Oooh Cinque Terre…not many places make it into my top 5, let alone my top 3. But nestled in there behind my favorite city in the world (Oxford, England) and my favorite country in the world (Slovenia) is Italy’s Cinque Terre.

What is Cinque Terre?

It’s actually a where, not a what. Literally meaning “five lands”, Cinque Terre (CHEEN-quay-tay-reh) is a rugged bit of coastline in the Italian Rivera, dotted with five pastel fishing villages dangling over the Ligurian Sea. This unbelievably gorgeous area, also knows as the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre is a protected national park (Italy’s first, opening in 1999), and as of 1997 a UNESCO World heritage site.

The “five lands” refer to the five medieval towns clinging to seaside cliffs: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. These colorful ancient villages are connected to each other only by a web of hiking trails, by boat, or by train. Vehicle access is restricted here, and the absence of cars whizzing through these tiny villages is a welcome relief!

There’s something for everybody in Cinque Terre. Want to stroll through gorgeous pastel-colored Italian villages? Check! Or maybe hike through rugged vineyards with stunning views of the sea? Check! Perhaps eat some delicious Italian food that will blow your mind? Check!  Just want to relax and watch some of the most epic sunsets of your life? You can do that here too! We were wanting to do it all. Fortunately for us, Cinque Terre is small enough that we were able to accomplish this whole list in just three nights.

When to go

We visited Cinque Terre in mid-October, in the beginning of their off season. Mercifully less crowded than the summer months, although still busy on the weekends. This time of year can be very rainy in Liguria, which has proven problematic for an area prone to floods. In October 2011, torrential rains caused devastating flooding in Cinque Terre, which resulted in 13 deaths and extensive damage to the villages of Vernazza and Monterosso.

We were very fortunate with the weather while in Cinque Terre, if anything it was hot and sunny! We were told this was very unusual, and of course, I packed very poorly. In a shoulder season like this, it is smart to pack for a variety of weather. Layers, layers layers. My best advice for Cinque Terre is to always bring a bathing suit with you wherever you go. Trust me. You never know when that perfect swimming beach will emerge, and you’ll kick yourself if you can’t get in because you were unprepared. I’m still kicking myself for missing this dreamy beach near Corniglia. Learn from my mistakes! 🙁

Day 1 – Arrival in paradise

We arrived in Riomaggiore by train from Milan on a Saturday afternoon. At the train station we met our AirBnb host, who guided us through the winding alleyways and up and down the bajillion steps to our apartment “Casetta sulla scogliera” aka “the little house on the cliff.” Cinque Terre is a workout! The apartment was tiny but super cozy, and cleverly squeezed between ancient stone walls – almost as if it were carved out of them. The best part? The ginormous detached terrace with an unobstructed view of the Ligurian Sea. Easily the best terrace in Riomaggiore, and worth every (very affordable) penny we paid for it!

Since we were super jet-lagged, we went straight to the terrace to relax in the warm October sun. Ahhhh. After a few hours, we peeled ourselves off the deck chairs and walked into the Riomaggiore’s city center via a 3 minute trek thru winding stair-riddled alleyways. Here we had our first taste of the local fare – focaccia. Focaccia originated in Liguria and is basically a flat piece of bread similar to pizza dough. Usually served plain with salt and olive oil, or with various herbs and toppings. My favorite was plain with olives. Delicious!

After filling our bellies with dough, we went in search for a small market. We were planning on hiking the next day and needed some snacks, along with food for breakfast and some more delicious treats to enjoy on our terrace. Salami, cheese, olives and two bottles of local wine – no regrets on any of those choices. Back on our terrace, we enjoyed the first of three epic Cinque Terre sunsets.

Day 2 – Hiking the coastal trails

As it turns out, mornings on the terrace are ALSO amazing – although I did have to fight off some seagulls for my breakfast. No matter, hiking to all five villages was on the agenda for the day!

Since we were staying in Riomaggiore the southernmost village, we planned to hike north – through Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, all the way to Monterosso. Then take the train back. Unfortunately the coastal Sentiero Azzuro/ blue path, between Riomaggiore and Manarola (also known as the Via dell’ Amore) is permanently closed. The alternate route to Manarola (via Sentiero Rosso – the red path) was pretty lengthy up and over the mountains. So we opted to take the train to Manarola and begin our hike to Monterosso from there. It felt a little bit like cheating, but it was still going to be a substantial hike. Enough to feel satisfied at the end of the day, and justify all the yummy food we were going to eat along the way.

From Manarola, we took the sentiero no. 6 up the mountainside and through the tiny village of Volastra. Ancient terraces held up by centuries-old stone walls cut into the mountain landscape here. These terraces make it possible to cultivate vineyards and olive groves, Cinque Terre’s main agricultural contribution. Hiking through this landscape with the backdrop of dramatic cliffs down to the Ligurian Sea was a breathtaking experience I will never forget.

After Volastra, the trail (sentieros 6a and 7a) continues to Corniglia, the smallest of the villages. Perched high on the rocks, Corniglia is the only village in Cinque Terre without a sea port. We took a little break for lunch here and enjoyed another local Ligurian specialty: pasta with pesto. Mmmmmmm OK. So go ahead and forget everything you think you know about fresh homemade pesto, and just go to Cinque Terre and try it for yourself. Every bite is freaking sensational.

From Corniglia we were finally able to pick up the Sentiero Azurro, the blue coastal trail. In order to hike this trail you need to purchase a Cinque Terre Trekking Card (€7.50 for 1-day). There was a ticket counter centrally located in Corniglia and then a manned booth at the trailhead where you will need to present your card. Although this tariff was enacted to offset the cost of maintaining the trails (and presumably to keep the crowds down), it was evident that this trail was much more heavily trafficked than the other trails.

