Italy Travel: A Trip Report, Part 5: Cinque Terre
- Jubin Edachery
- Sep 21, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 24, 2023
The bucket list trip to the beautiful seaside villages of Cinque Terre was our final leg in this Italy trip.
Getting There
We travelled from Venice to Cinque Terre by train - there are two routes possible (one via Milan which is longer with fast trains), we picked the one via Florence which is shorter distance.
Our resort provided us with an early morning boat service to the train station. We boarded the early morning fast Frecciarossa. We got off at Florence after a 2 hour non stop ride (the fast trains don't go all the way to the western coast).
From Florence we took a slower local train. The pace was slower, and there were a lot of local commuters, it felt authentic and we enjoyed it. In about 2 hours, we reached La Spezia Centrale. La Spezia is sort of a gateway to the 5 seaside villages (Cinque Terre) from the southern side. Here, we changed trains again, this time getting on a smaller train that connects the villages in Cinque Terre to each other and the bigger towns.
This last small train is what we would use later on to commute between the villages. We booked all the train tickets for this journey (as with other journeys) in advance. Including the CT card which we used in the Cinque Terre train.
The scenic ride from La Spezia lasted 10 minutes and we reached and disembarked on the first stop, the village of Riomaggiore. As we got off the train into the pretty little station, we were delighted by how lovely it was, and were already yearning for the rest of our Cinque Terre adventure. There is a nice and long mosaiced pedestrian tunnel to get to the main street from the station.
The train is the most convenient way to get around the 5 villages (takes about 4 mins to each village). Trails and boat are scenic ways too, but i would not recommend driving a car into the narrow roads of the villages.
Cinque Terre
The series of five colorful and breathtaking cliff-side villages perched along the Ligurian coastline that make Cinque Terre were a bucket-list destination for me, and I was so glad to be able to finally get into the postcard pics of the place and be here in person.
Each of the villages are unique in their own way, and yet all of them have this simple tranquil beauty where time seems to stand still. They are all connected via train, trails, and of course by the sea.
Riomaggiore
We chose Rio as our base in Cinque Terre. We decided on an AirBnB with great views. Our host met us outside the train station and had transportation for our luggage, and we were glad to walk up the hill to the AirBnB without having to lug our luggage with us up the steep pathways and steep stairs. There are plenty of steep pathways in Rio, but the views up top are worth it. The view from our room was amazing - we could see all the way down to the sea. The AirBnB itself was small but very cozy. The bathroom was tiny but manageable.
Rio is one of the best towns to stay among the five villages. It's lively during the day and night, and has spectacular views and good restaurants.
If you have mobility issues or have a lot of luggage, be mindful there maybe a lot of climbing - more so the higher you decide to stay.
On the first day we relaxed and just explored Rio. Right behind our house was a steep stairway that was like a shortcut to the roadways at the top of the hills, and offered great views. Even by night, the little village looked beautiful from above, lights sprinkled across, brightening houses and churches at different elevations around the hilly village.
No museums, no malls, nothing fancy. Just peaceful, pure, unadulterated rustic Italy.
It was lovely strolling down the cobblestone pathways to the bottom where
most of the restaurants and shops were. We dined at a nice local restaurant called La Lampara which had good pizza and pasta.
The best view on Rio was down the hill by the small harbor which could accommodate only smaller boats. It had a lovely view of brightly colored houses tumbling down the hillside around the beautiful waters and cute little boats. There was also a pathway up the hill on the other side of the harbor which had equally beautiful views.
Here we also chanced upon a hidden gem Gelato place
Gelateria Sottozero - the Gelato was so amazing and fresh, we came here multiple times during our stay. The guy makes the gelato fresh, so we sometimes have to wait eagerly in the morning for him to crush all the fruit, make it and then open the store.
On our final evening in Rio, we dined at a slightly upscale place called Rio Bistrot - the food and the wine were top notch, and it had an elevated view of the harbor.
Cinque Terre Tips:
I really recommend the CT Card which you can book online as well. It is cheap and covers your train rides within (and to) the villages. It’s very useful as you can hop on and off the train between the villages. It's takes about 4 minutes or less from village to village via train.
Don’t forget to validate your CT card (or ticket if you purchase it) in the yellow machines before you get on the train. If you miss, fines can be heavy.
Beware of pick-pocketers on the train (we caught them in the act - see the caution note in the Rome section).
During busy seasons, you can avoid some of the rush by staying away during midday where day-trippers (and cruise folks) add to the crowd.
Because of its growing popularity, Cinque Terre is experiencing over-tourism, especially in the summer. It’s worse during July and August but all of summer expects a crowd. The trains can be pretty crowded too with long lines to get in. (We are glad we came in October where the tourist throngs had already left).
I wouldn’t recommend winter though as a lot of places are closed at that time.
