That is one of the biggest dilemmas when you are going to visit Cinque Terre. Everybody wants the beautiful, sunny weather, warm sea and no crowds. Is it possible ??? YES 🙂
November-March
Advantages
- few tourists,
- prices are lower than in high season,
- from December to January, in Manarola, you can admire a fantastic Christmas Crib that is located on a hill near the village,
- you will feel really relaxed … everything is calm and authentic.
Disadvantages
- weather is very changeable and it can pour down very often (even floods happen here),
- the days are short, not much time for visiting the villages,
- many restaurants and accommodations are closed for the winter season … sometimes the villages seem to be desolated,
- because of the rockslides and deluges sometimes the trails are closed (safety rules) or even if the trails are opened the staff of National Park can advise you against using them,
- because of the frequent coastal storms, the ferries don’t navigate at all.
I love Cinque Terre in the winter … they are very authentic and calm in that period. If the weather is sunny the villages are really spectacular. However, the weather in that period change a lot and it is very easy to arrive and find a really awful weather.
April-May + October
Advantages
- if the weather is nice you can already/still swim in the sea,
- more tourists but no crowds yet :),
- trails are opened and well prepared for tourists,
- the prices in restaurants and accommodations are still lower than in high season,
- almost all restaurants, shops and accommodations are already opened,
- the weather is not very hot yet.
Disadvantages
- the weather is still very changeable, you can find warm and sunny days as well as cold and rainy days … no rules and everything is possible
- when after the winter season the trails are damaged, many of them can be still closed for the tourists … even until the end of April.
Not many disadvantages mean that it is a good period to come to Cinque Terre 😉 The most important thing is the weather… if it is good, your holiday will be fabulous!!! If the weather is good it is the best period for visiting Cinque Terre 🙂
June-July-September
Advantages
- the sea is warm and you can swim in it whenever you want,
- all restaurants and accommodations are opened,
- the days are long and you have more time for trekking,
- the trails are opened,
- the weather is quite stable and if it is sunny it will be sunny (for 99,99%) for a long time … the unique exception is September when the weather can change from one day to another.
Disadvantages
- this is high season and the villages are very busy in that period … you can find queues to enter to Sentiero Azzurro or in exit from Vernazza railway station … the crowds are everywhere … in restaurants, accommodations, in the streets … it is quite exhausting,
- in that period the prices are the highest (in restaurants, accommodations) … but they become a little bit lower after the first half of September,
- the trains are often delayed (the crowds need much time for getting in and getting off the trains).
The crowds are definitely the biggest disadvantage of that period. However, if you don’t care about many tourists around you-you will love that period.
And now … the last but not least …
AUGUST
Advantages
- Cinque Terre in this period are LESS crowded than in other months of summer !!! It sounds incredible but it’s true 🙂 I mean, the tourists are numerous however not so numerous that in June, July and September. It is so because many schools in Northen Europe are open during this month so the tourists from that countries don’t come.
- Furthermore, August has all advantages of high season period 🙂
Disadvantages
- the same as in June/July/September … apart from crowds 🙂
I was really surprised when I discovered it !!! I was sure that it would be the most crowded month in Cinque Terre. However, I talked with the staff of the National Park of Cinque Terre and they told me that it is not true. That’s why I think it can be interesting for those who want to visit Cinque Terre during the summer.
Make a good choice 😉
