Visiting Cinque Terre: A Complete Travel Guide

Planning on visiting Cinque Terre? Here’s everything you’ll want to know!

Back when I visited Cinque Terre, it had already been on my bucket list given I’d recently read Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and had put together a huge list of colorful places I hoped to one day visit. Pastel-colored seaside villages set above a bright blue sea? In Italy? Um, yeah, sign me up!!

I spent roughly three nights and two full days wandering between each village after a conference in Trento and fell in love. Someday I’d like to return to do the proper hike through the five villages because a bunch of the trails were closed during our visit, and we weren’t quite up to hiking some of the slightly more intense ones.

Anyway, here’s everything you need to know for visiting Cinque Terre!

A Cinque Terre Travel Guide

What Exactly is Cinque Terre?

“Cinque” obviously means five in Italian, so as you might guess, there are five villages that make up the area. They each have their own unique histories and landmarks, so I thought I’d do a quick intro to each of them.

The Five Villages of Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore

Closest to La Spezia, Riomaggiore gets its name from the river that flows under the main street, and, according to some reports, dates all the way back to the 700s.

You’ll recognize it best because of the reddish building that sits in the forefront of the most famous of Riomaggiore photos. If you need more information about touring the villages, the main tourist office is also located here.

Manarola

Manarola sits between Corniglia and Riomaggiore, and it’s one of the smaller towns in Cinque Terre. However, it’s also possibly the oldest!

It’s current standout quality is the swimming area right near the village. I wouldn’t plan on laying out your towel and sunbathing because you’re pretty much choosing between a cement ramp and a rocky area near the water. However, if you want to go cliff jumping, it’s pretty easy to do — just expect an audience!

Corniglia

Ahhh, Corniglia! It’s the only village of the five that you can’t see nor approach by sea. Up on a hill, once you get the train in, you need to take a shuttle bus up to the actual town. The bus is included with the Cinque Terre card. There’s also the Lardarina, a series of 382 steps, but, uh, we waited for the bus.

Vernazza

Between Corniglia and Monterosso, Vernazza, to me, is the most photogenic of all the villages. It’s the one that still feels the most like  fishing village, and you could easily spend all day walking around and hiking up to different vistas. We did see some people swimming in the harbor, but it was mostly kids. Not sure how comfortable of a beach area it’d be. 

Monterosso al Mare

And last but not least, Monterosso al Mare! Of all the villages, it’s definitely the one that caters the most to tourists as it feels more like a big resort than a fishing village. The iconic orange and blue umbrellas line the beach, and it really is quite a fun area. This is where we chose to relax and spend our last afternoon in Cinque Terre. Yes, renting those beach chairs was annoyingly expensive, but it wound up being worth it! 

The Best Time to Visit Cinque Terre

Honestly, the best thing about this part of Italy is that temperatures stay pretty mild no matter what time of year. Really what you’re trying to do is balance what you hope to do in Cinque Terre with minimizing overcrowding. Generally, I would say:

Best Time to Visit: April/May and September/October

Otherwise known as shoulder season, this will give you the nicest temperatures with, hopefully significantly fewer crowds than you’d find in summer. And you might get lucky with a particularly warm day and be able to jump in the ocean!

For a True Euro Summer Vibe: June – August

Yes, this is when most tourists (cruise ones included) will descend upon the villages. But that’s also for good reason — Cinque Terre is very much a summery destination. And there was something really fun seeing kids jumping from rocks or beaches filled with striped umbrellas.

I will say, though, if you do not do well with heat, prepare yourself. Italy overall is getting more and more brutal with global warming. There is no central A/C (just wall A/C), and I remember the sun in June being harsh. Like when we sat on the beach, we were constantly looking for shade and getting into the water meant essentially hopping across the sand because it would burn our feet otherwise. Not to mention if you stay in more historic hotels, you’ll find the rooms can only cool down so much no matter how hard you run the wall units.

Perfect for Hiking: November – February

I don’t know how quiet Cinque Terre gets during winter but temperature wise it sounds like a dream scenario for hiking between the villages. Cooler temperatures? Softer winter light? Fewer crowds? Sign me up! I’ve been to Venice and Florence in winter and I much preferred in February than I would’ve in July!