Kids: If you have kids, pick hikes carefully, and be mindful again of the pathways and steps (many of them have no safety features). There are small grocery stores all over. And Strollers are useless - you will most likely be carrying them more than pushing them.
I recommend viewing the villages from the sea as well - with a boat or ferry ride. Lot of the train rides are under tunnels so the boats offer the views that you miss on the train, and provide a great vantage point to view the villages.
English is widely spoken (but it's always good to learn and speak some basic Italian phrases). it’s good to carry cash as many places do not accept cards.
On day 2, we walked down the pretty paths, validated our ticket and got on the train. We covered each village in order going from south to north.
From Rio, in about 3 minutes via train, we arrived at Manarola.
Manarola
This is the town in many postcards of Cinque Terre and IMO the most picturesque among all the towns here. Here’s proof:
This is a smaller town, but colorful houses perched on a rocky hill facing the sea gives Manarola its own unique charm. It's closed to road traffic and so it's fun and safe exploring on foot.
It's peppered with nice restaurants and has a vibrant night life too.
We had a simple but nice breakfast at Bar Enrica.
It was surreal walking the pretty hikes along the coast of Manarola - as we savored in the cliffs, ocean, vineyards, and the small natural harbor all awash in the early morning sunlight.
The famous Lover’s Lane hike along the cliffs to Rio is only half a mile but it was closed for renovations and we only did part of it.
This lane pictured here goes away from the town providing great views and turns up the hill to a shopping and restaurant area, and a viewpoint with a nice childrens park, which our daughter loved.
There is no beach in Manarola but people cliff dive when the water is not cold.
All the villages have hiking trails. The hikes that are open are worth doing, and offer spellbinding, and spectacular views of the sea and terrain. They can range from easy to difficult, and check the conditions, as some of them can get slippery and dangerous during and after rain. Wear hiking shoes, no flip flops or open toes. CT cards can cover the fee for hikes too.
Corniglia
This is the most underrated of the villages (attracts the least number of visitors), as it’s a little more difficult to get to, since it’s not right on the water (and has no harbor). This quiet, beautiful hilltop village is the smallest of the Cinque Terre villages and absolutely worth visiting.
Corniglia station after a quick 4 minute ride from Manarola. To get to town from there - you either take a bus, or for some exercise (with views), take the Lardinaria staircase.
We took the stairs - the climb of some 370+ steps provides sweeping views of the rugged vineyard cliffs, the railway line hugging the beautiful coast and blue waters. This climb may keep some tourists away, but not us.
Once we got to town, it was really fun meandering around on the idyllic streets of Corniglia, the houses, small restaurants and a church, with great views from everywhere because of its vantage point. There are a couple of specific viewpoints that really offer stunning views (of the sea and Manarola).
Though we didn’t visit, I was told that there is a beach access down a steep trail ending in a rocky cove where you can enjoy the water (in a true Italian style).
Alberto’s Gelataria has some great tasting gelato including their unique Basil Gelato (made with their home grown basil).
The Lingurian area is the birthplace of Pesto. Needless to say, this place has amazing Pesto (made with local basil and olive oil). Most of the villages have little shopping places that sell bottles of Genovese Pesto. We did pick up some for home, and tried some pesto dishes - the pesto we in the US doesn’t hold a candle to this. So fresh and delicious.
Focaccia bread is also native to this area and cooked here for centuries. There are many bakeries around Cinque Terre that serve up some fresh and great Focaccia.
We had our lunch here in an outdoor restaurant, with pesto dishes made with local pesto, and washed it down with some amazing espresso.
Vernazza
The next village, Vernazza, is the most touristy of the villages, it was very pretty as well and a little different with a bigger harbor. Right on the harbor is a nice Church and an old Castle that you climb the stairs of, giving nice views of the harbor and the sea.
Hike a little higher onto the trail, and we can see the town and the harbor with the background of the sea, and it’s just a beautiful sight to savor.
Monterosso al Mare
This is the flattest of the villages, and is the place with hotels and resorts. The fancy dining places are also here. This is also the only village with a sandy beach. Though it was charming, we didn't spend too much time here as we had to get back to Rio for our boat tour of Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre by the Sea
On the second evening, we booked a sunset boat tour from Rio, and saw the villages in a new light and so glad we did this.
The boat ride was peaceful and nice (no choppy waters). The boat was also small, and very intimate.
Being able to see the villages from the sea, glistening in the evening sun, was super, and a totally different perspective and IMO is a must do.
The boat also took us to beautiful coves and water caves, and ended with snacks and a stunning sunset view.
In hindsight we would have spent another day in Cinque Terre, just to savor it a little slower.
The evening of our third day in Cinque Terre, we caught the Frecciabianca train to Rome from La Specia. In Rome we spent the next day leisurely with some shopping and eating before saying Arrivederci to Italy.
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