Cinque Terre Travel Guide
Welcome to this Cinque Terre travel guide where I’ll be giving you some insight in perhaps the most beatiful attraction in Italy.
Cinque Terre is a set of 5 colourful villages built along the Ligurian coast.
A destination that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year and that has earned itself a spot on the UNESCO World heritage list since 1997.
A place that will give you a truly authentic Italian feel mixed with the mass tourism that Italy is also infamous for.
Don’t cancel your trip though, it never reaches those insane levels that Venice does!
Everything feels better divided since the 5 Cinque Terre towns have quite the distance in between them.
So read on further and find out where to stay in Cinque Terre, what to do, how to get there, public transportation and for the cost of accommodations.
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Meet the 5 Villages
1: Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso is the biggest and oldest city amongst the Cinque Terre towns, and split into an older part and newer part.
The older part of Monterosso features all the cosy and narrow streets one would expect, whilst the new part has the bigger hotels to host the huge influx of tourists.
Monterosso is most famous for it’s amazing beach, but the city also offers plenty of other sights like:
- Torre Aurora ‘castle’
- Church of San Fransesco
- Statue of San Francesco
- Il Gigante Statue
But perhaps Monterosso is most famous for being the starting point of the most beautiful section of the Cinque Terre hike, the: Monterosso al Mare – Vernazza trail.
A trail that leads you through beatiful hills, farming fields and offers you stunning views over the 2nd city in line: Vernazza city!
The hike is described as the hardest(it ain’t that bad don’t worry) and will take you around 1,5hrs.
2: Vernazza
One of the first settled cities amongst the 5, Monterosso and Vernazza came way before the others.
The tiny port of Vernazza is surrounded by the authentic and distinct colourful houses, and a charming public square called: Piazza Marconi.
The Piazza Marconi is the place to be in Vernazza, it is filled with great restaurants/bars and gives off that charming Mediterranean feel.
Another big landmark of Vernazza is the Doria Castle Tower that sits on the harbor.
A welcoming sight if you’ve been hiking the Monterosso-Vernazza trail like I did, knowing you are minutes away from a cold drink that you so desperately need haha.
The Doria Castle tower truly helps distinguish Vernazza from the other cities, making it perhaps the most photographed village of all the Cinque Terre towns!
The Castle Tower is open for public and you can climb up for stunning views of Vernazza and it’s surroundings!
Other noteworthy attractions are: the Church of Santa Margherita, local wine tasting and there are plenty of boat tours available.
3: Corniglia
Corniglia is located in the middle of the five towns and the only village built further inland.
It is probably the least visited of the five.. and that’s not so surprising if you ask me.
It is the one that features the least amount of things to do and it is my least favorite city in Cinque Terre.
If you have less time available then skip this one and go visit the other ones instead.
Not saying it is awful in any way of course, because the streets are charming and Corniglia is very different than the other cities, but still, it can’t compete with the rest.
It has some nice sights you can visit though, like:
- The Lardarina stairs bringing you into the city
- Church of San Pietro
- The Sanctuary of San Bernardino
- And best, just stroll around the old city streets and take in the charming scenery!
4: Manarola
Manarola has a tiny harbor with colourful fishing boats all around, charming multicoloured houses and a tiny square with seafood restaurants. Here you’ll also find the starting point of the famous hiking trail: Via dell’Amore (Lover’s Lane).
Which is a very scenic trail that leads you to Riomaggiore in and around 20 minutes.
Another famous thing to do in Manarola is to just dive into the local cuisine there.
There are dozens of fish restaurants who offer you the catch of the day, while you watch the picturesque buildings from above.
5: Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore is the one you’ve probably seen on pictures, the most picturesque of them all.
Colourful buildings left and right while in between a wide open street to stroll around in!
A street filled with local life, dozens of restaurants, souvenir shops and just good vibes in general.
Riomaggiore was my first stop and left the biggest impression on me, making it my personal favorite amongst the Cinque Terre towns.
The main highlight is to visit the Castle di Riomaggiore, located at the highest point of the village.
Constructed around 1260, in order to protect Riomaggiore from frequent pirate attacks.
It offers you with some of the most breathtaking views over the city and it’s surroundings.
Tired after climbing the Castle and got the urge to take a dip in the ocean?
Then follow the main street, head left and follow the path along the rocks. Behind those rocks is a very pleasant (rocky)beach to hangout at, Spiagga di Riomaggiore it is called!
Some other interesting sights are:
- Church of San Giovanni Battista.
- Visiting the local wineries.
- Daytrip to the big city of La Spezia.
A day trip from Riomaggiore to La Spezia is something I’d definitely recommend even if it’s just for the San Giorgio Castle.
Cinque Terre Hiking trail
Now I can’t write about Cinque Terre and skip the hiking trails there, because if you want you can hike from one city to the other, passing all the colourful cities in a 5/6 hour hike!
Do you have less time available? Then the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza is the one I’d recommend!
