi everyone,

We were planning to go to Cinque Terre mid-may. I was advised by a friend to not be near there on a sunday as she found it very crowded when she went as all the locals head there. I wondered if the same could be said for saturdays? Would I be best to go there mid-week?

furs18:22 UTC04 Apr 2007

Weekends in the 5T should be avoided at all times (except perhaps between Nov and Feb). But even on Sundays, most of visitors stick to the villages. The trails will be considerably less crowded.

tony_b19:32 UTC04 Apr 2007

Agree with furs.

kiliki05:22 UTC06 Apr 2007

What everyone else said. Last time I was there it was Fri-Mon and the difference between when we arrived on Friday, when it was so nice and quiet, and Sat/Sun, when those poor little towns were just invaded (and by mobs of elderly European tour bus visitors, who moved SO slow), was incredible. And the main trail was crowded as well, by the way, though the harder lesser known trails were not.

gumbytraveller20:11 UTC06 Apr 2007

Thank you to all my replies. I am rearranging my travel plan so that I am only in CT mid-week.

tony_b03:21 UTC07 Apr 2007

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>mobs of elderly European tour bus visitors, who moved SO slow<hr></blockquote>
#4, when I last did the CT on foot, the slowest people were overweight and seriously unfit teenagers, most of whom seemed to be (I'm afraid) from North America and unused to walking up gradients. And, no, this is not an anti-American dig - just an observation.

clairect22:02 UTC07 Apr 2007

Yes, weekends the towns are full. But what most people are completely oblivious to is the italian calendar. Check it out online and avoid the weekends for italian holidays like: april 25, may 1, june 2 , aug. 15 etc. Let me plug my friend's new website that offers private cooking classes and boat trips. Nothing like the open sparkling sea to avoid the crowds... www.acasa5terre.it

kiliki01:10 UTC10 Apr 2007

#6 I was talking about the towns. I have no doubt the trails can be clogged with fat Americans but it can be such a drag in the towns, too, because the tour buses dump off all of these elderly visitors and they don't hike-they just jam the town cafes, toilets, streets, etc. So on weekends it's best to be on the trails-save any time lounging around the towns for weekdays.

tony_b01:34 UTC10 Apr 2007

Sorry, I'd misread that bit of your post. A few years ago I was stupid enough to walk the main trail at the weekend and it was not a pleasurable experience.

Is it best to keep clear of Cinque Terre on a weekend Country forums / Western Europe / Italy
gumbytraveller06:45 UTC04 Apr 2007	Hi everyone, We were planning to go to Cinque Terre mid-may. I was advised by a friend to not be near there on a sunday as she found it very crowded when she went as all the locals head there. I wondered if the same could be said for saturdays? Would I be best to go there mid-week?
furs18:22 UTC04 Apr 2007	Weekends in the 5T should be avoided at all times (except perhaps between Nov and Feb). But even on Sundays, most of visitors stick to the villages. The trails will be considerably less crowded.	1
tony_b19:32 UTC04 Apr 2007	Agree with furs.	2
kiliki05:22 UTC06 Apr 2007	What everyone else said. Last time I was there it was Fri-Mon and the difference between when we arrived on Friday, when it was so nice and quiet, and Sat/Sun, when those poor little towns were just invaded (and by mobs of elderly European tour bus visitors, who moved SO slow), was incredible. And the main trail was crowded as well, by the way, though the harder lesser known trails were not.	3
gumbytraveller20:11 UTC06 Apr 2007	Thank you to all my replies. I am rearranging my travel plan so that I am only in CT mid-week.	4
tony_b03:21 UTC07 Apr 2007	<blockquote>Quote <hr>mobs of elderly European tour bus visitors, who moved SO slow<hr></blockquote> #4, when I last did the CT on foot, the slowest people were overweight and seriously unfit teenagers, most of whom seemed to be (I'm afraid) from North America and unused to walking up gradients. And, no, this is not an anti-American dig - just an observation.	5
clairect22:02 UTC07 Apr 2007	Yes, weekends the towns are full. But what most people are completely oblivious to is the italian calendar. Check it out online and avoid the weekends for italian holidays like: april 25, may 1, june 2 , aug. 15 etc. Let me plug my friend's new website that offers private cooking classes and boat trips. Nothing like the open sparkling sea to avoid the crowds... www.acasa5terre.it	6
kiliki01:10 UTC10 Apr 2007	#6 I was talking about the towns. I have no doubt the trails can be clogged with fat Americans but it can be such a drag in the towns, too, because the tour buses dump off all of these elderly visitors and they don't hike-they just jam the town cafes, toilets, streets, etc. So on weekends it's best to be on the trails-save any time lounging around the towns for weekdays.	7
tony_b01:34 UTC10 Apr 2007	Sorry, I'd misread that bit of your post. A few years ago I was stupid enough to walk the main trail at the weekend and it was not a pleasurable experience.	8

Is it best to keep clear of Cinque Terre on a weekend