By late afternoon we arrived in Vernazza, the little beauty queen of Cinque Terre – and she did not disappoint. Vernazza’s harbour is simply stunning! Colorful buildings tumble down to the sparking turquoise Ligurian sea.  We were hot and sweaty at this point, so I HAD to put my feet in! Ahhhhh. Bliss.

After a quick drink we were on our way again towards our final destination, Monterosso al Mare. The trail climbed up and out of Vernazza and afforded the most spectacular view of her harbour. Picture perfect!

We hiked through more and more terraced vineyards glistening in the late afternoon sun and finally arrived in Monterosso by early evening. Mission complete!

We thought of staying in Monterosso for dinner, but decided that after hiking all day, our smell might be offensive to other patrons. So we opted to take the train back to Riomaggiore and enjoy a celebratory toast at sunset on “our” terrace, before cleaning up for dinner.

It was a freaking amazing day! In my opinion, hiking was the best way to experience Cinque Terre. If I had only rode the train, I might have left feeling a bit unfulfilled, since the only views from the train are short bursts between tunnels. But up on top of the hills, although we passed others hiking, it was so peaceful, and the stunning views were to die for!

Day 3 – Ferries, trains and shopping

On our last day in Cinque Terre, we wanted to more closely examine the small villages we basically just passed thru the day before. So we decided to take the morning ferry from Riomaggiore to Monterosso to enjoy the view from the sea, and then work our way backwards on the train, stopping in each village. The ferry ride is a must-do! It was spectacular to see the entire coastline that we had hiked the day before. A stunning new perspective!

Arriving in Monterosso, we immediately hiked up the hill (on wobbly legs) to the Convent of the Capuchin Friars to admire the view of the entire coastline. It was totally worth the hike! After which we enjoyed some more focaccia, some shopping, and a stroll along Monterosso’s beach, the largest in Cinque Terre.

In Vernazza, we ventured back down to her stunning harbor to enjoy some drinks. Unfortunately, because of our sore legs, we opted out of climbing up to the Castello Doria to admire the view and instead, got busy eating some more. Here we tried some bruschetta – and were not at all disappointed.

Off the train in Corniglia, we were greeted by more steps. Lots of steps. A crazy, painful number of steps for two people who had hiked 8 miles the day before. But, this torture was quickly forgotten by the discovery that at the top of those steps, were several gelato shops. I soothed my pain with this incredible ricotta and caramelized fig gelato, and soaked in the sights of the charming, tiny Corniglia.

In Manarola we headed down to the harbor, since we missed it the day before in our hurry to get our hike on. Luckily, we were there just in time to catch our last Cinque Terre sunset. Naturally, we grabbed some more delicious charcuterie and local wine, and took them to down to sit on the rocks in the harbor.

If you want to capture some iconic photos of Cinque Terre, Manarola’s harbor is the place to do it! Climb up the path to the right of the harbor for the best views of the whole village. It is breathtaking, and certainly unforgettable!

Peep’s Pointers

How we got there

We flew into Milan’s Malpensa Airport (MXP) and took the train directly to Riomaggiore. While we had to change trains at Milano Centrale, and also in La Spezia, the whole journey only took about 3.5 hours.

• Remember when buying tickets, especially from one of the automated machines, Cinque Terre is a region, not a specific destination. Therefore, instead you must search for one of the specific villages to purchase tickets.
• **Most importantly, before you board a train you MUST validate your ticket! You can easily do this at one of the many validation machines on the train platforms. If you don’t validate, you risk getting stuck with a fine. 
• A very helpful app for train travel in Italy is Trenìt. This impressive app is great for searching routes, prices and you can follow your trip in real time. So you’ll know if your train is running late and when you’ll arrive.

Getting around Cinque Terre

Hiking trails

In my opinion, Cinque Terre is best seen from its hiking trails. However, these trails close and re-open frequently though due to landslides, so you may not know until you arrive which trails you can hike. Check out the official website here for the most up to date information on trail closures.

To be honest though, their trail map is hella confusing. I ended up printing off this way more simplified trail map to plan out our hiking route. Most of the trails in the park are free with the exception of the sentiero azzuro coastal trail. Feel free to message me if you have questions about hiking in Cinque Terre or the trails we ended up taking. I’d be happy to help you sort out a route!

Train

The train runs frequently between all five villages year-round. A train timetable can be found here. The area is small, so time between villages is only about 5 minutes or so on the train. Cost is about € 1.80 between stops, but if you plan on taking the train frequently, it may be more economical to purchase a Cinque Terre Treno Card. For about €16 (for a 1-day pass) this card allows you unlimited travel on the Cinque Terre train from Levanto to La Spezia (with the Cinque Terre in between). Its a pretty god deal! Again, don’t forget to validate your tickets!

Ferry

Departing hourly during Cinque Terre’s high season (late March through the end of September) the ferry runs from Riomaggiore to Monterosso al Mare also calling at Manarola and Vernazza (Corniglia does not have a harbor.) It is a great way to see the entire coastline from the sea. The ferry also runs through November 1st, but on a reduced schedule, and not during inclement weather. Check out the time table here.

Where we ate

• Nessun Dorma a great place in Manarola for appetizers and drinks, with the best view of the harbor!
• La Grotta Bar & Trattoria in Riomaggiore, we tried some fresh anchovies here.
• Er Posu Café in Corniglia, a cute little place with an outdoor patio, great for people watching.

Where we stayed

• Casetta sulla scogliera An Airbnb apartment in Riomaggiore with the most spectacular views from the terrace! We also kept the windows open the whole time. Falling asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks below was the most relaxing thing ever.