This part of the Cinque Terre hike leads you through beatiful hills and farming fields, all while you can enjoy the wide ocean views.
This hike is described as the hardest but it ain’t that bad if you ask me.
Sure in summer I’d recommend you to bring plenty of water and do watch out when making selfies…
There are some amazing photography/selfie spots along the hike, but you won’t be posting any of those when you plunge to your death do you?
So do be careful! Receiving likes is fine but making international headlines probably means you fucked up in a bad way haha.
The Monterosso-Vernazza hike will take you around 1,5hrs.
Getting around/Public transportation
Getting around Cinque Terre is extremely easy…
You can either hike the 5/6 hour hike as I mentioned before or just do a small part of it.
Not the biggest fan of hiking or are you trying to avoid the scorching heat?
Then you can easily take the Cinque Terre train that connects every city instead.
Each city has their own train station so hopping on and off is very easy!
Get in at Riomaggiore, jump off in Corneglia and start exploring, easy and efficient!
The Cinque Terre train departs every 20 minutes and cost you 4eu one way.
Interested in visiting all the villages or visit some of them multiple times, then go for the: Cinque Terre card.
It will cost you 16eu and gives you unlimited train runs. It also provides you with access to every hiking trail!
See the website: https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card
NOTE: Every single village is also reachable by car but some have limited parking spots, keep that in mind.
Accommodation
Now I see you thinking: where to stay in Cinque Terre, can I actually find a place inside these villages?
You want to get out of bed, stand on your balcony, take a sip from your coffee and watch the colourful villages from up close do you?
Getting out of the front door and getting straight into the Cinque Terre action..
Well I’ve got some good news and bad news for you…
In off season I’d say yes there are plenty of options to stay in the Cinque Terre towns, for 1 week you’d pay around 450eu/500eu for some very beatiful accommodations right inside the villages!
Main season(May,June, July, August) is a whole other story though!
750eu is the price if you get really lucky but the most common price I saw was atleast 900eu+.
Worth it? I think so.. Expensive? Definitely!
Take a look at this gallery with per village some of the expensive but still ‘reasonable’ priced accommodations:
And they all cost around 1050-1200eu.
If you are traveling on a budget but you have your mind set on going in summer then there are options just outside the cities.
Hostels that cost you around 30eu per night per person, small apartments that cost 300eu for 1 week and so on.
Just to give you an example:
This cheap accommodation is 20min away from Cinque Terre and would cost you 336euro.
Dates taken: Wednesday 8 June untill Wednesday 15 2022(taken during covid times).
How to get there
Traveling to Cinque Terre is best combined with a city trip to one of the bigger cities nearby I’d say.
My recommendation would be Florence since it is one of the most beatiful cities I’ve ever visited in Europe!
But you could also visit Genova or go shopping in Milan and combine Cinque Terre with them.
What I would truly recommend though is for you to take your time in Cinque Terre and spend a good amount of time there, around 3/4 days I’d say!
⬇️⬇️ Nearby city of Florence⬇️⬇️
Now Cinque Terre is really easy to reach by every form of transportation thinkable:
Reaching Cinque Terre by train:
The easiest way is to arrive by train. From Genova, take the train towards La Spezia and get off at Monterosso.
Or from La Spezia, take the Cinque Terre Express in the direction of Levanto.
If you are in Florence then take a train towards Pisa, then another to La Spezia and hop on the Cinque Terre train right after.
Reaching Cinque Terre by car:
Every village of Cinque Terre is accessible by car, only some better than others.
Cinque Terre’s historical centres are closed to car traffic but you can reach the outer regions where parking spots are available.
Riomaggiore and Manarola both have some parking facilities outside of town and minibusses to bring you down.
Monterosso al Mare is the easiest to reach and has the most parking spots in general.
Vernazza and Corniglia are the two most isolated of Cinque Terre, parking spots are limited to none so I’d recommended the train instead.
Reaching Cinque Terre by plane:
The nearest international airports are the ones in Genova, Pisa and Florence Airport. Milan Airport is the biggest one but also further away.
From Genova to Cinque Terre by car takes you around 1,5 hour and from Pisa about 2 hours.
When to go
To answer this question we must dive into one’s desires, and most of all your budget..
Are you seeking a holiday filled with sunshine, getting tan on the Italian beaches and walking in your summer outfit, then May untill mid September is the best for you.
But the biggest downside for this time period is the insane prices you have to pay for the accommodations!
Paying 1000eu(for 1week) or even higher in the main season is the rule rather than the exception!
So if you are fine with just exploring the charming villages, hike the trails and accept the occasional downpour/chilly temperatures, then do go for the off season and in particular the ones that still offer pleasant temperatures.
I’d recommend you to go in April, end-September and October when most tourists have returned home.
The cities and hiking trails aren’t flooded with other tourists and you can still enjoy the amazing scenery Cinque Terre has to offer!
Other big benefit is you don’t have to worry where to stay in Cinque Terre, each town will have plenty of rooms available and prices must be way more affordable compared to in summer.
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