Guide To Cinque Terre

I don’t know what it is about Cinque Terre that confused me from afar, but it’s one of those places that felt impossible to google.  I just wanted definitive answers to simple inquiries like which town to stay in and how to get around.  Now that I’ve been there to experience things first hand, I wanted to pass on what we discovered to hopefully help your trip planning go a little bit smoother.  Be sure to start with our Travel Diary and then continue reading!

Cinque Terre is, as it translates, simply 5 villages along the rugged West Coast of Italy.  We got there by train after our night in Florence.  We changed trains at La Spezia, which marked the beginning of the Cinque Terre train line.  As the 5 towns are quite small, accommodation can be limited, especially during peak travel season.  If you find yourself struggling to book a place, I spoke to a few friends who stayed in La Spezia and travelled into Cinque Terre daily and they unanimously said it was a great option.

The first town along the train line is Riomaggiore.  I know plenty of people who have stayed there and again, everyone had nothing but wonderful things to say. Riomaggiore has one big main street and a lot going for it.  The next town is the smallest of them all, Manarola.  Also only has one main street with a rocky beach at the bottom.  We hiked into the town and it seemed most lovely.  Next up is Corniglia.  Just an FYI, there are a million stairs to climb from the train station, so if you have a ton of luggage, this village is likely not the best option.  You still must see it though, as it’s built within the cliffs and we loved wandering the winding streets and enjoying ocean view lunches.  The fourth stop is Vernazza, where Adam and I stayed.  It has one long street as well and is understandably my favourite village of them all.  Last up is Monterosso al Mare, which is definitely the biggest town.  It’s very beachy, has access for vehicles, and definitely boasts that resort town feel.  We wandered up into the older part of town and really enjoyed exploring.  I’d say it’s the most outwardly touristy of them all, though all the towns are completely run down with tour groups during the day.

Did all that make sense?  I hope so, because we’re moving onto specifics now.  Below are a few recommendations for accommodation, food, hiking, exploring, and even a video to better explain why you MUST visit Cinque Terre as soon as possible!

STAY

I’d reached out to this beautiful, minimal looking fresh hotel called La Mala.  They were all booked up for September, but the coordinator was kind enough to offer a room that they rent out through airbnb.  It looked just as gorgeous as the hotel and the price was VERY right ($136 CAD per night the last I checked), so we went ahead and booked our very first airbnb accommodation!

I cannot say enough great things about our stay.  The room was centrally located, basically in a castle, and was decorated perfectly.  Everything was clean and lovely and we’ve recommended it to anyone who will listen.  Gian and his Mama were such a great help and even greeted us at the train station.  Highly recommend, book it for yourself here.

HIKE

Hiking Cinque Terre is incredible.   There are two main trails throughout , one for beginners and one that they classify as intermediate.  Given the delicacy of the land, some of the trails are intermittently closed to the public, so it’s important to research once you arrive.  Most of the hikes are free, though the blue trail/Trail No. 2 ‘sentiero azzurro’ cost us around 7 or 8 Euros each and we purchased those passes at the train station.  Adam and I both wore our usual workout attire and runners.  He carried a small backpack with a little money, some water, bandaids, our phones, and some snacks.  Actually, our snacks were pain au chocolates, but I mean, if we were hungry enough, I bet they would have served us well.