Where to Stay

This is kind of a loaded question since you basically have seven different options between the five villages, Levanto (on Monterosso’s end) or La Spezia (Riomaggiore’s end).

Levanto or La Spezia

The benefit of staying in one of the two side towns is that you’re not anywhere near most of the tourist activity. And if you’re driving around, this means you can book somewhere with parking. (Otherwise you’d have to figure out where you can park your car for the duration of your visit).

Since we were driving, this is what we decided on. After reading online that most people preferred Levanto to La Spezia, we narrowed down our search to free parking!

We finally opted on Al Molino delle Ghiare, which is actually about a 10 minute drive outside of Levanto. It’s in a super random area with other houses, but it was nice and spacious, and had two bedrooms for us.

If you’re not driving or want to just forget about your car for a few days, I’d look for somewhere closer to the Levanto train station so you can just walk right over. Hotel Carla and La Pergola fit the bill and have parking options!

The Villages

Each village has its own charm, as you can see above, so I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. Monterosso feels the most like a resort town (more to do but also more crowds) while Corniglia is probably the most “off-the-beaten-path” since it’s a little trickier getting there. I have a dream some day of hiking and stay in each one, so, yes, I did look at potential places to stay. Here’s what they are:

• Riomaggiore: La Tana di Grace Apartment, CATEO Apartment, or Agave Room Rental
• Manarola: Pepita Apartment, Hotel Marina Piccola
• Corniglia: La Posada, Madüneta 5 Terre
• Vernazza: La Nave Apartment, Camere Nicolina
• Monterosso: Private Entrance Apartment, Appartamento Principe

Bonus: Rapallo or Finale Ligure

Erin and Simon over at Never Ending Voyage have a ton of experience with Italy, so when I told Erin I was going to Cinque Terre, she recommended staying in Rapallo or Finale Ligure if I really wanted to somewhere quieter. They’re a bit farther from the villages, especially for two days, but if you want to base yourself on the riviera for a little while, it sounds perfect! You can check out their Rapallo guide here and their Finale Ligure guide here.

Getting into Cinque Terre

By Tour

I don’t particularly recommend this option because they’re usually just day trips and there’s really no way to properly enjoy all the villages in one day! But I know not everyone has the luxury of time, so here are some options:

• La Spezia – 8 hours & will cover Vernazza, Monterosso, and Riomaggiore with a limocino tasting
• Florence – Overall 13 hours. You’ll take a bus to La Spezia and then use a ferry for Porto Venere, the Ligurian Sea, Monterosso, and Manarola. (Private option here)
• Milan – Pretty much the same route and length of time as the Florence day trip!
• Pisa – A 10 hour small group trip via van and ferry. Goes to either Riomaggiore or Manarola and Vernazza and Monterosso.
• Montecatini – Around 11 hours and goes to La Spezia before switching to the train. You’ll cover all villages except Corniglia
• Lucca – Similar day trip as Pisa!

By Train

The easiest and most reliable way to get into the villages is by train. You can either get a ticket with Tren Italia or buy the Cinque Terre card. If you know you’re going more than one day, purchase in advance since it’s a bit cheaper.

You can get them at the Levanto or La Spezia (and maybe Riomaggiore) train stations, but be warned the lines can be long in the morning. Easier to just buy online and have the ticket on your phone!!

Our longest route was from Levanto to Riomaggiore, and it was less than an hour. It only takes 5-6 minutes or less to get in between the villages from there! You can always find time tables by looking on Tren Italia but our guesthouse owner also gave us a copy of them.

By Car or Taxi?

Just a reminder you can’t take cars into the villages, so that means no taxis either! If you can’t tell from all the tour options, most will take you to La Spezia or Levanto to get the train there!

By Ferry

An option we were actually planning to do but the water was too rough! The ferry goes to all villages except for Corniglia and leave from both Levanto and La Spezia. Check timetables here.

Hiking in

I’ll get into hiking between the villages below but if you’re wondering if you can hike into Cinque Terre, I guess my answer is… technically? As in when I plug Levanto to Monterosso or La Spezia to Riomaggiore into Google Maps and switch the walking, a route appears. I’d have to do way more research into this but over all my instinct is to skip this entirely and just take the train in.

