Cinque Terre will go down as one of the most colorful cities I’ve yet to visit. It is a beautiful rainbow of colors stretching across the lovely Italian coastline. What’s not to love?
In 1999 this place was given National Park status, and it the smallest and most population dense national park in the country. The term “terre” translates to “lands” in Italian, making this place “Five Lands.” Each little coastal town has its own name:
- Monterosso (northernmost)
- Vernazza
- Corniglia
- Manarola
- Riomaggiore (southernmost)
How to get around
To get there, you will have to hop on a train or bus, or drive to the local train station. If you want those logistics taken care of by someone else, take a full day trip from Florence (aka Firenze) with a private tour company. Driving a car in these towns is not permitted for tourists, but all five towns are connected by a train. It is a short ride (less than 5 minutes) from each town to the next, or there is a walking path that connects them all to each other which is estimated to take about six hours total. As this area is considered to be a national park, you will be required to pay the entrance fee to access the walking trails.
Here is a link to the fee page of the Cinque Terre National Park website.
Money
Italy uses the Euro (€).
These towns are likely going to cost you a pretty penny if you want to stay in a hotel for a relaxing vacation since a lot of them are going to have lovely ocean views. You get what you pay for, and this really is a nice place to relax. However, many tourists choose to just spend the day here (like we did). The train does make it possible to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time.
An unlimited, single day rail pass around the national park is going to cost you 16€. Getting there from Florence by train is going to cost you about the same, or just a bit more depending which station you’re departing from.
When to visit
The summer/spring and summer/fall cusps are going to be the best time of year to visit this place. It’s the kind of place to relax and spend some time in or near the water at the beach. With that said, it is going to be pretty packed no matter what when the sun is shining and it’s hot out!
To really experience all five of the towns, you will have to spend more than one day here. While it is possible to see them all in one, you would not be spending much time in each of them, although some are more popular than others. If you were going to just do one day, it was recommended to me to prioritize Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Vernazza. Otherwise give yourself two or three days for all of them, depending on how much time you’d like to spend relaxing by the water or drinking espresso on your balcony while gazing into the deep blue sea.
What to eat
This is one of the best places in the country for seafood because you’re so close to the source! Otherwise, anything else Italian will do. Read the restaurant reviews, a lot of these restaurants are tourist traps and will suck you in due to their amazing location, but some little holes in the wall might offer you something a little tastier.
What to do
This is the place for relaxing, eating, enjoying the water, and soaking in the views in a heavily populated area. Think–Amalfi Coast plus way too many people. With that said, this place is probably slightly more affordable and accessible than Amalfi Coast.
Each town has it’s own appeal due to the layout of the city. Wander the streets, find the hidden gems in the alleys, and climb up the stairs where you can reach higher areas with a view of the shoreline below. It is so colorful and your face will be the heart-eyed emoji as you explore all of the art around you. You could get lost here, literally and figuratively. In some parts, it’s almost maze-like. Make sure you know how to get back to the nearest train station before it closes!
Because the cities are connected by a walking path in addition to the train, there are a lot of easy walks and hikes you can do, and a few others that may be a bit more difficult off path. Jumping from the rocks into the water and swimming in the ocean is a popular activity, especially in Manarola. Private boat cruises are very popular, especially ones that include champagne and a sunset. Like most other major tourist destinations in Italy, cooking classes and wine tasting are also very common activities.
There is also a museum relating to the national park in Riomaggiore, which is said to be the most popular of the cities.
Have you been to Cinque Terre? What else should tourists know about these colorful towns? Leave your tips in the comments below!
Happy traveling! 😊
Laura the explora: the blog 
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