Secrets of the Cinque Terre Italy

The Cinque Terre is one of the most famous and most beautiful coasts in all of Italy. Over the years Maria and I have discovered many of its secrets. On this page we share those secrets.

”Join us in discovering the Cinque Terre, Italy at its most seductive!”

Base yourself in Levanto which is a vibrant, charming little place and catch the train that runs to the Cinque Terre. It only takes 5 minutes and costs around 1.50 Euros to visit all the Cinque Terre towns.

Try to stay at the Oasi Hotel if you can get in. The prices, both for hotels and restaurants, are much better in Levanto than the rest of the Cinque Terre. In Levanto you get friendlier service, better quality and pay far less.

Prefer accommodation in the Cinque Terre itself? Not much to choose from, most is horrible and horribly over-priced. The best option is L’ancora in Riomaggiore.

Try to plan your visit for May, June or September to avoid the crowds.

In July and August the charming atmosphere of these delightful hill towns is completely overshadowed by the swarming tourist masses. This is much the case for not only the CinqueTerre, Italy anywhere is invariably lovelier outside of July and August

Cinque Terre Italy Weather (click for our detailed weather guide)

This part of the Ligurian coast is blessed with a very mild climate and the coast’s winter temperatures average around nine degrees celsius. In fact visiting the Cinque Terre during winter is not a bad idea at all.

Hardly any tourists visit the Cinque Terre during winter and you really get to experience the atmosphere of the towns.

Take the time to wonder the twisting lanes and join in the gossip in the piazzas, even if you don’t understand much the passion for life of the local folk is very catching.

Our family has even spent Christmas in the Cinque Terre and enjoyed it immensely - although everything is completely different to summer it is still a wonderful and unforgettable experience.

Summers are hot and dry but not humid and most days sea breezes cool things down a little.

Cinque Terre Beaches



The Cinque Terre beaches are mostly stony affairs, Monterosso has the best beach but it is nothing much and very expensive. Rather spend time on Northern Italy’s most famous surf beach in nearby Levanto. For more on the best beaches in Liguria click here.

Nearly all the towns of the Cinque Terre have a few buildings of historical importance. The most significant of these are:

1) Church of San Giovanni Battista in Monterosso and a church of the same name in Riomaggiore.

2) The remains of the sixteenth century castle that dominates Vernazza.

3) Church of Saint Margaret of Antioch in Vernazza dating back back to the thirteenth century.

4) The fourteenth century church of Saint Pietro in Corniglia.

5) Manarola’s fourteenth century church of San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence).

If you are up to it the walks between the towns are spectacular. Most famous is the Via dell’Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola, this is an easy thirty minute walk along a paved path.

The Via dell'Amore is the place to go for a romantic time in Italy. Maria and I always feel like we are on honeymoon again as we stroll along.

Watch the sunset from here and before you know it you'll be singing each other Italian love songs.

Famous and romantic the Via dell’Amore may be but the walks between the other towns are at least as lovely if not better, they are though more strenuous.

If you have walked between all the towns and still have energy to burn then climb the hills behind the towns.

The climb up to the ruins of the sixteenth century tower behind Corniglia is one of the best hill climbs and is very good exercise. If you make it the views are spectacular.

Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso has the best Cinque Terre beach but it's a crowded place and you would be much better off on the beach of nearby Levanto. For the rest Monterosso is the biggest of the Cinque Terre towns and although a lovely place it's overshadowed by the other four towns.

Angelo and Paula’s "Cinque Terre Italy Boat Tours" that leave from Monterosso beach are a great way to see the coast but are fairly expensive. If you would like to do this please contact me here for Paula’s details.

Vernazza

A lot of people consider this to be the best Cinque Terre village and it's a wonderful little place indeed. In my view it is the second best town after Manarola but really there is not much to choose between them. The old fort, colorful jumbled houses and the little harbor are particular highlights.

Corniglia



A little away from the coast, and traditionally more focused on farming (olives and vineyards) than fishing and because of this Corniglia is a little different in atmosphere and architecture to the other towns of the Cinque Terre.

Manarola

I really love Manarola immensely, the multi-hued houses tumble down to the little fishermans cove, many seemingly ready to roll off down into the turquoise sea below. Framing it all are the terraced hillsides full of olive groves and vineyards.

After Corniglia this is the second smallest town yet in my view it is the loveliest.

Riomaggiore

Most western of the towns Riomaggiore is as unforgettable as the rest of the Cinque Terre.

The vineyards around town produce a white wine called Cinque Terre and more famously a Passito wine called Sciacchetrà.

Unfortunately over the last twenty years many have abandoned the vineyards, attracted by the lure of easy money from tourism. Many vineyards around Riomaggiore and the other towns of the Cinque Terre are now in a sad state of neglect so make sure you get to try a few bottles before these varieties disappear!

If you would like to base yourself in Riomaggiore then the L’Ancora is reasonably priced by Cinque Terre standards and offers decent clean accommodation.

How Long to Spend in the Cinque Terre Italy?



Most visitors will not only visit the Cinque Terre, Italy has hundreds of other great places to visit. Don’t make the mistake though of visiting for too shorter time, a day really is not enough.

Personally I would suggest a minimum of two days but three days if you have the time, perhaps one day spent running up and down the Cinque Terre on the train from Levanto, followed by a day walking between the towns and then the last day at leisure or enjoying a boat trip from Monterosso.

Need a map of the Cinque Terre Italy and Levanto? Well here is our personalised Cinque Terre Map!

Want to explore the other towns and beaches of Liguria? View our guide here.

Have You Been to the Cinque Terre?

If you have visited the Cinque Terre? I would love to hear all about it!

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

New! Comments