If this is your first time hearing of Cinque Terre, (pronounced Chin-que Terra) literally in Italian, it means 5 towns (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso). That means there are 5 towns along the coast to explore and visit! Best news it, frequent train connections between the towns make it a very easy trip from any city in Italy.
Manarola
How to get to Cinque Terre: The closest station to Cinque Terre with various connections to major Italian cities is La Spezia Centrale. I booked train tickets from Venice to La Spezia through Trenitalia. From La Spezia you can either buy separate one way tickets to different stops along Cinque Terre or you could get the Cinque Terre Pass.
Manarola at sunset
How to get around Cinque Terre: It is VERY EASY to get around Cinque Terre and the best way to get around is by TRAIN. A lot of people recommend the Cinque Terre card, but from my experience, it is very expensive (€16/per day) and NOT worth it at all. If you plan on being in Cinque Terre for 3 days, don’t buy the Cinque Terre card for €16 x 3 days. Instead, plan ahead of time and see which towns you want to visit in a day. A train ticket from one town costs €4. So if you are planning on just visiting another town and hang out there for one day, then just buy point-to-point tickets from Trenitalia. If you’re in Cinque Terre for just 1 day and you want to see all there is, then by all means, get the Cinque Terre card because it will be worth it. The Cinque Terre card also includes access to some walking paths between the towns, and also to some awesome viewpoint of the town (especially Vernazza — I’ll talk about this below). For me, I bought the card for 1 day to do the hiking trails and for the rest of the days I bought point-to-point tickets.
Which Cinque Terre Town Should I Stay At?
Stay Details: Alex Room (where we stayed! This airbnb was in Manarola and we had an awesome view from the room; clean room and great hosts too)
I stayed in Manarola because from the photos, it looked like a very lovely town. I was also looking for a place that was near a train station and didn’t feel like walking too much. I wouldn’t recommend staying at Corniglia (lots of steps!) and Monterosso (very touristy). Rather choose between Riomaggiore, Manarola and Vernazza. These three towns are the most charming ones of all! Obviously due to its popularity, you can expect hotels/airbnbs to be 150+ euros during summer months just for a night. If you are on a budget, consider staying in nearby city of La Spezia which is just under 10 minute train ride away from Cinque Terre.
RIOMAGGIORE
Riomaggiore is the first Cinque Terre town you will come across. It is a small but lovely town. You can easily explore this town within 30 minutes as there are not too many places to walk. To get to the next town, Manarola, you can walk a hiking trail (subject to weather condiions, may or may not be open) or take the train which is about one minute away.
Swimming options: Riomaggiore beach (pebble beach) or swim by the rocks
If you’re looking for a quick snack, look no other than Il Pescato Cucinato who offer fresh fried seafood cones from €5. Try to avoid going at 5-6PM, the shop is closing and the food isn’t as fresh as if you went during midday!
MANAROLA
Manarola was the town I stayed in, which proved to be a very good decision. However, because I booked our airbnb late, we paid a hefty price for our room (2 nights, €250). Expect Cinque Terre to come with a lot of steps, and we found ourselves climbing flights of stairs to get to our airbnb.
Swimming options: There are a couple of swimming spots near the harbor in Manarola. Just climb down the steps and find a spot near the rocks. Remember to bring your snorkeling gear because the water is crystal clear here! For those that love cliff jumping, Manarola is a great place for that!
Manarola by day
If you visit Manarola, remember to stop by Nessun Dorma, a delicious, highly rated and Instagrammable restaurant with sea views! During the summer months, there is ALWAYS a lineup outside. Their burrata is SOO delicious and bruschetta is to die for! Ordering their famous limoncello spritz is also a must-try although I feel its alcoholic content is heavier than other restaurants because I got drunk/sleepy after just one glass! To snag a seat right by the sea, come at least an hour before they open and wait in line! However, I realized if you book their pesto class which takes place before the restaurant opens, you can directly choose a seat before everyone else waiting outside right after the class ends.
VERNAZZA
Vernazza is known for its beathtaking views and is considered the best scenic spots to take a photo of Cinque Terre! For the world-class famous view, hike up to the Vernazza viewpoint situated outside the town. To get to the Vernazza viewpoint (where the below photo was taken) you need to embark on a hiking trail. There is an entrance fee to the hiking trail, free for Cinque Terre card holders. The hiking trail leads from Vernazza to Monterosso which takes around 1.5 – 2 hours. You don’t need to complete it, you can just start from Vernazza, hike around 15 minutes to this viewpoint and go back down to the town.
Vernazza in the afternoon
How to get to Vernazza Scenic Viewpoint: Find Via Agostino del Santo and walk in the direction of West to the end. The road will become a dirt hiking trail and continue forwards until you get to the toll booth where you either pay for a one day pass or show your Cinque Terre card.
On a hot summer day, try the pesto gelato at Gelateria Vernazza (for some reason I found the pesto gelato to be very weird in taste!) However, everyone says to give it a try since pesto is considered a specialty in Cinque Terre.
MONTEROSSO
Monterosso was the least favorite out of all the towns mainly due to the fact that it was very touristy and the whole strip of beach had been privatized. There was a small section of beach that was actually “public” but so small and crowded you wouldn’t want to sit there. In the summer months, everyone flocks to the beach and it is literally impossible to get a spot at a beach club unless you book early in advance. In August, I literally walked to each beach club asking for a spot (and I was ready to pay whatever was needed) and it was absolutely FULLY BOOKED everywhere. Funny thing was, half of the beach clubs looked empty, probably left for those with reservations (or maybe they just didn’t want to serve Asians) you never know.
Looking for lunch options at Monterosso? Try the famous pesto pasta that is very well known in Cinque Terre at San Martino Gastronomia. This small but delicious pasta restaurant knows how to whip up fresh pasta with fresh ingredients. You’re welcome to dine-in with social distancing measures in place or opt-in for take away if you want to eat by the sea. My favorite meals here were their famous pesto pasta and spaghetti di mare (seafood pasta).
