24 responses

  1. Italy
    July 10, 2024

    This guide is fantastic! Your tips and beautiful photos make me want to pack my bags and head to Cinque Terre right now. 😍 The hiking trails sound amazing—did you find one that was a must-do? Also, how was the food? Any recommendations for can’t-miss local dishes? Thanks for sharing such a comprehensive and inspiring guide! 🌟

    Reply

    • snaphappytravel
      July 10, 2024

      Thanks for your comment, I love the Via del’Amore hike between Riomaggiore and Manarola – it reopens in just over a week, I believe. It’s easy and the views are beautiful. As for food, any of the sea food dishes at Billy’s Restaurant in Manarola are amazing. Especially the 12-course seafood mini dishes.

      Reply

  2. Chirasree Banerjee
    November 16, 2018

    Wow, what a place to get married! Congratulations. And I so miss Italy.. have been there twice but the memories linger so vividly.

    Reply

  3. Zoe
    November 16, 2018

    After seeing this beautiful place become very insta famous, it has put me off visiting. Over tourism is the worst. Though i would still keep it in mind if I was ever near the location and during an off season or at a less busier time.

    Reply

  4. Megan
    November 16, 2018

    Some really great advice and awareness raising here. I hope the influx of airbnb doesn’t displace locals. My parents went to Cinque Terre a few years ago and did a walking tour between the villages. They said the real beauty was walking up into the hills above the towns, apparently you leave all the crowds behind, they said they only saw a few other locals up there.

    Also congrats on the wedding plans there! That will be incredible!

    Reply

  5. Aireona
    November 16, 2018

    Great post! I think it is always good to remember that there are two-sides to tourism anywhere. Guidebooks are meant to sell a place to you, and bloggers often do the same. But tourism is an industry like any other and it can have unpredictable impacts.

    Reply

  6. April
    November 15, 2018

    Thank you for such an insightful post. With mass tourism in full force, its sad to hear how locals in a popular spot feel run over or are not seeing any profit from the tourists. That’s why traveling responsibly is so important. Help support the locals. I would love to visit Cinque Terre and I couldn’t imagine breezing through in a day.

    Reply

  7. Lauren
    November 15, 2018

    I love posts like this… and I love studying places like this, too. This side of Cinque Terre reminds me a bit of the current overtourism crisis in Thailand, though it looks like they’ve been trying hard to deal with it. My parents were in Cinque Terre last year and I’m sure they paid an arm and a leg to stay over. That said, it really is stunning isn’t it!?

    Reply

  8. Rajlakshmi
    November 15, 2018

    Unchecked Tourism is indeed becoming a problem, specially for smaller and quieter villages. Without enough resources sometimes they fail to maintain their beauty… As it is currently happening with Leh and Ladakh. Hopefully Cinque Terre will continue to remain as beautiful as ever.

    Reply

  9. Rajlakshmi
    November 15, 2018

    Unchecked Tourism is indeed becoming a problem, specially for smaller and quieter villages. Without enough resources sometimes they fail to maintain their beauty… As it is currently happening with Leh and Ladakh. Hopefully Cinque Terre will continue to remain as beautiful as ever. Congratulations on your wedding. 😊

    Reply

  10. Carly
    November 15, 2018

    Thank you for your honest take on Cinque Terre. I’ve never heard of a town limiting the number of daily tourists, but it’s a really interesting concept. People are always looking to take a photo of the most Instagrammable sights… then leave without truly experiencing anything. I hope more people start traveling mindfully and taking time to get to know a new location!

    Reply

  11. sam
    November 15, 2018

    It’s a shame when this happens to places, like Venice also. I like you’re idea about staying longer and giving something back to the locals. 🙂

    Reply

  12. Fiona Harper
    November 15, 2018

    Cinque Terre is definitely somewhere I want to visit – thanks for the info!

    Reply

  13. Shivani Sharma
    August 11, 2018

    You’ve put down an extremely important point. All we see from Cinque Terre from Manarola, but never the close-up pictures. Hopefully your post will create more awareness and tourists start promoting local businesses there. Thanks for sharing this!

    Reply

  14. Eve
    August 10, 2018

    Some good points here and food for thought. Unfortunately many places like Chinque Terrs have the same problems. However, it still stays on my list and I hope I’ll have the chance to go there and see it soon.

    Reply

  15. nicky herbert
    August 10, 2018

    i think thats such a valid point, no matter where you are travelling – dont just do the day trip. Staying overnight and immersing yourself in the ‘after dark’ culture of a place is far more inspiring that spending hours on a coach. Have a wonderful wedding!!

    Reply

  16. NieNie
    August 10, 2018

    I loved Italy, but I totally understand where you are coming from. Sometimes we just want things to be left as little gems and hidden secrets, but in this day and age, nothing can be held a secret. It’s unfortunate, but there are people like you can bring awareness to this. I think it’s important to keep these gems clean though so that they can stay beautiful. Great post, lovely photos.

    Reply

  17. Or
    August 10, 2018

    When I repeatedly see a photo on Instagram, I already assume that the place suffers from over-tourism and that people only take the picture and move on. Thank you for the tips, Cinque Terre looks dreamy, and I want to enjoy it, not just show people some pictures.

    Reply

  18. noemi
    August 10, 2018

    I of course had my eye on Cinque Terre for a long time and I’m definitely not planning to be a day tripper. I think I’ll require more than a day there. It sounds like my kind of place, scenic beauty and not much nightlife. I’ll make sure I have a great balcony for when I stay there so I can have my wine in the evening when the bar’s closed. Lol.

    Reply

  19. Sanne
    August 10, 2018

    I visited Cinque Terre in June and I agree that the individual towns are very very crowded. However, the hiking trails weren’t very busy (and no tour groups, only individual travellers).

    Reply

  20. Ricarda Christina Hollweg
    August 9, 2018

    Happy to have found your blog post. My husband and me will visit Cinque Terre in late August for the first time and I’m really excited to see it. You must really love it if you chose it as your wedding destination. By the way: I married in Italy, too (Tuscany).

    Reply

  21. Amy Fujimoto
    August 9, 2018

    Your wedding must have been lovely! It seems like such a magical place to get married at. Definitely booking early since they run out of rooms so fast.

    Reply

  22. Henry Collins
    August 4, 2018

    Well we will have to start talking about “tourist pollution” as I call it. Many tour guides should be considerate about the amount of tourist they bring in to the city. From what I can read, Cinque Terre is a small, peaceful place. It more for visiting calmly, maybe grabbing lunch or a cup of coffee while enjoying the view. Some of the tourist come rushing in, flooding the streets just to take a selfie, I mean those people aren’t really enjoying anything, they are not even travelling they are just passing by, making noise and taking the beauty of the place away. I am not saying they should take tourism away, but they need to find a way to balance it.

    Reply

  23. Emily
    July 28, 2018

    So sad to hear there’s a ‘dark side’ to tourism in a place as beautiful as this. That’s great though that you still love it enough to get married there! What a special day that will be. All the best for your wedding!

    Reply

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