Cinque Terre is probably one of those places that most people have on their bucket list. You know, those pretty colourful houses on the west coast of Italy? Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and I understand why. In September 2021 I went on a little trip with a friend and we absolutely loved it. It was not insanely packed, but there were definitely other tourists. Especially considering there were still certain Covid regulations active in some countries. The weather was perfect so I would recommend avoiding the summer heat and crowd by traveling here in May/June or September/October.
How to get to Cinque Terre?
We flew into Genua from Amsterdam but it’s also possible to fly to Pisa. From both cities you can either drive, or take the train. However, you can’t actually reach the villages by car so you would have to park it in Levanto or La Spezia.
From Genua you can take the train to reach your final destination. The train system in Italy is supposed to be very convenient, but we had a bit of bad luck. Our first train was delayed so we missed our connection to the main train. Because you actually buy a ticket for a specific departure time including a seat, we had to change our ticket in an office where about another 100 people were trying to do the same. The next train was more than an hour later so our trip took waaay longer than expected. But, truth to be told, once we sat down on the train everything was great.
Cinque Terre is located on the west coast in the Italian Riviera and consists of five small coastal towns: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Cinque Terre is popular because of the colourful picturesque villages which are built against the rough coast. The best part is that there is a hiking trail between the villages, which gives you phenomenal views. It also feels much better to have your 3rd ice-cream knowing that you did some exercise. Part of this route was not available when we were visiting, but luckily all villages are also connected by train.
Where to stay in Cinque Terre?
We decided to stay in Corniglia which is a smaller village compared to the others and located in the middle of these 5 villages. This way we could hike to the 2 villages north of Corniglia on one day and discover the two other villages in the south the day after.
As we didn’t plan to spend much time in our accommodation we stayed in an affordable guesthouse in a perfect location: La Ginestra. If you are looking for something a bit fancier, you can find more accommodations in Corniglia here.
How to get around Cinque Terre
You can either hike between the villages, as there is a trail that connects all villages. But for those who are not great on foot or short in time, there is also a train that connects all the villages. Important to know is that you need a Cinque Terre card to get access to the trail. You can either buy it at one of the tourist offices, or you can buy it online through this website. If you plan on using the train a lot, there is a special train card. This gives you an unlimited amount of train rides.
About the trail
The trail in Cinque Terre connecting the villages is called the blue trail and is 11 km long in total. It’s important to know that, at the moment, the trail between Manarola and Riogmaggiore and the trail between Corniglia and Manarola are closed. They plan to reopen it again in 2024, but double check before you go.
The longest part of the trail is from Corniglia to Vernazza, which is about 4km. The part from Vernazza to Monterosso is 3,5km. Both trails have parts which are up- and down hill. Make sure you bring some water and sunscreen.
Day 1: Genua to Corniglia
Because of the train drama, we arrived late afternoon in Corniglia, just in time for aperitivo! We found a super cute spot, which was obviously fully booked for dinner, but they still had room for us to have a drink and some bites. We ended up having one of the best tables, YAY finally some luck! As Corniglia is also the smallest town of all, there is not much nightlife. So we went to bed on time to be fit for a long day.
Day 2: Corniglia hike to Vernazza and to Monterosso
We woke up early to start our hike to Vernazza before it would be too warm. It was nice and cool, and we barely met any other people on the way. Such a great way to start the day! On the way, we passed by this little guesthouse with a bar selling fresh lemon juice, exactly what we needed. The hike is not steep or tough, but we walked quite fast so a break was much needed. Bar II Gabbiano has a window with an amazing view so it’s a great place to stop and take in the environment.
Vernazza was definitely a lot busier than Corniglia, but super pretty! We bought ourselves some focaccia and sat down near the beach. This region is actually known for focaccia. We then continued our hike to Monterosso. On this part of the hike, we met a lot more fellow travellers coming from Monterosso. We were ready for lunch once we reached Monterosso and after exploring the little town we spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach. Luckily we conquered 2 beds as the beach consists of small stones. I would also suggest bringing a pair of sexy water shoes to be more comfortable.
Torre Aurora is a really nice spot to have your aperitivo around sunset. We didn’t make a reservation and because it was early we managed to get a spot, but if you get the chance try to make a reservation. Especially if you would like to have dinner here as well.
After one last gelato we took the train back to Corniglia where we had dinner.
Day 3: Corniglia to Riomaggiore and Manarola
We had an early morning again to arrive in Riomaggiore on time. After a croissant and coffee we took the train to Riomaggiore, the southern most village of Cinque Terre. This village is a bit bigger (or at least that’s how it felt), and there is more to see and do, such as renting kayaks or paddle boards. We hiked up to Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montenero and stopped at the cemetery of Riomaggiore on the way. It was a bit of a climb but gave us some really nice views over the sea.
Once back down we rewarded ourselves with a nice drink at Bar e Vini a Pié de Ma. Another nice snack from this region is fried seafood. They sell them everywhere, often in a triangle bag of paper. They can be pretty salty, so make sure to get yourself some water.
Riomaggiore to Manarola
As mentioned before this part of the trail (Via dell’Amore) was closed. There is an alternative trail which is a bit higher up in the mountain, it’s called Via Beccara. This route is supposed to have more climbing involved. As it was the middle of the day we decided to skip the trail and take the train.
The train rides between the villages are so short that it feels more like a metro or tram. Manarola was another picturesque village, after walking around we ere where we went for a swim. You can just find an empty spot on the rocks and put your towel there. As you can see in the picture below on the left, everyone is just chilling near the water. After chilling and tanning we watched the sunset from the picnic area behind the Nessun Dorma restaurant. Lots of people just buy a bottle of wine and a takeaway pizza or other snacks before they head over here.
Day 4: Corniglia to Porto Venere to Genua
On our last day, we traveled from Corniglia to La Spezia, a city in the south of Cinque Terre. From here you can take the fast train to Genua. Before we took the train back we visited one last cute village: Porto Venere. More colourful buildings and fishing boats. From Corniglia, you can take the regional train to La Spezia Centrale and from there you can take the bus from Garibaldi to Portovenere Capolinea. The total trip takes a bit over 1 hour. Porto Venere is lovely to walk around and sit on a terrace to people-watch. It’s windier than in the other towns as it’s not built into the rocks. There is an old castle and a pretty little church on top overlooking the sea. A beautiful place to get married, oh and guess what, we bumped into a wedding. What a surprise.
Best food and drink spots in Cinque Terre
Food to try in this region
- Trofie al Pesto
- Foccaccia
- Deep Fried seafood
- Anything with Pesto Genovese
- Anchovies
Corniglia
- Terra Rossa Wine & Food
- Il Buonguastaio Cucina Casalinga
- Alberto Gelateria
Vernazza
- Batti Batti Focacceria
Monterosso
- Torre Aurora Mare Cucina & Cocktails
- Pizzeria La Smorfia
- Il Frantoio
Riomaggiore
- Bakery Rosi Roberta Di Baudinelli
- Il Pescato Cucinato
Manarola
- La Regina di Manarola: very cute and cozy terrace, but food is quite pricy for the quality.
- Cappun Magru: has a good rating, is supposed to have authentic good food.
- IL PORTICCIOLO ristorante pizzeria: nice outdoor terrace for aperitivo
If you prefer to go on a more organized trip instead of booking everything separately TUI offers various options. Another option is to visit Cinque Terre in a day, there are various trips offered by Musement.
I might earn a small commission if you book or buy something through one of the links in my articles. Don’t worry, it won’t cost you anything extra, but it would help me a lot and I would really appreciate your support.
Travelbecks 