Cinque terre : a quick guide for your trip to paradise!
By: Ihsen Charfi
Tags: Cinque Terre, Italy, Vacation, Travel, Europe

five towns of cinque terre from Monteresso to Riomagiore

Let’s clarify things first : cinque terre means “five towns” in reference to five villages : From east to west “ Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso”. Visiting cinque terre means visiting these towns and their surroundings.

This article aims to give a quick practical tips to plan the whole trip.

TIME

Best time to visit cinque terre is from late April to early October. Well, this is recommended to enjoy the place while avoiding rainy seasons,but it will depend on your plans as well. If you can’t bear hot weather, you should plan going in early spring. If you expect to swim all day long, it is preferable to go in summer ( June — August ).

Well summer is the high season, so prices will increase but it still offers a good deal comparing to other destinations.

I personally went in early July and the weather was perfect to enjoy summer time.

DURATION

The perfect stay would last between 3 to 5 days. 3 days in minimum and 5 days in maximum ( 2 to 4 nights). It depends on your rhythm and plans . Cinque terre is not accessible via direct flights so you should whether rent a car or go by train. So,keep in mind that the whole journey ( or days off you’d take) will be longer because it takes time to get there.

I personally took a flight to Pisa and then took a one hour train to La Spezia -check the map above to see where it is.

Cinque terre is a heaven on earth .. but it is a “little” piece of heaven. You can enjoy all villages in 3 days by exploring 2 towns per day.

Monteresso is the biggest terre so you can stay there for more than half a day.

Transportation

Before thinking of transportation in cinque terre, you have to think and plan how to get there .

Well, you can either use train or car. I recommend the first option because trains are comfortable and affordable.

If you choose train, first thing to do is to get to La Spezia or Levanto and get the cinque terre train from there. If you want to go by car you hould know that most vehicle traffic is restricted inside the villages.

Transportation in cinque terre:

Once you get to cinque terre and want to go from town to town , you have 3 options and I recommend experiencing the three of them:

Trekking : literally using your feet, you can walk in great mountains it takes on average 2 hours a hike. It is worth doing it once. Paths are clear so there is no way you get lost. Since 2012 some of the trails are closed due to a landslide. Besides trail availability changes over seasons. I recommend to check on the official Parco 5 Terre website before going there. You should wear closed shoes to go on trekking, otherwise you won’t be allowed.

Price : 7,5 euro for one-day pass .

Tip: if you go early in the morning before 8:30 a.m, you can get to your destination for free. Train : in every town; there’s one train station. Trains pass by every 20 minutes and are high-speed. Price : You can buy one-way ticket for 6 euros to get to the mentioned/ the said town. ( You can only use it once ) or buy a one-day pass for 16 euros and you can use it for trekking as well.

You can get your pass in the train stations, in tourist information offices or at every start of trail in each village. There are some special prices for groups and families, click here to get more info about tickets prices. Boat: This is used in hot seasons but it is not always an open option. It depends on the weather so better check about the availability of boat trips. It is more expensive than other options.

Food

You are in ITALY so food is definitely DELICIOUS !

Italy is well-known for great meals so all foods are yummy 😋 in cinque terre. My recommendations are :

Foccacia : is bread toast with tuna or other charcuterie.

: is bread toast with tuna or other charcuterie. Sea food : pasta, pizza, anything with sea food is delicious. There is also fried sea food.

: pasta, pizza, anything with sea food is delicious. There is also fried sea food. Ice cream 🍨 : every ice cream shop is exquisite in Italy

Tip: If you want to go to a restaurant with a great view, y ou should make a reservation a few days before. I was very disappointed I couldn’t go to the belforete restaurant because I didn’t make any reservation.

Accommodation

What to choose? this depends on your vacation style and budget. Booking a romantic escape is way different from going solo to explore or going in groups of friends for vacation. You find everything in cinque terre from luxury to small budget. There are several options : airB&B , hostels , hotels .. You just have to set your own needs/requirements and check online.

What is more important in choosing your accommodation is the location. Many prefer to stay in Levanto or la Spezia because it is cheaper. Yet, I suggest to choose one of 5 terre to enjoy some magical moments by night and not miss a sunrise for sunrise lovers! I personally stayed in Vernazza ( I would say the smallest and most charming village ) and I recommend it.

Tip: Corniglia is a beautiful town, but If you plan to stay there, you should think twice. The train station is far from the center town and you have to take long stairs to get there. So I don’t think it would be a good idea to take all these stairs with your luggage.

Swimming in the Sea

You can swim in every town and guess what!! EVERY village has its hidden place where you can jump into the sea and do rolls! Simply look for these hidden places or ask around!.

Tip : If you are doing trekking I recommend to have your swimming suite with you because you can find some hidden corners on the way .

There is only one sandy ( not that sandy :p ) beach in Monteresso. all other places are rocky, and near caves. So you should know how to swim to enjoy the experience of swimming at any moment.

okay, but What to do as activities during the day ?

You enjoy your life ! You eat, swim and walk ( by taking stairs most of the time). Cinque terre is beautiful by its colorful houses, blue sea and wild mountains. It is different from other Italian places. So all what you should do is : explore and play the tourist!