olearytravels

My husband and I are traveling to Italy in September. We'll be in Florence and Venice on this trip but would also like to spend some time on the coast and can't decide which area would be best. Amalfi Coast or the Italian Riviera?? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

This will be our first trip to Italy.

espagnabound

riviera is much easier to get to given your intinerary. If the point is to see Cinque Terre, the towns empty out a bit in September, but not much, so don't stay in the towns themselves, but in town that have train or boat access to them.

If the point is simply to relax by the sea in a charming, beautiful Ligurian village, Camolgi is the quietest and easy by train, Santa Margherita Ligure and Rappallo are bigger. By car, Lerici and Portovenere are favorites, and Portofino appeals to some, but not others and is the most expensive.

Steve_James

Ol - Scenically it's hard to beat the Amalfi Coast IMO - probably the most beautiful coastline in Europe.

Take a look:

http://www.pbase.com/mightyone/amalfi_coast_

Steve

Weadles

Between the two destinations, I much prefer the Amalfi Coast. You could fly from Venice-Naples, then either get picked up by a private driver, or take the local train/bus combination to Sorrento or one of the Amalfi Coast towns.

nessundorma

It really depends on what you want from being on the coast. The Amalfi coast towns are very touristy, although that can be avoided if you work at it. But mainly they are expensive to get to and expensive to stay at, and hard or expensive to get around to do sightseeing once you are there. Also, they are somewhat out of the way since you're not going to either Rome or Napoli.

How long is this trip? If it's less than 10 days, I wouldn't spend the time it takes to get to and from Positano.

Cinque Terre is more rural, and not quite as mountainous. But they have gotten sort of touristy, filled with young hikers and sightseers. The other towns and villages of the Riviera are a mix: some are upscale and some are cute and relaxed. Some hardly get any tourists at all. They can be expensive or inexpensive.

Also, it is very easy to sightsee from the Riviera if you want to see Genoa or the other towns.

hope that info helps.

michellen

I haven't been to the Amalfi Coast, but we just returned from Cinque Terre and it's the most beautiful place I've ever been! Very laid back and relaxing and closer to Florence and Venice!

olearytravels

Thank you for the quick feedback! Yes, we're leanig towards the Riviera because of its proximity to Florence and Venice but with many freinds recommending the Amalfi Coast instead, it's left us undecided. I'd love to hear which towns and how much time you really need in both locations. Is three days too little? If we go to the Amalfi Coast, what about a day in Capri? If we go to the Riviera, is it better to base in the Cinque Terre or split it between CT and Santa Margherita Liguire (and surrounds)?

michellen

We spent 3 nights in CT. We based in Monterosso b/c we heard it had the most to do, but we ended up spending the most time in Vernazza. We thought 3 nights was perfect! The first night we poked around Monterosso. Has snacks, wine, more wine...Next morning we hit the trail to Vernazza. ***You should definitly start the hike from Monterosso. The first hike is the hardest and the second one is the second hardest (around 1 1/2 hour each). The next 2 hikes are a breeze!*** That being said, we got to Vernazza for the best, most well deserved pizza ever! Arfer a look around and making the decision to come back for dinner, we headed to Corniglia. It was a great little town and we found a great little wine bar to spend the afternoon at. We took the train back to Monterosso, where we changed for dinner and caught the train back to Vernazza for an awesome dinner and drinks. The next day we took the train to Riomaggiore (the last town) and hiked to Manarola. Manarola smelled awesome so we decided to come back for dinner. We hiked from there to Corniglia and caught the train back to Monterosso to play on the beach before changing for dinner. Dinner in Manarola was awesome and then it was back to Vernazza for more fun at our new found bar. We packed it all in, saw all the towns and did all the hikes, but it was still extremely laid back and relaxing! I highly recommend it! The views from the hikes are the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen!

CRAZY4TRAVEL

Since you will already be in Florence...it is a no brainer. I have been to both and the Italian Riviera is lovely...no need to spend the extra travel time to go down to the Amalfi Coast. We enjoyed the CT...there are some other more remote less touristy towns that are recommended on this site as well.

nessundorma

Do you want to hike? If so, it makes sense to stay right in Cinque Terre. If you don't want to hike, it makes sense to stay in a town convenient to a train or boat that will take you to Cinque Terre.

How much time you want to spend in either place is really a factor of how much time do you want to spend relaxing or walking or visiting knick knack shops? There is not a lot to do in either place except enjoy the sun, sea and scenery.

