Why Cinque Terre is my Favourite Travel Destination (& Why You Should Visit)

We’ve been to hundreds of destinations over the past couple of years, and as I always say, every place has good and bad points, but luckily for you, some have way more good points than bad. And here, I’m going to let you in on some essential travel tips for one of my favorite places in the whole world -Cinque Terre, Italy. I love it so much I got married in the Cinque Terre in 2019!

Italy’s Cinque Terre is one of those places that has to be seen and believed. If you’ve not visited, I’m sure you’ve seen the photos plastered across the internet. Yep, the Cinque Terre is a series of villages with brightly colored houses on a rocky outcrop jutting into the sea.

We’ve been to the Cinque Terre three times now – the first time in 2014, then in June 2018, we went back to the area to plan our Wedding, and finally for our wedding in the Summer of 2019.

It’s So Pretty!

As I said, Cinque Terre is one of my top travel destinations EVER! And that’s saying a lot, considering some of the amazingly beautiful places we’ve seen on our travels.

Honestly, the five villages of the Cinque Terre are even prettier in real life than they look in the photos. Pastel-colored buildings stacked on top of one another, and in Manarola’s case on the edge of a cliff – this region is easily one of the most stunning in all of Italy. And not forgetting the sparkling blue ocean that laps up against the village’s rocky base.

There was a bit of nostalgia (is that even the right word?) for me with the Cinque Terre, you see, it had been the screensaver on my laptop and work computer for about 5 years and I could never figure out exactly where the picture was from. Eventually the boyfriend figured it out and Cinque Terre was added to our 6 week tour of Italy, even though it was a little out of the way.

What Village Should I Stay in the Cinque Terre?

Cinque Terre literally means “five villages,” and Italians often refer to it as the Italian Riviera. It’s made up of  Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

We stayed In Manarola, because that’s the village my screensaver was of and also because in my opinion, it’s the prettiest. There’s very limited accommodation options in Manarola so we ended up booking an apartment from a local lady it was beyond perfect for us, down a little cobbled alleyway with a balcony looking onto the village and ocean beyond.  

The best places to stay in the Cinque Terre

As for the other 4 villages in the Cinque Terre, there’s some great accommodation options in those too.

• In Monterosso – We highly recommend Hotel Villa Adriana (one of the largest hotels in the Cinque Terre, and it has an outdoor pool). It is located in the new town of Monterosso. If you’re traveling with kids, I highly recommend basing yourself in Monterosso.

• In Manarola – If you’re after a bit of luxury –  La Torretta is for you, it has stylish rooms all with sea views and a hot tub. 

• In Vernazza – Casetta de Vernazza is just 300 meters from Vernazza beach and has a terrace and garden. 

• In Riomaggiore – Allo Marina Affiticamere is in a historic building and was recently renovated, it is located right in the heart of Riomaggiore village. Hotel Due Gemelli is set on a hill overlooking Riomaggiore, it is 700 meters from the center of the village – the views are fantastic!

• In Corniglia – Affiticamere La Terraze has comfortable and homely rooms and is right in Corniglia village. Ostello Corniglia is an affordable hostel option that also has a bar, shared lounge and garden.

The Food in the Cinque Terre is Amazing!

As if Manarola couldn’t get any better, my favorite restaurant in the world is here. It’s called Trattoria dai Billy, or simply Billy’s to locals. The views, the food, and the owner are all superb! We stopped by our first night in Manarola, and they were completely booked out, but the owner, Billy, found us a seat inside.

If you don’t like seafood you might struggle a bit at Billy’s, although their pesto is yummy and actually originates from the region, their pasta is home-made. The fish is legit caught fresh that afternoon. It’s true, we saw the fishermen come straight from their boats to Billy with massive fish laid across their arms.

Cute story – Billy’s father was a famous fisherman in the area and started the restaurant as a side business; his wife was an excellent cook, you see, and now Billy, who spent most of his life as a fisherman, has taken over the business. He’s a bit of a legend, so if you go to this restaurant, make sure to chat with him!

