Overview
** CINQUE TERRE, ITALY **
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I think Cinque Terre is a really underrated part of Italy! It stands for the 5 villages along the coast of the italian riviera: Riomaggiore, Vernazza, Monterosso, La Spezia, and Manarola. You can take a train trough them all, and it’s doesn’t take long. But I recommend spending a little time in each place. There is a beautiful culture here and a great way to experiene true Italian culture. I wished I had stayed longer. I would have traded some time in Venice for here, as I found it much more special. The train ride from Venice was also really gorgeous! I stayed overnight in Riomaggiore and the bus ride up the hill was exhilarating! But scary lol. It’s a really steep walk and ride but it’s also a really unique experience. All of the 5 terres have their own unique beauty, and you can walk along the cliffs from one to another. Really unique and amazing experience. This trip can be done solo and will friends/a partner. Nothing will be lost either way.
Between Levanto and La Spezia, the Cinque Terre are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.
These five medieval villages on the coast of the Liguria region are listed as UNESCO heritage.
La Spezia: We took an apartment : Ca ‘del Grillo on Booking and ate at Locanda del Mercato, a restaurant recommended by our host. Good food and decent prices.
We also ate very well at Al Quadrato for our last night. Prices very very decent.
The next day we went to La Spezia station where we bought the Cinque Terre Card Train.
It allows unlimited travel on regional trains on the route La Spezia – Cinque Terre – Levanto roundtrip
Adult price:
1 day: € 16
2 days: € 29
3 days: € 41
Prices (4 to 12 years old):
1 day: € 10
Family price:
1 day (2 children max 12 years old): € 42
Children 0 to 4 years: free
Riomaggiore is the first village we visited.
A tunnel separates the main part of the village from the train station from where the Via dell’Amore, the old village, and the pier with a small port and a small pebble beach. It is an old fishing village. The village was founded in the 8th Century by Greek refugees fleeing the persecution of Leone III Isaurico.
Above the village, there is the sanctuary of Montenero dedicated to the virgin located on a hill that marks the end of the Cinque Terre
Manarola is for me, the most beautiful of the five villages.
Manarola would come from Manium Arula which means “Altar to pray the Mani”.
The Mani being the gods of home and family.
It is in Manarola that begins the famous path dell’amore which continues towards the village of Riomaggiore.
We made a stop at Nessun Dorma for a drink, eat some good bruschetta at Pesto and enjoy the panoramic view of the sea.
Corniglia is a village perched on a cliff.
It is the smallest and highest village in the five villages.
Corniglia takes its name from an old Roman family, the Cornelia.
It is the only village that is not directly connected to the sea.
To access it you have to climb the “lardarina”, a steep 377 steps !!!!
Vernazza is surely the most picturesque village of the Cinque Terre
The name of the village comes from its founders, an ancient Roman family, Vulnetia.
We ate at Pizzeria Baia Saracena. The prices were ok.
Monterosso is the largest village in the Cinque Terre
It is the village with the most infrastructure and the largest beach for tourists and boaters.
It looks more like a seaside resort.
In summary, I loved my stay! Beautiful landscapes, beautiful memories. And a lot of fun!
Cinque Terre is one of my favorite places in Europe. I stayed in Monterosso and loved it. The hotel was nice, the weather was perfect and the dessert was the best I’ve ever had. I hiked from Monteroso to Vernazza right before sunset and the view was breath-taking. I wasn’t aware that it would be so pretty. You can hike, rent a small boat and explore the water, jump from rocks into the water, have romantic night strolls and relax in the little shops with delicious food. If you go here stay a few days. The vibe after 4:00 PM when the cruise ships leave is so much better than when you’re on a day trip. Because I started so late in the day, I hiked the trail almost entirely by myself and it was awesome. Walking into Vernazza and watching the sunset on the dock was something I’ll never forget.
Cinque terre is beautiful! It means 5 Villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso). You must see this place. We traveled to La Spezia and booked our accommodation to stay there. We traveled everyday to Cinque Terre which was an under 8 mins train journey to the first village. There are 2 train lines (platform 1 en 2), one going forward and other going back so its easy to see all the villages on one train route then return on the other. So much beauty, food places are a bit expensive but good was delicious. Be sure to stop by Nessum for a cocktail with a view of Manarola.
Its really difficult to pick. My favourite lookwise was between Manarola and Riomaggiore. But Monterosso was really fun to be around full of a mixture of locals and tourists. Manarola definitely was more crowded and is the prettiest and has loads of cool restaurants like nessum dorma. It will be pretty expensive to stay there if you r budgeting. Monterosso has a lot less up hill trekking its more of a beach area and has a few more to it than the other villages (lots of shops and restaurants) you will probably surprisingly like it because it really feels like Italy as you walk through the village paths and shops. We stayed in La Spezia which also worked out great. The train to the first village was under 8 mins. A lot of people we met were staying in Manarola but I don’t know if it’s lively at night once the tourists go back to La Spezia. If you like the water Monterosso has a beach so you can do morning walks around it’s just the furthest village up.
Staying in La Spezia will really be the best option (cheaper accommodation, you can see the water there too, night times are nice with loads of restaurant options and easy trip to Portovenere). You have to have a ticket for the Cinque terre and train which u can get online as one deal maybe for 2 days trip into the villages.
If you wanna do more than 3 days in the villages then staying there will work best and maybe go with Monterosso for more options on food and shops with beach and water or Manarola which I saw a few ppl arriving there so it must be a great place to stay.
Check my insta for pics @amidnightlight
I made this trip alone and I regret someday I will return with my bae.
I went three days to Pisa and since it is a small city where there is not much to do I took a day to go to CINQUE TERRE, LA SPEZIA. in an hour from pisa to cinque terre by train from pisa central station is very easy and convenient (7 USD if you buy the ticket with time).
in less than 5 hours I knew the five lands and all I can say is ROMANTIC (Mainly at night).
I recommend you visit with bae is a unique place in the world.
Came up here on a day trip from Florence. The best advice I can give you is that if you aren’t spending any nights here, get there EARLY in the morning to maximize your day. We Started around 7:30am, but we stopped in Pisa to see the leaning tower first, since it was on the same train line. Once done, we got back on the train for 30 more minutes, and headed to La Spezia. The train station at La Spezia is where you purchase your Cinque Terre train cards. The All-day CT card is 16 Euros(best deal), and you get unlimited rides between the towns, toilet access(they charge 1 euro if you don’t show the card), and you only get in that one line, then you travel freely. Each town is only a five minute ride away from the next. We did the towns in order, starting with Riomaggiore. The views alone are worth the ticket prices you pay, especially in Manarola & Monterosso. The climbs up the streets get steep, but if you take it slow it is well worth it. We actually skipped Corniglia, as there isn’t much there, and we wanted more time in Vernazza & Monterosso. Bring your swimsuit if you want to swim, as there is a small beach area in each above mentioned town. Quite simply some of the best scenery anywhere in the world.
There were HOARDS of tourists in each town, so each train station was packed. However, for a day trip, it’s a hassle I’d put up with. Many of the trails were closed due to bad weather the previous few days, which was disappointing. But honestly, I enjoyed just using the train b/w towns, as walking would eat up your entire day. There’s a seafood stand in Monterosso right on the beachfront named il Bocconcino that has the best fried calamari I’ve ever eaten in my life. So in short, yes the seafood in each of the towns is amazing. Please try it before you leave! We also got pizza in Manarola(one of the five towns), and it was really simple and good. Tip: just go on your own and avoid the huge tours advertised. Your own pace is the best pace, and it saves you money. However, in certain months, if the weather is nice, you can take a boat from town to town that gives offshore views.