As for the Amalfi, it is hard to get to, so you eat up some of your 3 days just getting to and from. Once you are there, you can take a ferry to Capri -- although many people report finding it not all that enjoyable because it is jammed with tourists buying clothes and knick-knacks, and it is hard to get away from the throngs in just an afternoon.

The Amalfi is kind of a fantasy paradise, with jet set amenities plus lots of tour buses. The Cinque Terre is five tiny fishing villages where grapes and olives grow up the steep hillsides and hiking tourists from all over the world have taken over the footpaths and made the towns rather touristy.

Both are very beautiful in their own way. People urge to go to one over the other because that's where they went. I've been to both, and would rather hang out in places less touristed unless somebody gives me a villa and a driver on a private cliffside.

Weadles

I think any time a destination is worth going to, it's going to be full of tourists, especially in the busy summer months. That being said, with your current itinerary, and only 3 days to spare, you're probably best off sticking to the Italian Riveria.

It's very easy to day trip to Cinque Terre from Santa Margherita, so I would recommend basing there for three days. Otherwise you'll be cutting into your time with lots of unneccessary travel.

Save the splendors of the Amalfi Coast for your next trip to Italy. And just for argument's sake, it isn't all about jet set amenities and tour buses. It's possible if you plan ahead to stay at simple hotels or B&B's, and to escape the crowds with gorgeous hikes in both Amalfi and Ravello, and on the footpath back down to Positano from Montepertuso.

As for Capri, it's really best if you can at least overnight there. There's some lovely hotels on the island, and the ambience at night is very different from the daytime vibe which in Capri Town can feel a little like getting lost in an open market shopping mall.

Anyway, best of luck with your plans, and have a fantastic trip in Italy!

olearytravels

We'll be in Italy for 10 days total. We definitely prefer the areas that are less touristy as well, especially because we'll be in Florence and Venice for the other part of the trip. As a traveller, I prefer the "off the beaten path" approach. While in CT, we'd hike (less strenuous hikes) but also want to mix in beach time and relaxing in the towns. In general, we see this part of our trips are more low maintenance as compared to Florence and Venice. Also, why we're trying to figure out if staying outside of the CT is better... Santa Margherita Ligure for instance.

Boston25

Cinque Terre would be your best bet. From Florence its a quick trip. I stayed at Santa Margherita and was able to enjoy Cinque Terre and Portifono (where we saw Sting and his wife have lunch). Cinque Terre has a great hiking trail.

nessundorma

I think you are better off staying outside Cinque Terre. Santa Margherita Ligure is a perefectly nice place to relax and you don't need a car to get there. If you have a car, Lerici might do you.

If you would like to hike and not see tourists at all, you can stay in Camogli and hike in the national park of the Portofino peninsula. It is easily reached by train, 20 mins south of Genova. You can even visit Cinque Terre from there, but it takes longer than if you stay in SML.

I'm sorry if I left the impression that the Amalfi is ONLY jet set ameneties and tour buses. I didn't mean to. Like Venice, there are plenty of other kinds of tourists and options in between. But Cinque Terre has very little of the high-end tourism, high-end restaurants and, to my knowledge, none of the very fancy restaurants that the Amalfi does. Around Cinque Terre, you have to go to Portofino and Rappallo for that, and if you don't want to see it all, you can get away from it very easily. And there are some charming towns and villages along the Riviera Levante that get no tour buses at all, although Cinque Terre itself does, as does Portofino.

olearytravels

Thanks everyone for the advice! It seems that staying in Santa Margherita over three days will be the best bet for us this trip. Glad to have the opinions on the Amalfi Coast as well because I deinitely pan to make Italy a more frequent location or my travels.

goodguy7793

Just returned from Positano in April and was in Forte Di Marmi in 2002.
They do not come close.
The Amalfi coast to the nicest place in Europe , vs. a nice Beach Town.
But as allways you get what you pay for in life. Plan to spend 25 to 50% more for the pleasure.
If you can afford it stay at the San Pietro in Positano (Stay away from Amalfi hotels) it is just the best Hotel in the World. Good Luck.

Mimar

But Forte di Marmi is not on the Italian Riviera. I've never been there, but I've been to both the Amalfi coast and the Riviera di Levante. They're both beautiful places. You won't be disappointed in either case. SML is the perfect base. From there you can walk to Portofino or climb over the hill north to Camogli. Or you can travel by train/boat to the Cinque Terre, Camogli, and Genoa.