Our day of hiking began in Veranazza.  We decided to pay to take the blue trail to Corniglia and did have our tickets checked.  This was a wonderful walk and there were people of all ages and fitness levels on it.  As September was quite hot, we thankfully began our hike quite early so temperatures were bearable.  Plus, the morning light captured THE most gorgeous photos of Vernazza from the top of the hill.  The journey was most enjoyable and we then spent the morning in Corniglia, stopping in the shops and sipping lattes while we basked in the ocean views.  With so much hiking momentum, we wanted to then walk from Corniglia over to Manarola, but for the life of us, we couldn’t find where the trail started.  We asked around, but ended up deciding to train over to Manarola for the next hike instead.  Of course, our train happened to not stop in Manarola and instead went on to Riomaggiore.  Typical Italian trains.  It was all good though, as we took this as an opportunity to explore Riomaggiore.  The day was getting incredibly hot though and I was overtaken with a stomach ache AND headache combo.  I found shade and Adam walked to the top of the hill to see if he could find the path to walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola.  He approached two couples who he thought were leaving, but turned out they were just arriving and were as lost as he was.  Then, as they descended down the hill towards me, one of the woman asked if we had just been in Florence the night before.  She recognized me by my sunglasses and turns out, we’d all stumbled upon the same outdoor bar and had a glass of wine at the same time in Florence the evening before.  What are the odds?!

Anyway, we eventually found the opening to the hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola.  I was a tad nervous, as the easier 25 minute walk along the coast was closed and we were forced to do the ‘intermediate’ hike.  It wouldn’t have been SO bad if I wasn’t already feeling ill and if we didn’t begin the trek at the hottest time of the day.  That hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola was absolutely unforgiving in the heat.  It was all stairs up and then loose dirt on the way down.  What was advertised as an hour and fifteen minute venture, took us almost two hours, as I kept having to stop and gather myself.  We pushed ourselves though and the reward of seeing Manarola from the top was almost worth it!  If you were to hike the opposite way from Manarola to Riomaggiore, I think it would have been a little better for the knees.  I’m sad we didn’t get to complete any of the other hikes, but I’m so confident that all of you will have a great Cinque Terre hiking experience!

EXPLORE

The trains, as I outlined above, run on Italian time.  Directions are often vague.  But, that’s the beauty of travelling Italy.  We loved adopting that relaxed Italian attitude towards exploring.  We took the train over to the last town that we hadn’t yet seen, Monterosso al Mare and opted to see Cinque Terre from the water.  The ferry system was simple enough and is also a great option for transportation amongst the towns.

If you’re also staying in Vernazza or find yourself there for sunset, there’s stunning views from the water’s edge.  Just walk to the end of the main street and find a spot on the rocks.  Oh, and don’t forget to bring some wine!

EAT

Our favourite bite was at Risotrante Da eraldo in Monterosso al Mare.  We spotted their patio and waited for a table because we liked the vibe and the look of the food.  We had THE most spectacular homemade papardelle pasta.  I mean, just look at it!  Yum.

We had almost all of our other meals in Vernazza because we simply fell in love with it and were clingy like that.  We just wanted to keep her all to ourselves for a few days. We spent two breakfasts and one dinner at, Il Pirata delle Cinque Terre.  All I have to say, is ricotta cannelloni. Massimo and his brother have created something truly wonderful, I promise you won’t have a bad meal there!

The bakery and Gelateria on Vernazza’s main street were also a favourite.  We experienced both daily.  Man, that sure was the life!  We did end up having one dinner purely for the view at Al Castello, going in knowing the food wouldn’t be that great.  It was, exactly as we’d expected.  Monica was most lovely though, such a character and the views from the top of the Vernazza castle really were magnificent.  Adam ordered fish which was a riot when it came as just a fish on the plate.  Silly guy forgot that we were in Italy for a moment!

 

The one place we didn’t get to try that we’d really wanted to was Camere La Torre up in the hills.  We’d walked past it on our way to Corniglia and the reviews of it had been great.  Next time!

SEE

Now that I’ve explained things in great length, I suppose it would be much easier to understand with some visuals!  Here’s a little video of our 3 days in Cinque Terre.  A place that I absolutely believe you must see for yourself if you haven’t already.  Enjoy!

If you’d like to catch up on the rest of our Honeymoon in Italy, you can check out my Travel Diary for Rome, Venice,and Cinque Terre, 24 Hours in Florence, and my Venice Travel Guide. Our full Italy Itinerary, Guide to Rome, and highlights from our week in Positano will also be coming up soon!