Tuscan Coast

[Bear]

We've got a holiday coming up in the Tuscan hills north of Lucca this summer. Cannot wait. Anyway we fly into Pisa and have a night to kill before travelling north and as we're staying inland for the rest of the trip, we'd like to stay that night on the coast. Has anyone got a sea-view hotel recommendation in Viareggio? I know there are some über swanky ones, but would prefer not have to spend a fortune for one night obvs. We're a family of four and we'll need parking.

Also we'd like to spend a day in the Cinque Terre during our trip. Is there a way to visit by boat rather than driving? Anyone done it? Where from and was it worth it? I've heard stories of access to the villages being severely rationed this year.

Grazie Mille.

You can get a boat to all of the cinque terre from la spezia. You can also get to porto venere which is also lovely. Going by boat (or train) is a must, as you can't drive into any of the villages and when we went (one september) there were no spaces in any of the car parks outside the villages. We ended up driving back to la spezia and getting the train in, which was a complete waste of time.

Thanks Janek - will look into that