Getting Around Cinque Terre

Hiking/Trekking Between Villages

The thing that draws most people to Cinque Terre is the hiking trail that stretches between Monterosso and Riomaggiore. The Riomaggiore to Manarola stretch is known as known as the Via dell’Amore (Lover’s Lane) while the Corniglia to Monterosso stretch is known as Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail) or, I think, Verde Azzurro.

Anyway, here’s what I can tell from quick research but know it just comes from someone who dreams of a slow trekking trip some day and not firsthand experience!

First things first: you need to buy this trekking card to be allowed on both trails. The only stretch you don’t actually need a permit for is Corniglia and Manarola.

Also if you want to trek straight through, I’d start in Riomaggiore since you can only walk Via dell’Amore in one direction towards Manarola and not the opposite. Here’s a very quick explainer:

• Riomaggiore – Manarola – Known as Via dell’Amore. It’s ~1km, easy, and should take around 30 mins. Only one way!
• Manarola – Corniglia – Only one you don’t need a permit for. It’s not on the coast like other trails and will go up and kind of around to get down to Corniglia. ~5.5km and more difficult but should take 2-2.5hrs
• Corniglia – Vernazza – Part of the Sentiero Azzurro. It’s around ~3.5km and fairly midrange as far as difficulty goes. Should take 1-1.5hrs.
• Vernazza – Monterosso – Also part of Sentiero Azzurro and 3.5-4.3km depending on where in Monterosso you stop. Should take around 1.5hrs!

Using the Train & Ferry

And, of course, just a reminder these are both options for getting in and getting around!

Eating & Drinking in Cinque Terre

I mean, given you’re buy the sea, the best thing to eat is seafood! I remember we got some in our pasta but otherwise weren’t particularly seeking out specific dishes. If you’re a foodie, look up Ligurian cuisine as that’s obviously region Cinque Terre is in! I’d like to explore it a bit more when I return to trek, and this food tour looked quite fun.

Enjoying the Water in Cinque Terre

You know me, I was a mermaid in another life. As soon as I see a body of water, no matter the condition, my initial urge is to dive right in! Naturally, we planned time for swimming while visiting but there are also just a lot of other ways to enjoy the sea:

Swimming in the Ocean

I mean, Cinque Terre is on the Italian Riviera! The two main villages for swimming are Manarola and Monterosso. Manarola is nice for swimming and cliff diving, but it’s not quite as nice for leaving your things. Both were pretty crowded when we went.

If you’re looking for a more typical beach experience, try Monterosso as it has the whole umbrella/lounge chair set-up, which leads me to my next one…

Lounging on the Beaches

If you do as we did and stretch out your time in Cinque Terre a bit, then you’ll have all afternoon to lounge on the beach in Monterosso. Like I mentioned under the “best time to visit,” summer means a strong sun and that sand gets hot. We were bouncing from shadow to shadow to get into the water and out! 

We stayed over by the blue and striped umbrellas, which is a bit smaller than the main beach area with the orange and green ones. I think I’d prefer it just because there’s a little place to eat right on the beach and you can climb up the side of the cliff to get really beautiful views of the area. It didn’t feel quite as crowded either. 

Kayaking & Boat Tours

Some other great options are doing a boat charter or kayaking tour! That way you get to see the villages from afar without necessarily having to swim:

• Sunset Boat & Wine Tour – For something a bit more relaxing, go kayaking from Monterosso to Vernazza. You’ll enjoy your apertivo and wine in a nice little cove! 
• Cinque Terre Kayak Tour – This one is definitely more adventurous than the above tour! It lasts anywhere from half a day to a full day and starts in Monterosso. You’ll kayak by Vernazza and Corniglia. Then you’ll have the option to snorkel if you want to do a full day tour.
• Cinque Terre Boat Rental – If you want to do a little DIY boat trip, you can always just rent a boat from La Spezia!

Are you planning on visiting Cinque Terre or have you? What did you think? Any tips you’d add? Let me know below!

For more Italy travel, read these next:

• 28 Venice Travel Tips to Read Before You Go
• Where to Eat in Bologna: 10 Mouthwatering Recommendations
• Pitigliano: A Guide to this Beautiful Tuscan Village

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