When planning a trip to Cinque Terre, it’s a good idea to plan in advance now that the Italian government has implemented a plan to limit the number of tourists to the region. Visitors will soon have to purchase tickets in advance to visit the five fishing villages.
The charming villages with pastel-coloured buildings will make you want to stay forever, but it’s possible to get a good basic overview of the villages in 2 to 3 days if you’re packing a tight itinerary. Learning the characteristics of each village will help with planning your visit.
A Quick Guide to Cinque Terre
1. Riomaggiore
This is the southernmost village of the five – a colourful village built on a terraced hill with a marina that offers a vertical view of the city. There is a long pedestrian tunnel connecting the train station to the city center where you’ll end up on the main street, Via C. Colombo. It takes about 2-3 hours to complete Riomaggiore. If you’re looking for accommodation options, Riomaggiore offers more choices than some of the other villages.
To get to the harbourfront marina, walk through the other tunnel at the base of Via C. Colombo. Walk past the water sport and boat rentals and head up the stairs on the left onto a path. This path takes you to the ferry dock and if you descend the stairs on the right side, you’ll end up on the rocks for a spectacular view of Riomaggiore.
2. Manarola
Manarola ended up being my favourite terre. It’s a very small village, taking roughly 20 minutes to walk through. It’s less touristy than some of the other villages though this is the city where we bumped into a tour group. From the train station, there is a long pedestrian tunnel that takes you to the city center (similar to Riomaggiore). From there, you can only go up or down!
Go down towards the seaside cove and you’ll walk past boats lined along the main street as Manarola doesn’t have a harbor or dock. At the base, hang a right towards the footpath trail and you’ll be rewarded with the picturesque view of pastel-coloured homes clinging to the cliff face. Photo tip: avoid the high sun around noon where the diffused sunlight washes out the colours of the buildings. I ended up re-visiting Manarola later in the afternoon when the sunlight was much warmer to capture the shot seen above.
One of my favourite restaurants is in Manarola. It’s called Trattoria Dal Billy and you can click here to read about my dining experience.
My luggage was delayed when I traveled to Cinque Terre so I was on the lookout for clothing stores to replace my clothes – this was quite the feat as the villages were tiny! However, there were 2 outdoor equipment stores in Manarola that carried hiking shoes including Birkenstocks and Teva.
3. Corniglia
Known for its wine production, Corniglia is the smallest of the Terre and is perched up high on the hilltop. The fertile terraces are ideal for farmers and their agricultural crops. Whether you’re arriving by regional train or by hiking trail, the only way up to the Corniglia is by climbing almost 400 zig-zagging steps of the Lardarina stairway. For this reason, Corniglia may be the least touristy village. There really isn’t much to do in Corniglia but to have a glass of wine, gelato, authentic Ligurian food and to enjoy the stunning hill-top views.
4. Vernazza
Rick Steves totally touts Vernazza as his favorite village on the Italian Riviera. For this reason, I really wanted to stay in picturesque Vernazza even though more accommodation options were available in other villages.
Vernazza has everything you would imagine a village would have in this region – colorful houses, a bell tower, a piazza facing the harbor, and a natural beach. Vernazza is a small village – Via Visconti only has a few souvenir stores and a small Co-op grocery store, which made my plight more interesting since I couldn’t buy replacement clothes due to my lost luggage!
In 2011, there were freak flash floods that devastated Cinque Terre – Vernazza in particular. There are photos of the devastation near Vernazza’s train station showing the entire village under mud. Since then, restaurants, accommodations, and stores have reopened.
Photo tip: for the classic shot of Vernazza, hike up to the hilltop trail. For the best light, head there in mid- to late-afternoon, since the sun sets on the side of the harbor.
5. Monterosso
Monterosso is a resort town and is most north-westerly of the five, and also the largest with the most restaurants and accommodations. It’s hard to imagine now, but Monterosso was another city severely devastated by the 2011 floods.
Monterosso has the only proper beach of the five villages and is large enough to accommodate the crowds of beachgoers who either use the free public beach or rent chairs from the private beach areas. The rentals include the use of private change rooms and showers.
Monterosso has an old town and a new town. To get to the old town, make a left when exiting the train station; turn right to get to the new town. The old town was much more quaint and had storybook character. The main site is the church, Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, which is hard to miss with its bold striped façade.
Whatever you decide to see, you can’t go wrong in Cinque Terre. Even if you do absolutely nothing, but sit in a café with a glass of vino rosso, that would be the epitome of dolce far niente – the sweetness of doing nothing.
Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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thenomadicpanda says
Beautiful photos! I want to leave my desk and go there immediately 🙂
Deb Che says
I couldn’t agree more 🙂 Thanks for reading!
mtdrapermyers says
I just saved this page for if I ever get the chance to visit. Your tips, especially about where and when to take photos are perfect. #MondayEscapes
Deb Che says
Thanks for reading & have a great day 🙂
mytravelmonkey says
I love Italy, and have always wanted to go to Cinque Terre. So interesting to know you will soon have to get tickets – but that’s a great idea for the people of those villages. A great guide, one I shall be bookmarking. Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes
Deb Che says
You should definitely go! I’m curious to know how the ticketing system will work out. Thanks for reading & hosting #MondayEscapes 🙂
MummyTravels says
These are so beautiful and your photos are gorgeous – it’s somewhere I’d love to visit, although I have been put off by the thought of the crowds. Perhaps tickets (if I can get one!) will actually help… #mondayescapes
Deb Che says
Summer is definitely a busy time there, but I’ve heard Spring is really nice in Cinque Terre. Hope you get to make a visit sometime 🙂
Clare Thomson says
Some fantastic tips and a great, useful guide to this wonderful area. I’ve got to visit sometime. #MondayEscapes
Deb Che says
Thanks, Clare! Hope you make it out to Cinque Terre soon 🙂
Ruth says
Thanks for the tips! Your photos are great. Enjoy the week!
Deb Che says
Thanks for reading, Ruth! Have a great week ahead 🙂