If you’re travelling to Italy, Cinque Terre is a place not to be missed. With a collection of five coastal villages along the Italian Riviera, village hopping to each of the picturesque villages is definitley an unforgettable experience.
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*Remember to get your ticket validated before you go on the train!*
Depending on where you’re traveling from, you might have to travel to La Spezia and take a connecting train to the villages. Luckily I travelled there from Pisa, where there are a good amount of direct connections! A single way train ticket from Pisa is aprrox. 8 euros.
The villages of Cinque Terre in order of closeness to Pisa are:
Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso
Something I would recommend is taking a train to the last (and also biggest) village – Monterosso, and working your way to Riomaggiore, where you can take a train back to Pisa, or elsewhere.
One thing to keep in mind is that since Cinque Terre is considered a national park, cars are restricted from most parts of the villages!
You can buy the train ticket for the villages at these travel offices as well, and they start at 4 euros, which gives you a basic single journey in one direction to each of the villages. You can also get a Cinque Terre card that allows access to unlimited train travel and all the hiking trails which starts at 12 euros for a one day pass.
Additionally you can also travel to each village by boat! There are ferry boats that take you to every village except Corniglia.
Manarola is the smallest village but I think has the best view. When you search up photos of the Cinque Terre, the images of the houses on the hill are all taken there! There’s also lots of boats and swimming areas.
Coniglia is the hardest to get to since when you arrive, you have to walk up the 365 steps to actually get to the village centre! It feels quieter than the other villages but it’s worth the trek!
Vernazza has an amazing waterfront piazza and a harbour with a beach. There’s lots of tiny streets that lead to a main street and supposedly has the best night scene!
Monterosso is the largest village and has an old and new part of town, a sandy beach and a long seaside promenade. It has a resort like feel and has lots of beach-side restaurants and cafes.
A good pair of shoes are also a must for hiking since some of these trails take 2-3 hours and range in levels of difficulty.
It’s important to book early especially in the summer, since places fill up really fast!
Hope you guys find this mini guide helpful!