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Cinque Terre, pronounced “Chinque Terré”, is a seaside National Park in North Western Italy that consists of 5 colorful fishing villages. Cinque Terre actually translates to 5 lands, so named for the 5 villages in contains. In this post the things to do in this area will be broken down by town.

A big draw here is the hiking! Hiking between villages is so fun and very unique. One thing to keep in mind is some hikes are closed currently (2019) for repair. You can check online or at the Tourist Information Center (at each train station) to find out which trails are open while you’re there. Trails usually close when it rains as well because of flooding issues in the past.

Unless you are planning on only riding the train 3 times or less in a day then I advise buying the day pass. The Cinque Terre Pass costs 16 euro per day it lets you ride the train unlimited number of times, use the bathroom for free (otherwise there is a fee), and gives you access to the hiking trails.

A single ride on the train costs 4 euro each way which is more expensive than most places in Italy, and most of Europe for that matter.

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Getting to Cinque Terre

The easiest way to Cinque Terre is by train. We took an overnight train from Naples but there are many available from all over the country. I recommend italiarail, that is who we used and we had no issues whatsoever.

You can book train tickets months in advance using their website.

Riomaggiore

From South to North Riomaggiore is the southern most town.

Riomaggiore has my favorite viewpoint of any of the towns! There are some rocks at the end of the pier that you can climb out on and see the colorful buildings climbing up the hillside. Just please be careful because under the rocks is just water so if you trip or drop anything it’ll be in the sea.

This is also the perfect place to watch the sunset. You can watch it from these rocks or the rocks/cliffs on the right side of the city. It was too cloudy to see it when we were there which was disappointing but we had a great evening anyway just talking and people watching.

Hike Length from Riomaggiore to Manorola: 20 minutes.

Manorola

There is a restaurant in Manorola called Nessun Dorma that is supposed to be very good. More importantly though they offer a pesto making class you can take. We didn’t have time to take it but we wanted to! It has great reviews and was even recommended by a fellow traveller! Robin and I took cooking classes in Bali and Thailand, it’s one of our favorite ways to get to know local food and culture!!

The best picture spot in Manorola is on the way up to the restaurant actually. there is a sidewalk on the cliffside that perfectly overlooks the town.

Hike Length from Manorola to Corniglia: 2 hours.

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Corniglia

Since Corniglia is in the middle of the towns it is a great spot to stop for lunch or taking a little time to wander through the streets.

This town is set about a 20 minute walk away from the train station. They also offer a free busing service from the train station into Corniglia and back again. The bus comes very frequently (we never waited longer than 5 minutes) and they stuff it full to make the most of it.

The bus stop is right outside the train station on the main road. It is a small white bus and is free to use. Where it drops you off in the center of town is where it will pick you up again to take you back to the train station.

Alberto Gelato

While you are in Corniglia be sure to stop for gelato at Alberto Gelateria it is the best place for gelato in all 5 towns. You must try the basil flavor, even if it is just as a sample. It is so unique!

The best picture spot for this town is from the hikes I’ve heard. Since we didn’t hike in we did not get a viewpoint view of Corniglia.

Hike length from Corniglia to Vernazza: 1.5 hours.

Vernazza

Vernazza is the next town in Cinque Terre. The whole main street is lined with restaurants and shops filled with the cutest souvenirs. The two best places to take pictures from are either the trail above the city coming to or from Monterosso or the big concrete dock at the end of the main street.

Head out and you will get a great view of the main street and the buildings. You can take picture anywhere along it.

Vernazza also has a small pebble beach called Vernazza sul Mar that is a great place for a swim if you’re hot after your hike. Or you can swim in the ocean by the dock, that is a popular spot as well.

Castello A. Doria

This is a tower you can climb to the top of. It costs 1.5 euro to enter but it is worth it because it is a great lookout point. You can see over the whole town, watch a beautiful sunset and see the terraced hillside. It closes at 7 pm.

Hike length from Vernazza to Monterosso: 2 hours.

Monterosso

This is where we stayed while we were there. It is a great jumping point and it is home to two of the best meals I had on the entire two week trip which I talk about below.

Monterosso has the best beaches and swimming of any of the 5 towns with a large expanse of sand and small manageable waves. If you want a relaxing beach day I recommend coming here.

The BEST place for breakfast was il Forno di Monterosso. They have delicious pastries like cream filed cressants. Their hot chocolate was the closest to American hot chocolate I had our entire trip. We wanted to go the second morning but they are closed on Wednesdays.

The best pasta place that you can eat at either for lunch or dinner was San Martino Gastronomia. Get the pansotti with walnut sauce it is literally one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life! We loved this place so much that we went twice in two days. Now Monterosso just needs more late night gelato places that are delicious and it would be perfect.

Booking.com

Hiking in Cinque Terre

We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza while we were in Cinque Terre. It is not a difficult or dangerous hike at all but what does make it hard is that you are hiking uphill for the first half of the hike and it will make you winded.

I wore my Dr. Scholls tennis shoes and our friends wore their Chaco sandals and we were all fine. It is personal preference if you want the airy sandals but your feet will get dirtier or if you want the extra coverage of tennis shoes.

The rules do say that you need closed toe shoes but nobody stopped our friends so try at your own risk.

We did see people with hiking boots and poles (mostly older men and women) and while I am sure they are helpful but they definitely aren’t necessary or required. If you are trying to travel light like we were then I would leave them home.

Helpful Tip: Like much of Italy (for reasons I do not understand) many places in Cinque Terre only accept cash so be sure you have plenty on you or that you use an ATM before you go out exploring.

Cinque Terre National Park

One of my only complaints about this amazing place is how early everything closes!! As soon as the sun goes down around 7 the shops are closed and restaurants become more scarce. Definitely not a place for night life lol.

However, despite that these towns are a must and a were a huge bucket list item for me! They were beautiful, vibrant and unique. Really the perfect combination.

If you aren’t sure where in Italy you want to visit yet I highly recommend checking out this two week Italy itinerary for recommended lengths of stay by location as well as tips and must have items for a successful trip to Italy.