How to Spend One Day in Cinque Terre, Italy
Cinque Terre is a popular tourist attraction on the Northern Ligurian Coast of Italy, only a bit above Pisa, and often described as one of the best places to visit in Italy. While planning my trip to Italy I didn’t know much about Cinque Terre apart from the photos of brightly colored buildings and windy, stone streets, but I knew I needed to add this beautiful place to my itinerary. I’m so glad I did, and hope to inspire you to do the same.
The ideal way to visit would be to give yourself several days in order to relax and spend as much time as you want in each of the five villages, Vernazza, Monterosso, Corniglia, Riomaggiore, and Manarola. However, I had only one day and made it my mission to travel to each town. This guide is to allow you to also make the most of your one day in Cinque Terre!
HOW TO GET TO CINQUE TERRE
Getting to Cinque Terre was one of my major worries, due to the remote nature of the towns. However, it turned out to be simple! Early in the morning we drove from our bed and breakfast and parked in the parking garage for the train staion in La Spezia. From there we bought our day train passes and made the journey in! The train takes 7 minutes to get to the nearest town, Riomaggiore, and around 15 minutes to get to the furthest town, Monterosso.
While train is not the only way to get to Cinque Terre, it is very popular and extremely easy, but you can also arrive by car and park in Monterosso or Riomaggiore. From there you will still need to hike or take the train to the middle towns.
HOW TO GET AROUND CINQUE TERRE
There are two main ways to get between the towns: by train and by trail. While I had been hoping to hike between at least two of the towns, the 90 F (32 C) weather, quickly eliminated that idea and we stuck to the train all day. Both the paths and train require you to pay: 7.50 euros for the trail, and 16 euros for the train.
There are several trails between the towns, but the most popular is The Blue Trail, which connects all five towns and is 7.5 miles total in length. If you do visit on a day that’s not going to boil you alive make sure to research beforehand! Several trails were closed when we visited and are not set to open until 2021 or 2023.
The much easier way to travel between the towns is by train. The train runs between all five towns and to La Spezia, so if you came in by train you will already have your ticket for the whole day. If not, you can buy a ticket at any train stop. The trains run often, and are well prepared for the amount of tourists. We often backtracked between towns and still had enough time to see all five villages in one day!
Order of Visiting Towns
If you plan on seeing all five towns you will need to decide in what order. The most obvious answer is to go either East to West or West to East.
East to West: Riomaggiore > Manarola > Corniglia > Vernazza > Monterosso
West to East: Monterosso > Vernazza > Corniglia > Manarola > Riomaggiore
However I Recommend: Vernazza > Monterosso > Corniglia > Riomaggiore > Manarola
The reason is because Vernazza is considered one of the more picturesque towns, so if you arrive early enough you can see the town with less tourists. This itinerary also allows you to see the picturesque Manarola at sunset!
Vernazza
Vernazza was the first town we visited and possibly the most beautiful. Not that that’s saying a lot, they are all stunning! Wandering the narrow streets and taking in the brightly colored buildings is an experience I’ll never forget. A large street and square paves the way through the town, lined with an abundance of cafes and boutiques.
Climbing up to the Belforte Tower gives you an amazing view looking down upon the town. You do have to pay a small fee to enter the tower, or you can also eat right next to the tower. There is also a great view overlooking Vernazza from a small hike to the top of the town. Vernazza also has two small beaches if you have time to take a quick dip!
Monterosso
Monterosso is a great place to go if you want an Italian beach day. Rows upon rows of brightly colored umbrellas dot the beach. I have to admit we spent the least amount of time in Monterosso due to time constraints, but it was enough to grab a few photos and a refreshing granita (Italian version of a slushie).
If you have more time than we did, there is several historical sites to visit in Monterosso. Several churches and monasteries can be found around the town, as well as 42 foot tall statue to Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.
Corniglia
Corniglia was perhaps my second favorite town. It was also the biggest hike from the train station. There is a paved but steep path leading up to the hilltop town. While doable, it was no easy task and might be a challenge for older or out of shape travellers.
However, upon arriving to the top of the town it was well worth the hike. We had lunch at Pan e Vin where I had the best sandwich and bruschetta I’ve ever had! That’s saying something, because I ate a lot of brushetta in Italy. They also have amazing espresso to give you the perfect energy boost to continue onto second half of the day.
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore was another town I didn’t get to spend as much time in as I would have liked. We did have time to visit some of the adorable shops on the road, and wander down to the dock. Like all the towns Riomaggiore has beautiful brightly colored buildings, and a seafront with equally bright boats. If we had had more time I would have loved to go on one of the boat tours and sip wine while watching the coast go by.
Manarola
While Riomaggiore is the most Eastern town, I highly recommend visiting Manarola last in order to witness the sunset. It is one of the most picture perfect towns you’ll ever see. We ate at Nessun Dorma, and while the food was great, it is the view that really makes this restaurant worth the visit. It overlooks almost the exact scenic point as in my photo above.
After dinner, you should have enough time to make it back to your stay for the night. Make sure you watch the train schedule so you don’t miss the last ride to La Spezia if that was where you came in. I promise you’ll be tired but fulfilled from your unforgettable day in Cinque Terre!
WHERE TO STAY IN CINQUE TERRE
Summer Packing List
- Bathing Suit
- Shorts
- Top
- Summer Dress
- Sandals
- Shoes
- Hat
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One of my favorite places in the world! Due to flooding, we made it only to 3 of the 5 towns. I loved Manarola and was so glad we stayed there. Besides all the reasons you give, I also found the people so friendly and talkative. Great post!
That’s true! I could tell everyone there was very proud of their towns and loved to talk to tourists.
You have absolutely stunning photos 😍😍 Italy has been on my bucketlist for so long!
Thank you! I hope you get to go!
I’ve never been to Italy but I’ll need to save this for another time.
Cinque Terre is amazing! Great tips if you only have one day to spend here.
WOW! Can’t believe how much you can do in 1 day. Your photos are gorgeous, and I am so motivated to visit this part of Italy in on my 2021 trip. Pinning & saving this blog for trip planning.
I always see such lovely photos from here, and your post has made me want to go even more!
I want to take my husband here so bad! I went years ago and it was so cute!
Monterosso looks like our kind of beach city! We would be hanging out under one of those umbrellas. Everyone that we know that has been to the Cinque area has always said one thing, get ready to walk. The streets would be a great way to work off all the pasta and pastries that we will be inhaling.
Love this post! Italy is the best, cant wait to visit again. Will use this for planning my next trip 🙂
You don’t list La Spezia as a place to stay but you seem to have stayed there. I couldn’t find any Airbnb without lots of stairs and since it would be challenging for us to use stairs with our bags, I chose an Airbnb in La Spezia. Did you regret staying in La Spezia?