This fantastically beautiful region should not be missing on a Italy tour. There would be enough program for a week, but we had the big problem of getting all the highlights into one day trip 😬🤣
Cinque Terre is a unique national park in Liguria (Italy). The main attractions in this region are the 5 colorful fishing villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, as well as the miles of hiking trails on the coast and in the outback.
Our starting point for a trip to the Cinque Terre National Park was La Spezia. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to manage all 5 villages in one day, at least not if we wanted to enjoy this area in peace. Apart from that, it was clear to both of us that we wanted to take at least one of the numerous hiking trails.
We agreed on the following schedule:
- Arrival by train from La Spezia to Vernazza
- Exploring Vernazza
- Hike from Vernazza to Monterosso
- Exploring Monterosso
- Relaxing on the beach
- Sunset tour by boat to see all 5 villages from the water
We started early to avoid the hike in the strongest midday heat. When we arrived in Vernazza, we were immediately impressed by the many colors of the houses. It was still relatively quiet at this time, so we had the village almost to ourselves 😊
After a leisurely stroll through Vernazza and an espresso to perk up, we climbed the lookout point before we started the hike to Monterosso.
In the meantime it was shortly before noon and we should be on our way as quickly as possible. After all, we had planned about 2 hours including photo stops for the hike to Monterosso.
The trail ran along the coast with a constant view of the sea – absolutely gorgeous 😍 At first we were completely alone, but towards the end of the route (shortly before Monterosso) some late risers came towards us and we got a feeling for what it must have been like in the high season before the pandemic. Well … this trail is the best known and most visited of the Cinque Terre.
When we arrived at Monterosso, we only wanted one thing … to cool off in the cool water. After all, we had our reward in front of our eyes the whole time 😉
Afterwards we treated ourselves to a delicious lunch and explored the village of Monterosso.
beach in Monterosso – in the background you can see the expiring trail
After another swim stop, our sunset boat tour was on the program. We had planned a small group tour, but had no idea that the tour would be a completely private tour due to the few bookings caused by the Covid situation 😮😊
We took off in Monterosso, slowly sailed past all the villages of the Cinque Terre and received a lot of background information from our guide. We were served Prosecco & Focaccia 😋
While our captain was putting fresh fish and prawns on the grill, we still had enough time to swim. At sunset we headed back towards Monterosso and enjoyed the end of a wonderful day 😍😍😍
Monterosso
Vernazza
Corniglia
Manarola
Riomaggiore
Take a look at our YouTube video about Cinque Terre 😍
Our personal opinion about Cinque Terre:
- one of the most beautiful regions in Italy
- romantic colorful villages
- fantastic hiking trails
On the following pages you can get a very good overview of the Cinque Terre:
https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/
https://www.incinqueterre.com/de/
Best travel time:
For hiking tourists, the trails in Cinque Terre are open from April to September. However, please be aware that July and August will be very hot. Beach holidays are recommended from June to September.
Hotel recommendation:
Hotel Firenze e Continentale – La Spezia
We stayed outside the national park (La Spezia), but we caught a brief glimpse of the Hotel Porto Roca in Monterosso, an absolutely great location 😍 maybe next time 😉
Restaurant recommendation:
Ristorante L’Ancora della Tortuga in Monterosso
More tips & recommendations:
GETTING THERE: The Cinque Terre villages are car-free. Parking spaces can be found in Levanto and Monterosso, but we would not necessarily recommend this. These parking lots fill up quickly and the road conditions are a disaster. In our opinion, the best option is to park the car in La Spezia (or stay the night there) and take the train to the national park. The train runs between the villages every few minutes and is the most convenient way (apart from hiking) to explore the villages. Ferries also operate from La Spezia, and boat tours from La Spezia are also offered.
The “Azzurro” hiking trail is the easiest hiking trail, and at the same time the best known and most visited in the Cinque Terre. It is divided into 4 parts that connect all five villages of the Cinque Terre. Total length: 12 km. Access to the hiking trail is chargeable, but free for Cinque Terre Card holders.
You can find more information about the hiking routes here:
https://www.incinqueterre.com/en/trails-advice
The Cinque Terre Card includes the fee to use the “Azzurro” hiking trail and unlimited train rides in the Cinque Terre region. A day ticket (Cinque Terre Rail) currently (as of 2021) costs 16 euros for an adult. If you want to hike this trail and use the train to get around, the Cinque Terre Card pays off.
The Cinque Terre Card can be bought online:
https://card.parconazionale5terre.it/en
A beautiful end to the day is a sunset boat tour. We can totally recommend this small group tour:
