I think the images of the five colourful little towns of Cinque Terre is one of the most well-known in all of Italy. The pillbox houses built into the cliffs along the Liguria coastline evoke daydreams of idyllic small town wanderings.
I spent three nights based 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
On our final day, we rode the train from Riomaggiore to Monterosso which takes about 15 minutes and costs €8 per person, each way.
However, on our second day, we tackled the Cinque Terre hiking trail. Right off the bat, let me tell you, this is not an easy hike. In fact, many people opt to do it in a few sections - I would recommend doing it across two days and doing Riomaggiore to Corniglia, then Corniglia to Monterosso another day. Doing the entire stretch in one day, including time to stop and explore the cute little towns, is tiring and time-consuming... but SO rewarding and worth it once you complete it!
It was seriously gorgeous. Every turn of the trail was so beautiful, either with perfect views overlooking the towns, or coming across sweet little orange, yellow and red toned buildings as we wandered through the five, or panoramic viewpoints looking out to the bright blue ocean. I can highly recommend the Cinque Terre hike, but please do be properly prepared with good hiking shoes, plenty of water and plenty of time. There are many, many stairs on this hike and it might not be enjoyable for those of you with bad knees and joints.
Access to the sections between Corniglia to Vernazza to Monterosso require payment. You can either purchase a Cinque Terre card in advance at the info centres in each town, which also includes train access, or you can simply give cash on the trail when you get to that section.
CINQUE TERRE HIKE DETAILS
When: open year-round, but sections may close after rain for safety, so watch the weather forecast
Where: Cinque Terre; you can hike all five towns starting in either Riomaggiore (as we did) or Monterosso, or you can choose to just hike between a few towns
Difficulty: difficult, some sections easier than others
Length: the official trail is apparently approximately 15km, but once we had added on the extra bits wandering in and out of towns, shopping, dining and exploring, we ended up with 22km on my Strava, with an elevation gain of over 1200m between Riomaggiore and Monterosso. All that in 27ºC with hardly any shade? Yeah, tough!
Directions: we were staying in Riomaggiore and chose to hike from there northwards ending in Monterosso. This meant that we could get the steepest elevation gain out of the way in the cooler morning. The hardest section was between Riomaggiore and Corniglia. The Cinque Terre trail is a very popular one, so it is well sign-posted and you basically just need to follow the signs. It's also fully marked out on Google Maps. Plus, check out my exact route on Strava!
Bathrooms: yes, in all the towns at restaurants (usually need to buy something) and train stations (usually a €1 fee)
Public Transit: yes, the train runs between every town usually every 15 minutes, so you can start and end your hike in Cinque Terre from any of the five towns
Section 1: Riomaggiore to Manarola (Via Beccara)
We stopped in Manarola for our first gelato at Bar La Plancia right on the water. The best viewpoint in Manarola is the little walkway out into the ocean beyond town at the Overlook Viewpoint; you'll need to backtrack to get back onto the trail to Corniglia.
Note - you can also do a much easier hike around the coast instead of over the mountain. This path is called Via dell'Amore, and costs €10 to access. The mountain hike using Via Beccara is strenuous but free.
Riomaggiore
Marika on the trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola
First sight of Manarola from Via Beccara
Manarola
Bar La Plancia
Section 2: Manarola to Corniglia
We left little Manarola behind for Corniglia, the mid-point of the Cinque Terre. The best viewpoint of Corniglia is as you arrive down the trail. We stopped here for the best lunch at Caffè Matteo - gluten free pesto pizza and the creamiest, yummiest cannelloni - served by the nicest, sassiest lady ever; we hugged her after lunch. Highly recommend.
Last view of Manarola
First view of Corniglia
Section 3: Corniglia to Vernazza
We left Corniglia, refuelled by our lunch, and headed toward Vernazza, the most touristy of the five towns (in our opinion). It's super busy but so pretty, especially down at the harbour where you'll find plenty of people in the ocean or sitting waterside with a gelato in hand (us included). The 22km meant we definitely deserved our second gelato of the day, which we enjoyed from Gelateria Il Porticciolo.
Caffè Matteo
Back on the trail
Looking back at Corniglia
A juice bar on the trail
Gelateria Il Porticciolo
Section 4: Vernazza to Monterosso
About fifteen minutes after leaving Vernazza you'll come across the most famous view of Cinque Terre, looking directly down into the harbour of Vernazza. A little outcrop next to the path provides the perfect photo spot. Then, you've got another hour and a half up and across to Monterosso, which - in our opinion - was the perfect town to end in, since it's the only town of the five with a proper beach, so you can jump in the ocean after your hike.
The sun beds on the beach are quite pricey, but there are a few free beaches tucked between the chairs. We ended up enjoying it so much we came back the next day for a post-hike beach day.
From Monterosso, we then took the little 15-minute, €8 train back home to Riomaggiore. Remember to validate your train ticket before you board!
The iconic view leaving Vernazza
First view of Monterosso
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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.
