ABOUT CINQUE TERRE
Everybody has seen this picturesque little villages at least once, whether it is online or in real life. If you haven’t seen at least one of five lands (translation of Cinque Terre) in real life, we highly recommend it. Do we really need to explain why?
WHICH VILLAGES ARE THERE IN CINQUE TERRE?
Riomaggiore
Manarola
Corniglia
Vernazza
Monterosso Al Mare
The best way to enter Cinque Terre is by train from La Spezia. A one way train ticket will set you back €5,-. From here on you can either stop in all of the villages, or you choose to hike to every village. The hike is pretty doable ( about 45 min to 1,5 hours between every village) but can be kind of hot in the summer, so make sure to pack a lot of water.
Note: Cars are prohibited in Cinque Terre!
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore is the first stop when accessing Cinque Terre by train from La Spezia. It has these small typical Italian streets with colored houses on the left and on the right. There is a little harbor where you can sit and a lot of places to drink some wine or eat (sea)food. There are multiple activities in Riomaggiore, such as visiting some churches or take a boat ride and dive in the marine life rich sea. A great first stop when exploring Cinque Terre!
Best place to wine & dine: Osteria La Torpedine
Riomaggiore
Manarola
Manarola, the second village, can be seen in the header photo. It is more quiet than Riomaggiore and has a different vibe to it. It is a more common place for lovers and for people who seek peace, rather than a place full of tourists. Art galleries can be found on Manarola, as well as fine restaurants, churches and all kinds of Italian specialty stores. Manarola really is a beacon of peace compared to the other villages. If you want a nice view from the top, prepare for steep walks!
Best place to wine & dine: Cappun Magru
Corniglia
Although the weather took a turn for the worse, Corniglia still looked beautiful. It stands out from the rest (literally) because it is sitting on a rock 100 meters above sea level, surrounded by vineyards. Corniglia is a great place to hike to since you'‘ll find yourself hiking inbetween the vineyards with a great view of the small village. There is also a beach between these villages, called the beach of Guvano. This was a beach where the hippies used to come a lot in the 70’s. Nowadays it is best accessible by boat. Corniglia is considered the agricultural village of Cinque Terre. You can explore the 18th-century square, Parish of San Pietro and the Oratory of Santa Caterina here. There are ofcourse a lot of places to drink wine or have some ice cream. There are also guesthouses in Corniglia.
Best place to wine and dine: KM0
Corniglia
Vernazza
Vernazza is considered the prettiest of all the Cinque Terre villages, which also makes it the busiest one in terms of tourists. Vernazza originally was a fishing village, plagued by pirates. That’s why they build the castle to protect the villagers from these pirates, as can be seen on the rop right in the picture. Nowadays, local fishermen still go out on the sea to catch some fresh fish every day, which is nice to watch from ashore.
Fun fact: Around Vernazza olive groves grow abundant which makes one of the finest olive oils of Italy!
Best place to wine & dine: Il Pirata delle 5 Terre
Vernazza
Monterosso Al Mare
Monterosso Al Mare is the last of the Cinque Terre and probably the least popular. This is probably due the fact that it is the furthest away and it isn’t as picturesque as the rest of Cinque Terre. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have to visit Monterosso Al Mare. It is a perfect place to end your day because of the beach! After a long day of being sun beamed and a lot of distance covered, who doesn’t want to end their day with a fresh dip in the Mediterranean Sea?
The village is also known for its lemons. There is a Lemon Festival in May, where literally everything is lemon themed. We didn’t attend this but we did hear great stories about it.
Best place to wine & dine: EMY'S WAY Ristorantino Frizzeria
Monterosso Al Mare
Our rankings:
Riomaggiore - best for: strolling around
Manarola - best for: tranquility
Corniglia - best for: terracing
Vernazza - best for: food
Monterosso Al Mare - best for: swimming
Hi, we are Bren and Tess! We travel to the most beautiful places in the world, and with our video's, we hope you feel inspired to do the same.
