Where to stay in Cinque Terre
Monterosso has the beach and most of the rooms; La Spezia is cheaper and further, with a city in the evening.
- Hostel
- €19–45 per bed
- Hotel 3*
- €54–82 per person
- Base
- Monterosso al Mare
For sleeping the choice is between Monterosso and La Spezia. Monterosso is a village with a beach and the biggest supply of rooms, and La Spezia a city with the train at hand.
Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso is the northernmost of the five villages and the only one with a real sandy beach, so it has the most hotels and hostels. It is also the start of the line, so the train to the other villages is caught at once. A bed in a dormitory costs €19–45, and a room in a three-star hotel €54–82 per person. Real hostels in the villages are few; most of the supply is rooms to rent.
Whoever sleeps in a village sees it after the day visitors leave: in the evening and the morning, before the trains arrive. That is the reason to spend the night in Monterosso.
La Spezia
La Spezia is a city and the station where the Cinque Terre Express starts. It offers more choice and gentler prices than the villages, and in the evening you return to a city with restaurants and shops. The cost is time on the way: the first village is closer from here than Monterosso, but every day begins with a train.
Which suits whom
For two or three days with paths and a beach, Monterosso. For a longer stay or a smaller budget, La Spezia. Out of season, when the villages are not packed, the difference in crowds disappears, and the difference in price stays.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Where is the best place to stay in Cinque Terre?
In Monterosso al Mare: the only village with a sandy beach and with the most rooms. A dormitory bed is €19–45, a three-star hotel €54–82 per person.
Is it worth sleeping in La Spezia?
For a longer stay or a smaller budget, yes: more choice and gentler prices, and every day begins with a train.
Are there hostels in the villages?
Few; most of the supply is rooms to rent. Dormitory beds in Monterosso are €19–45.
Ready for Cinque Terre?
Where to next
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How well does Cinque Terre suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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