Famous for its pastel-coloured villages, dusty hiking trails, fresh seafood, and breathtaking views, Cinque Terre will no doubt steal a piece of your heart.
Although Cinque Terre is often referred to as one place, it actually consists of five charming villages nestled in the cliffs along Italy’s Ligurian coast. Cinque Terre translates to ‘five lands’; the five villages are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. They all sit peacefully in the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This guide is filled with all the useful information and inspiration you might need for your visit.
Table of Contents
Getting There
There are a few airports close to Cinque Terre but the nearest are Genoa and Pisa Airports, and the best way to reach any of the villages is by train. You will need to change train in La Spezia and then from there, you can hop on the Cinque Terre Express, which runs from La Spezia to Levanto. The train stops in all five villages along the way. I would not recommend driving to Cinque Terre as most villages are car-free. The trains run every day, and are cheap and efficient.
When to Visit
Due to the warmer climate, Cinque Terre tends to have a long season, usually from May to September. I would recommend visiting either at the start or end of the season as the villages can get very busy during the summer months. However, it’s useful to know that many of the hotels and restaurants will close during the late winter months.
Where to Stay
Cinque Terre is a popular day trip from many nearby towns, but if you are not limited on time I recommend spending at least a night or two here, especially to make the most out of the hiking trails and quaint streets.
Riomaggiore, Vernazza, and Monterosso are the most popular villages to stay in, but each one is unique and beautiful in its own way. There are hotels dotted along the coast but not many, you will mostly find guest houses and Air Bnb’s. One thing to note is that Corniglia is the hardest village to access, there are 382 steps up from the train station to the village, which can be difficult if you have luggage. I stayed in Riomaggiore, and for me, it was a great base to explore.
Cinque Terre (Things to do)
Riomaggiore
- Watch the sunset from the harbour, a popular but beautiful spot
- Try a fried seafood cone
- Visit Castello di Riomaggiore – a stunning castle with great views, especially at sunset.
- If you are visiting in the summer rent a boat, kayaks or go swimming
Manarola
- Watch the sunset from Manarola Harbour, the late afternoon sun on the houses is beautiful
- Take the scenic hike from Manarola to Corniglia starting in the small village of Volastra above Manarola. Walk through the vineyards and enjoy amazing views. (Read more about this hike below!)
- Enjoy a drink with a view at Nessun Dorma (download their app to get a place in the queue)
- No matter which village you visit make sure you sample the Cinque Terre wines (especially the DOC)
Corniglia
- Take the famous staircase known as the Lardarina. This staircase leads up from the train station to the village (there are 382 steps!)
- Explore the historic town, cobbled streets and viewpoints
- See the Chiesa Di San Pietro church as you enter the village from the train station
Vernazza
- Explore the Old Town with its colourful houses, hidden alleyways, and cafes
- Find the ruins of the Doria Castle above the harbour
- See the Chiesa di Santa Margherita d’Antiochia, a gothic church next to the main square on the harbour
- Walk from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare along the hiking trail for incredible views. This was my favourite hiking trail (read more about this hike below!)
Monterosso Al Mare
- Explore the picturesque streets, shops and restaurants
- Relax on the sandy beach and take a dip in the crystal clear waters (this is the only village with a sandy beach)
- See the unique black and white marble church of San Giovanni Battista
Hiking Trails
There are over 120km of marked hiking trails in the Cinque Terre National Park, making it a perfect walking destination. While I was in Cinque Terre I did two hikes, both were popular routes but the views are amazing. If you want to know more about specific trails you can find information on the Cinque Terre website.
Manarola to Corniglia: The start of this walking trail is in Volastra, a small village above Manarola. It’s a very steep road to reach this village so I recommend taking the shuttle bus that operates from Manarola to Volastra, which usually departs every hour, depending on the time of the year. The trail starts behind the small church and is easily signposted along the way. This trail does not have a hiking fee and is around 5.4km long. You will pass through vineyards and terraces and the coastal views are spectacular.
Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare: This was my favourite trail, the viewpoints were incredible. We walked from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare. If you start in Vernazza make sure you keep turning around towards the start of the hike to enjoy the view over the harbour, they are beautiful. This trail is around 3.6km long and is signposted with red and white markers. You have to pay for this hiking trail or it’s included in the Cinque Terre card.
Riomaggiore to Manarola – This trail is currently closed after a landslide but will hopefully reopen in July 2024, however, there is an alternative trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola via Beccara but this trail is a difficult one.
Viewpoints
The best viewpoints in Cinque Terre
Riomaggiore – My favourite view is from the harbour looking back at the colourful houses.
Manarola – No doubt the best view in Manarola is overlooking the houses perched on the cliff side. From the harbour head along the path that follows the sea. The best time to go is just as the sun is setting.
Corniglia – One of my favourite viewpoints of Corniglia is along the hiking trail from Manarola, and another at the end of Corniglia village, known as La Torre, you can find this on Google Maps (named View Point Corniglia).
Vernazza – The best viewpoint of Vernazza village is at the beginning of the hiking trail from Vernazza to Monterosso. This is one of the two trails you need the Cinque Terre card / to pay for. You can access the viewpoint from the harbour (roughly 15 minutes along the trail)
Monterosso al Mare – If you are hiking from Vernazza to Monterosso once you reach Monterosso you will see Spiaggia Fegina beach. You might recognise this beach with the famous orange and green umbrellas as a popular picture spot.
Cinque Terre Cards
If you are planning on spending more than a day exploring the Cinque Terre coast then I would recommend purchasing a Cinque Terre card. There are two cards available: the Cinque Terre Trekking card and the Cinque Terre Train card. They offer ‘low season’ ‘medium season’ and ‘high season’ tickets.
Cinque Terre Treno card
This is the card I would recommend purchasing. The train card gives you unlimited travel on the express train and access to the paid hiking trails. The Express train runs all the way from Levanto to La Spezia which allows you to hop on and off as many times as you like. The two paid hiking trails are Cornigilia to Vernazza and Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare. This card will give you use of the toilets located at train stations, which usually cost €1 and free use of the buses. A one-day card costs €19.50, 2 days is €34 and 3 days is €46.50 (based on low season rates).
Cinque Terre trekking card
This card only gives you access to the two hiking trails that you have to pay for – Corniglia to Vernazza and Vernazza to Monterosso. This card also gives you access to the toilets and free use of the buses within Cinque Terre. A one-day hiking card costs €7.50 and 2 days is €14.50 (in low season).
I purchased the 3-day Treno card, which worked perfectly for our trip and let us explore the villages as much as we wanted, along with the hiking trails. You can purchase the cards at the village’s information centres, train stations and online. If you purchase a paper ticket, it’s important to validate it at the train station before your first trip. You will see green stamp machines in the stairwells on the way to the platforms.
From 7th November – 24th March, the two hiking trails are free, and it is cheaper to purchase single train tickets which cost around €2.50.
Thanks for reading – Megan x
