I had the pleasure of visiting the Cinque Terre in October of 2022 for just under a week. This was a perfect length to see and explore the 5 towns splayed across the Italian Riviera coast. Each town is unique in its own way, and if you are able to, I highly recommend seeing each one. I’m already planning another trip!
Travel between the 5 villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore is accessible by train, boat, car and foot. For the most part, our mode of transportation was on foot (we did return to the first village by train to begin our return journey). We arrived by train to Monterosso al Mare on day 1 and hiked to Vernazza to stay for the first 2 nights. I am an avid hiker and was surprised at the hiking level here. I know thousands (if not millions) of people visit this region every year so I assumed the hiking would be fairly easy and short. That, it was not. There are options for different trails, some that take longer and explore a more interior route, but we opted for the coastline as it was faster and a constant view of the sea isn’t bad. The first hike from Monterosso to Vernazza took just over an hour. Other people were hiking (though I’d say it was far from crowded) so at times, our pace was slower and at times faster.
Monterosso al Mare
We didn’t spend enough time here. It was the most crowded, due to it having the largest beach of all the towns. We arrived and wanted to get to our lodging with enough time to find dinner and get settled, so we took off towards Vernazza pretty quickly. I assume this is where all the beachgoers and families stay. It is a gorgeous stretch of sandy beach with clear blue water. As we got ready for our hike, we looked out over the spattering of tourists relaxing on the beach with envy. Monterosso is known for its hillsides of lemon trees and for making pesto and ceramics. This is the largest and northernmost town of the Cinque Terre, its old and new parts are separated by the train that runs through to the other towns. I look forward to taking more time to explore the old medieval streets, shops and eateries on my next trip.
Vernazza
I was enchanted by Vernazza. I loved walking through the narrow hilly streets trying to find our lodging and once we dropped our packs, we wandered out onto the harbor to catch the sunset. This tiny town is full of cute shops, restaurants, cafes and magic (can you tell I loved it here?). This little fishing village has no cars, just narrow streets for walking and exploring. We found some amazing food here. You must go to Pippo a Vernazza, a traditional Italian street food restaurant. Had it been open both nights of our stay in Vernazza, we would have gone back. I also highly recommend a visit to Gianni Franzi, the deck. This is a wine bar on a deck overlooking the sea. Clear, uninterrupted views make this dining experience unforgettable. We didn’t have a reservation, so we sat outside the entrance waiting for it to open. It was worth the wait, everything we ate (mostly small shareable plates) was delicious and the wine was some of the best we had in our time in Italy. Plus the service was incredible.
Another thing to not miss here is the ruins of Doria castle which was built to protect the village from pirates in the mid 1500s. But take time here to savor the views, wander the cobbled streets, and relax at a cafe to watch the world go by. One special thing we learned about staying in the interior towns of the Cinque Terre is that many people just arrive for the day by train, so once the day tourism clears out, the streets are much more tranquil.
Corniglia
Corniglia was another town we passed through on our way to lodging. We took a little more time here to stop at a restaurant, wander the streets and dip into shops. This is the smallest of all of the villages and the least accessible. We passed through vineyards on our way into town, in awe of the view these grapevines had. This trek is not for the faint of heart, a pretty hefty climb up and then almost 300 steps make up the staircase down into the town. We stopped for a panini and coffee at Bar Pan e Vin before wandering the streets. We weren’t in too much of a rush, but knew we still had just over a 2 hour walk left to get to Manarola where we would spend our next 2 nights.
Manarola
We arrived at Manarola and stopped for a late lunch at Da Aristide. We ate quickly and then headed for our lodging. We were greeted by our host at Da Paulin a charming little family-run hotel. We messaged him from Corgnilia and he made several comments about how fit we must be because of how quickly we got there. This man knew how to make us feel amazing. We checked in, showered and then wandered around the town to explore. On both nights in Manarola, we ate dinner at Il Porticciolo. The service, food and ambiance made this restaurant easy to repeat. If you’re feeling adventurous or just a little too warm one day, A jump from the rocks into the sea is a must. We spent some time floating around with other tourists and relaxing on the rocks in the harbor. Though it’s overtly touristy, taking in the sunset with a drink and appetizer is a must-do at Nessun Dorma. The sunsets from high on top of the hill in Manarola were breathtaking. Do not miss a sunset.
Riomaggiore
And finally, RIomaggiore, the final town on the Cinque Terre tour from the north. We hiked here from Manarola to explore. We stopped into La Conchiglia for a coffee as we arrived fairly early. We were dressed to swim after learning that there was a beach there. We wandered down to the beach on the south side of town but never felt warm enough to go more than knee-deep in the water. As this is the last (or first depending on how you approach it) town on the Cinque Terre, it was fairly crowded. We had a tough time finding a decent lunch spot and ended up with some takeaway paninis from a deli. On a return trip, I’d like to do some more research, and even stay here one night. Riomaggiore is known for its nightlife and gorgeous sunsets. We missed out on both of those things.
Closing thoughts
I fell in love with the Cinque Terre on this adventure. I love the idea of traveling with just a backpack and seeing so many beautiful sights in a short time. I loved watching the streets fill up and then empty out with the train schedule, I loved the pesto, the paninis, the fresh fish. I loved the views, the sunsets and the peacefulness of it. It’s hard to know which towns to pass through and which towns to stay in. I think for my next trip, I’d plan to stay just one night in each town to see a bit more of the atmosphere in each. But then again, I loved the way we did it. It made it much more relaxing.
Want to talk more about the Cinque Terre? I sure do. Send me a message so we can plan your visit.