Cinque Terre – quick travel guide

A row of 5 beautiful colorful Italian beach towns, each with their own unique beach landscape and waterfront play areas.

Cinque Terre is no longer the “secret” it once was 20 years ago. It’s now one of the most popular (and crowded) tourist spots for good reason. By staying at just one of the towns, you are in close proximity to easily explore the other 4. It’s fun to explore the towns, take photos of cute colorful buildings, hangout by the water, eat and drink at Italian-esque places with water views, even go hiking between the towns for amazing “wow” photos.

You could technically do it all in 2 days (dedicating one to hiking) but I’d like to put 3 to relax and enjoy the beaches and night restaurants/bars more. My first visit was in 2009, second in 2014, and third in 2022. And I think I’m never going back. I’ve seen enough and it only got worse each time…more crowded and touristy and coastal hike trail closed. I’d personally go elsewhere with those days.

Where to stay:

• Riomaggiore – cute colorful picturesque town with narrow beachfront and then water areas extending to the side, and multiple cliff-jumping spots. I kinda hate this beach as it’s hard to find shade and also space away from other beachgoers. Serious hikers like this town as it’s on the end and allows you to hike through all 5 towns in one run. I liked exploring up the hills of this place. It offers more than you think. Mar-Mar Hostel here is great (comfort, space, vibe, location).
• Manarola – nice beach area with lots of great snorkeling spots (full of fish), many rocks for cliff-diving (and active cheering crowd), but it’s super tight and packed with people. Shade exists around the water areas. Also plenty of nice restaurants, and a cool church area up the hill. If you have a car, it’s easy to find parking up the hill (although my cousin got a 60eur ticket so beware). Up the hill has plenty of things to see.
• Vernazza – the most picturesque and largest waterfront. Lots of water areas for you to move around without having to be elbow to elbow with other tourists. Probably the busiest because it’s cute and colorful/charmy, but also with enough space to handle a ton of people.
• Corniglia – small, quiet, not much to do, arguably boring. Some people might prefer the quietness. It’s also located in the middle of the 5 towns, so could be a good strategic position if you’re hiking. You do one direction one day (Manarola > Riomaggiore) and the other direction the next (Vernazza > Monterosso).
• Monterosso – I don’t see the point of staying here. The vibe is more like a big beach town and doesn’t look or feel cute and charmy like the other towns.

Keep in mind that I’m only describing the peak tourist season. Obviously if you go out of tourist season, there won’t be so many people. The 3 most charmiest are Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Vernazza. Corniglia is small, quiet, boring. Monterosso is big and looks too much like a city (with a long boardwalk with more modern looking buildings), lacks charm.

Cinque Terre is super small yet popular, which means there might not be space if you book last minute. If you can’t find a place to stay, then just look in the nearby big town “La Spezia” and stay near the train station there. Train from La Spezia Centrale to any of the five lands is only 8-20 minutes.

Town walking areas and things-to-do:

• Riomaggiore – easy central area during the day. Can climb the hills for more views of the city. I liked the bars and restaurants on the hills for night activities. Check out the castle.
• Manarola – lots of commercial eating areas around the water (cafes, restaurants) which is great for lunch/dinner. Up the hill is full of stuff as well, check out the church.
• Corniglia – really kinda boring for me. 30-min tops as a hiking break. There’s almost nothing to see here and the town isn’t built well for water views either. Who knows, maybe there’s more to this place that I haven’t known yet but I feel it’s useless except only to say you’ve been to all 5 towns.
• Vernazza – I really like the huge water area and lots of shade areas. You can get your food to go and sit around the water. Many years ago in July 2009, they had an amazing fireworks show here at night. Some people don’t like that it’s possibly the busiest of the five towns with most people in the streets.
• Monterosso – do the boardwalk, and you’re done. The beach is also nice if you want proper chairs and umbrellas and space away from other people. Can maybe hang around at night and enjoy the space away from people. Sometimes they have live orchestra music on the street. It’s the biggest town of the 5 but lower in unique tourism value IMO.

Manarola or Vernazza is probably my new favorite town to be. Riomaggiore (which I already been several times) is still really cool as well, especially for first-timers.

Activities to do:

• Walking around – don’t just walk around the water areas for tourist photos. You should also climb the stairs and go up the hill for more interesting and quieter local areas. I thought up the hill was always beautiful and more relaxed local restaurants and bars. I loved it.
• Hiking – there are many trails. The main coastal one hasn’t been fully opened for a long time now so you’ll be stuck with longer uphill ones that may or may not have such a great view of the waters. Check the trails and decide accordingly. Personally…I don’t see the point of wasting hours on a trail when you’re at such a beautiful beach place for only a few days.
• Beach day – hit the water and explore.
• Snorkeling – I didn’t explore all parts of all towns but the best one I felt was in Manarola down by the rocks and boats.
• Boat tour – probably cheapest if you have a group to share costs. Ask around for prices. I’ve never been but I’m sure there’s beautiful views to be had.

Restaurants, Bars & Cafes:

• Riomaggiore – Bar O’Netto is good food/drinks and surprisingly cheap for its central location, MiVa pizza is good and cheap option for day and night, Old School Cocktails & Food (up the stairs local area with great panoramic views at night).
• Manarola – Nessun Dorma (great food with a view),
• Vernazza –

Don’t rely on my list. They are only what I tried and liked. Please go up the hill (for any town) and explore for yourself!

Clubs:

• All the 5 towns have only bars at best. But some do have louder music and more “club vibes”.
• If you want a real club, you’ll have to go to La Spezia.

Miscellaneous tips:

• Free water fountains – they’re easily found in the busy places. Just keep refilling up your bottle. You might even find some along your hikes (although don’t rely on that).
• Hiking trail closure – the official seaside hiking trail was only open the first time I went in 2009. All subsequent visits after that had trail closures due to landslides. You’ll have to check when you arrive to see what trails are available or not. I highly recommend NOT doing the lengthy detour hikes that take you all the way up the mountains. Many of them are long, hot, not fun, not much to see, and feels like you’re wasting time in the middle of nowhere instead of exploring the beautiful towns you traveled so far to visit.
• Hiking – I’d recommend water, sunblock, camera, swim clothes (in case you wanna do a swim break). The one thing everyone stresses is proper hiking shoes but I personally felt just fine in flip-flops. Good to know so you can be “swim-ready”.
• Rude service – it truly seems the towns are sick of tourists. You should expect rude service everywhere you go. They are tired of having to answer the same questions in English a thousand times a day. Let me clarify, they are tired of all tourists…even the ones coming into their business establishment!
• Car parking – is a real son of a gun. Especially during peak season (August). If you park up the hill, make sure to read the signs or you’ll get a ticket. Parking is more available in the quieter towns like Corniglia, or you can just drop off the car in big city La Spezia and train over to Cinque Terre.
• Taxis – depending on the season, they are unavailable and completely booked out for hours. If you desperately need a ride (and no trains/buses are avail), you can try hitchhiking. Wait out on the road with your thumb or ask random people in the parking lots. Also helps if you offer to pay.

Nearby towns:

• La Spezia – depending on who you talk to. This place is considered fun, bigger, and more things to do (tourists)….or it’s super boring military town (locals). I personally haven’t been.