Anyway, you can buy these massive fish and share them with your table, the waiters will de-bone the fish for you, or you can choose to do it yourself (no thanks). We got the 12-course seafood starter, it’s pretty much every fish dish on their menu, and it was heaven. Obviously, their dessert is heaven, too.

Another awesome restaurant in Manarola (this village has the best restaurants in my opinion!) is Nessun Dorma. This famous eater has possibly the best view from a restaurant you will find in the entire world. Nessun Dorma is perched high on a cliff overlooking the town of Manarola. Serving only antipasto platters and salads (no pizza or pasta here I’m afraid). Nessun Dorma is insanely popular, they don’t take bookings.

Getting Around the Cinque Terre is Surprisingly Easy!

As remote as it seems, there’s actually a train that goes to every village in the Cinque Terre. But beware, if you get off at Corniglia, it’s quite a walk to the village – up a very steep hill. Worth it, though, as Corniglia is much less touristy than the other villages. Our second favorite village was Vernazza, which is like a bigger Manarola. If you want a day at the beach, go to Monterosso al Mare.

You can buy a train day pass, which you can use as many times as you want in 24 hours, from €19.50.

The Hiking Trail Here is Out-Of-This-World!

There really is no better thing to do in the Cinque Terre than to hike the beautiful trail connecting all 5 villages. Some parts of the trail are very easy to hike, especially the paved section connecting  Riomaggiore to Manarola. While other sections of the trail are quite hilly – a moderate level of fitness is highly recommended. As you can guess, there are stunning coastal views everywhere you look.

I recommend spending a whole day walking (hiking more like) the Cinque Terre coastal trail, the views are insane but bring appropriate footwear – I had flip-flops and a bikini top while everyone else had hiking boots and those special hiking sticks 🙂 Oh well! Bring a good camera too because you will be stopping every 5 minutes.

We recommend starting the trail early in the morning during the Summer months, as it can get crowded after 10 am. You will also be thankful to avoid the afternoon heat if you start early. If you want to start very early, i.e., 7 am, then you will need to buy the Cinque Terre hiking card the day before as the ticket booths typically don’t open until 9 am.

You will need to buy a Cinque Terre hiking card to do this hike, this costs €7.50 per adult. Or you can buy the hiking and train card it costs €16 per adult. This means all your train travel for the day will be covered with this card. Which is very helpful, if you decide you’ve had enough of hiking half-way and want to hop on a train to the remainder if the villages.

One of the Best Ways to See the Cinque Terre is From the Water!

Want to see the gorgeous Cinque Terre from the water then why not hire a boat for the day. Taking a group boat tour on one of the ‘gozzo’ or small fishing boats of the Cinque Terre is an experience not to be missed. Catch some fish Cinque Terre style. Or just sip some beers or champagne on board while admiring the stunning scenery. Your tour will typically take you to secluded beaches and sea caves.

A shared trip costs approximately €60 per person and is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. This price includes drinks on board too. This is one of the most popular boat tour options and includes stops at Riomaggiore and Monterosso.

Alternatively, enjoy a sunset cruise and dinner on board a private boat and enjoy the best of Cinque Terre by sea.

How Easy is It to Get to the Cinque Terre?

We got the train from Florence to La Spezia (the nearest major town) and then a regional train to Manarola. If you want to fly there, the nearest airport is Genoa.

But I recommend flying to Florence, it’s one of my favorite cities, and getting the train to Manarola the way I did. The trains in Italy are very clean and super-efficient. But REMEMBER to validate your ticket before getting on board, even if you only bought the ticket a few minutes before, you have to validate your ticket at a little box-thing on the platform. You’ll understand if you’ve ever been on a train in Italy. We learned the hard way (with a fine).

Pros and Cons For the Cinque Terre

Pros:

• Insanely beautiful
• Relatively easy to get to
• Friendly locals
• Yummy food

Cons:

• You will never want to leave
• Don’t go during school holidays as it can get really busy
• More expensive than other parts of Italy

Thanks for reading!

I’ve also written lots more blog posts on the Cinque Terre, including how to get to the Cinque Terre and our unique guide to the Cinque Terre!

Last Updated on May 17, 2024 by snaphappytravel