Cinque Terre, Italy

Travel Dates: December 2024

TLDR: Cinque Terre is comprised of 5 coastal towns:

• Monterosso al Mare is the only one with sandy beaches
• Vernazza is a small village, making it easy to explore
• Corniglia is the only town not directly on the water, thus least visited by tourists
• Manarola is known for its nativity scene
• Riomaggiore is a town with very steep terrain

If you are looking for a beach town, Monterosso is for you. My favorite towns were Manarola and Riomaggiore for their beautiful views. Visiting these two were similar to Vernazza, but weren’t as crowded.

Monterosso al Mare

Enjoy the stretch of sandy beaches here, as it’s the only one in Cinque Terre. Other quick points of interest here include Scoglio di Monterosso, Statua del Gigante, and the hiking trail towards Vernazza (we only did a few minutes of it rather than the full 2 hours).

In the winter, there are a good amount of stores open–grocery stores, pharmacy, restaurants, and shops. Parking is relatively easy with a few parking lots in the town. We parked at Parcheggio Loreto Terrazza because it was closer to La Spezia. For 5 hours 30 minutes, we paid €12 and you pay before you drive out (follow signs for the pay station). It’s crucial to note that this parking garage has a low clearance and will not fit tall vehicles.

Vernazza

Vernazza is known for its idyllic view of colorful houses from the marina, but the views from the Sentiero Monterosso – Vernazza and Sentiero Azzuro hikes right outside of the town are also spectacular.

To reach the Sentiero Monterosso – Vernazza viewpoint, follow the staircase located to the right of Taverna del Capitano. Ascend the stairs, and after a short distance, you’ll encounter a small shed—this takes about 5 minutes to reach. In winter, all hiking trails in Cinque Terre are free to access. However, during the summer, this is where they will either collect a fee or verify that you have already paid for trail access.

For the Sentiero Azzuro viewpoint, it’s a 5 minute walk from behind the train station. Just use “Ristorante La Torre” in Google Maps as the destination, and follow the path to get a picturesque overlook of Vernazza.

Vernazza had a decent number of shops and restaurants open during the winter, which was great for the large groups of tourists we encountered. We enjoyed a small fried seafood platter from La Bottega del Fritto and grabbed drinks at Burgus, a small bar with outdoor seating that also offers drinks to go.

Parking in Vernazza is a 20 minute walk from the town, so we opted to take a train from Monterosso. Additional information about taking the train can be found at the end of the blog.

Corniglia

We didn’t spend much time in Corniglia because it’s a very small town and there didn’t seem to be too much to see. It’s the only town that isn’t situated right by the water so its main point of interest is the staircase from the train station that leads up to the town. We drove and parked on the street 10 minutes walking distance from the stairs (blue lines on the street are public parking while yellow lines are for residents). The staircase didn’t seem too scenic so we didn’t take it down.

Manarola

We enjoyed Manarola’s stunning coastal views, with its colorful houses, as well as the renowned hilltop nativity scene light display during the Christmas season. The lights turn on at 5:30pm every evening and the best view is on Via A. Rollandi, right across from Olimpo Affittacamere hotel.

You can also walk on the hill (Trail 6p) where the lights are to get an impressive panorama of the town. We took the path that is in between Take-Away Pasta and AMAnarola hotel. We got to the top of the hill where the nativity scene ends in 27 minutes, but this included a detour to a “Manarola Panoramico” first. On the way up, you’ll see a sign that points left to a panoramic view, right to the church (“Chiesa”), and further up the hill to continue on Trail 6p to connect Corniglia. When heading back down to the town, we took the right at the sign post towards the church and that got us back in 5 minutes. The hike is very steep with uneven stone steps, so make sure you wear proper footwear and use hiking sticks if you have.

Manarola was relatively easy to park with street parking and a paid parking lot right before you enter the town. It takes less than 20 minutes to walk from the parking area to the waterfront. During the winter, there were a few restaurants and a souvenir shop open.

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore was the steepest town for us, with a lot of steps to navigate, but the effort is well worth it. From the harbor, take the path on the left; if you follow the curve around to the jetty, you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking views of the colorful houses. Continuing along the path will lead you to the pebbled beach, Spiaggia di Riomaggiore.

For another remarkable view of the bright-colored homes, head to Via Pecunia, right in front of the Fuori Rotta restaurant. And from there, you can walk uphill to Castello di Riomaggiore for even more panoramic views of the town.

To return to the main street level, Via Colombo, from Castello di Riomaggiore, head toward the San Giovanni Battista church. To the right of the church, you’ll find a staircase that goes behind private houses. Follow the path on the right, and it will lead you down to Via Colombo. The walk from the castle to the street takes about 5 minutes.

We parked at the cemetery, Cimitero di Riomaggiore, although it appeared that parking here is limited to 30 minutes. Just a few steps away, we took the Scalinata Costa del Fuso staircase down to the town center, which took about 10 minutes. The staircase cuts between private houses and is quite steep. On Google Maps, the final few stairs to the town are not shown. But the path goes down to Via Colombo next to Affittacamere Anna Michielini apartments and across from Bar Centrale.

During the winter, only one or two restaurants were open, along with a grocery store.

Other tips for visiting Cinque Terre

Parking in these towns was relatively easy for us because it was the winter. But during peak season, it can be difficult to find parking. So the best way to visit Cinque Terre is via train. It’s €2.40 per person one way (cheaper to buy in-person at the ticket machine at the train stations than online), and the train ride is only 3 minutes between each town. But in the winter, there is only one train per hour.

Make sure to validate your ticket before boarding the train. There’s a machine located either before the platform or next to the ticket machine. Simply insert your ticket into the slot, and it will be punched. Don’t forget to keep your ticket.

On average, we were able to visit ~2 towns in one day. In the summer, you may want to spend more time in each town to enjoy the water/beach or explore more of the hiking trails.