Your Guide to Cinque Terre

The color-blocked houses sitting on the hills that hug the Italian Riviera… in all the places I went in Italy, this was one of my favorites. 

Cinque Terre basically means “five lands” or “five towns” in Italian, because Cinque Terre is made up of five little villages – and you get to each of them via train, which takes around 2-4 minutes from one village to the next.

 If you’re planning on going in the summertime like I did, beware… it gets busy. The trains get packed. The weather gets hot.

One of the trains flew by us so fast and so close, that all the moms in my little group for the day claimed we were, “trying to avoid becoming scrambled eggs”. 

We also got stuck on the train one time. All of the power went out, and in that July heat… it got toasty in that train.

 However, we lived: clearly, as I’m writing this blog post for you – but I will say that if you like comfort and punctual timing when you travel, that this region of Italy maayyyy not be for you. 

 Now, if you’re down for the potential chaos and indescribable, idiosyncratic beauty that is Cinque Terre, and your goal is to tackle all five towns, this is what I recommend you do:

Start at the top, and work your way down.

We were staying in La Spezia, which is just outside of the first town, Riomarggio. We opted to take the train all the way up to Monterosso al Mare first, and slowly make our way back to our hotel in La Spezia. 

Village 5: Monterosso al Mare

This is the village is the highest up. It feels a lot like Capri: sleek, chic, and resort style. This one has the biggest beach, thus – making it one of the busiest and most popular of the five villages.

The white fences and vibrant florals in Monterosso al Mare reminded me of Capri.

If you’re looking for a beach day, and only want to come to Cinque Terre with the intent of relaxing on the Italian Rivera – this is the village you’re going to want to spend your time in. 

The beach in Monterosso al Mare in Cinque Terre.

Village 4: Vernazza

View of Vernazza from the water; July 2018

This one has a smaller beach, but a lot of good food. If you’re into seafood, Cinque Terre is the place to be trying it. There are several restaurants that overlook the water that you can eat at here… but my group and I were craving a break from the endless pasta and pizza, so – we opted for a little hipster sandwich shop, The Lunchbox, with vegetarian options.

I can recommend! They have really good panini’s and all sorts of other healthy-millennial-gluten-free-dairy-free-stuff to try. I had a lemonade there that also hit the spot… well, it was a detox juice with cucumber, lemon, and ginger.

Like I said, it was a hipster café kind of place. 

The ‘Super Vegan’ panini at “The Lunchbox” in Vernazza, Cinque Terre.

 The only con I can think of is that the seating is sparse, so if you’re trying to sit a group of more than four – you could be waiting a while. 

View of Vernazza from the train station.

Village 3: Cornigila

Now, this is the village famous for the shuttle bus that you can take to get the best picture of all the villages.

All that’s here when you got off at the train is the shuttle. No restaurants, shops, or access to water. It’s only a gateway to take the shuttle bus up.

I was in a group of people and I was the only one who really wanted to go up, and it was hot, and time was of the essence… so I skipped it…

 … but it’s okay. I have no doubt that the view must be fantastic, but waiting for that bus up and down in the heat does require I made up plenty for it later, and I’m going to suggest you did what I did instead as well. 

Village 2: Manarola 

 This is the “fishing village” of the five of them. This is the place you want to go eat at if you’re a seafood fanatic. You could also go swimming here, but beware of jellyfish. 

View of Manarola from the water; July 2018.

Village 1: Riomaggiore 

 Okay, this one was my personal favorite of the five. 

Why?

The photo opportunities before my eyes were the exact ones I had always dreamed of taking.  

Riomaggiore is where you’ll find the cliche colorful houses you’ve been looking for in Cinque Terre.

 This village is definitely the most aesthetically pleasing of the five, and the easiest one to take boats from.

 Right here, this is where I made up for skipping the shuttle bus in Cornigila.

 Several members of my tour group & I all chipped in to rent a boat tour, where we would jet across all the villages via water for the views, and let me tell you…

… it’s worth it. 

On a speed boat in Cinque Terre.

Those boat rides also take you by the little coves with the coolest and clearest pockets of water.

Yes, it is that amazing in person.

Just be careful when booking. If your goal is to end up back at Riomaggiore, to make sure that you book a two-way boat ride. Otherwise, they’ll drop you off back at the top in Monterosso al Mare, which will defeat your purpose of starting at the top in the first place. 

I hope this gives you an idea of the vibe of each of the villages in Cinque Terre. If you’re looking for other things to do in Italy, click here.