A Complete Guide to Cinque Terre, Italy

Cinque Terre, the five towns with the colourful pillbox houses built into the coastline of western Italy, is probably one of the most famous destinations in the country. The Ligurian coastline is seriously idyllic.

After having been Instagram friends since she DM'd me nine years ago in September 2015, I met Marika in real life for the very first time when she suggested we meet up for a few days of exploring in Cinque Terre this year. In fact, that suggestion was the reason I ended up spending six weeks backpacking around Italy altogether!

Together, we spent three nights in Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the five towns of Cinque Terre. The five towns are connected by a hop-on-off train and by the famous footpath that starts in Riomaggiore in the south, or Monterosso in the north, and winds its way along the coast via all five towns.

The five towns are:

Riomaggiore
Manarola
Corniglia
Vernazza
Monterosso

Here is my complete guide to everything to see, do and eat in Cinque Terre, as tried and tested by Marika and me!

How to Get to Cinque Terre

By flight: The closest airport to Cinque Terre is up the coast in Genoa. From there, you can take a train down.

By train: The easiest and most common way to reach the Cinque Terre is by train. A train connects all five towns to each other, winding through the tunnels of the hills between Cinque Terre. The train starts in nearby La Spezia and stops along the way to Levanto and also onwards to Genoa. The train was running every 15 minutes at the time of writing and a one-way single use ticket cost €8.

By car: It is possible to visit by car, but honestly the roads are tiny and it's a bit of a challenge. Instead, I recommend parking in La Spezia and using the train to get around, instead.

Then, in each village, go by foot! They're so small and cute that on foot is the only way to go.

Where to Stay in Cinque Terre

Doing the Cinque Terre Hike

Mini Guides to the 5 Towns

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Jana Meerman

Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.

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A Complete Guide to Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore

Manarola

Corniglia

Vernazza

Monterosso

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