By Gillian Boyd Published 15 July 2026
Cinque Terre - Learn From Our Mistakes
Learn from our mistakes visiting Cinque Terre – 5 stunningly colourful UNESCO villages on the Italian coast – best accessed by train or hiking.
Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 stunning old colourful hillside villages on the north west rugged coast of the Italian Riviera. They are so beautiful they are UNESCO-listed.
Train or Hike
All are accessible by train or you can hike between them with trails open all year. You can even take the boat.
Whilst driving is possible, parking is extremely limited due to the mountainous landscape, so if you want to take the car, park in Monterosso and take the train between the 5 villages. You may also chance your luck at parking in La Spezia and take the train to the 5 villages, but parking can fill up early here in high season.
Cinque Terre is a popular destination to stay for a short break or for day trippers from Florence and the cruise ships.
It’s possible to visit all 5 villages briefly in one day, if you start early and take the trains or only hike between a couple of villages. Hiking affords the best views, so if you are able then stay longer. You’ll also maximise your chance of seeing it at its best in the sun.
Order of Villages
Starting in the north, the 5 villages in order are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggoriore. Each has its own distinct character and style.
Monterosso al Mare and coastal hiking trail of Cinque Terre
How Much Time to Spend in Cinque Terre
We went to Cinque Terre as a day trip on the train from Lucca. It was a great day but was exhausting and felt too rushed. We saw the beaches but had no time to enjoy them and we only did one hike. It also seemed that the villages were at their best in the evenings, after the day trippers and cruise passengers had left.
My recommendation would be to spend a minimum of 2 days/1 night. Although I have since met people who spent 5 days there, stayed in a couple of different spots and enjoyed the hiking and beaches at a more leisurely pace. It really depends how much time you have available.
Getting There
We took the 09:36 train from Lucca to Viareggio and had unreserved seating. Then changed trains for 10:08 Viareggio to La Spezia and had reserved seats in different carriages. Travelling in June, we had been warned it would be very busy and had booked a few days in advance but couldn’t get seats together.
Getting Around with a Cinque Terre Pass
The Cinque Terre Pass can be bought online from the Cinque Terre National Park website, or from Trenitalia website, or in person from any of the local train stations.
The pass permits unlimited train travel between the villages on the Levanto-Cinque Terre-La Spezia Line for a set time period.
There is also a Cinque Terre Trekking Card for access to the paid hiking trails, park buses and toilets.
We bought a one-day pass including trekking, in person when we got to Monterosso, which was the most northerly village.
Our Mistake
Our mistake was to have booked a regional train all the way to Monterosso, the northern most Cinque Terre Village, as it meant we paid for a train ticket that was included in the Cinque Terre Pass, so it’s like we paid twice. We bought our pass in Monterosso. We should have got off at La Spezia and bought the Cinque Terre Pass there.
Recommended
Disembark at La Spezia and buy the Cinque Terre Pass which covers unlimited trains between the 5 villages. If you board the train at least 4 times that day, it is worth buying the pass. Then board the train for any of the 5 villages.
We paid €27 each for 1 day Cinque Terre Pass and it included our hiking fee for the 2-hour hike from Monterosso to Vernazza. It is considered the hardest but prettiest section of the hiking trails. It was hard in the humidity as there is a lot of climbing up and down steps.
We had decided to start in the north and gradually work our way back towards home but you could do this in any order of your choosing as the trains are unlimited, clean and frequent.
Cheapest Option
The cheapest way to get around Cinque Terre is to hike between the villages along the narrow coastal path. The views are excellent but it will take you a full day to complete it.
The beach in Monterosso al Mare in Cinque Terre
What to See in Cinque Terre
1: Monterosso Al Mare
This is the largest and northernmost village of the Cinque Terre complete with beaches, umbrellas and sun loungers. Hotels, restaurants and shops catered to the many tourists who visit. There is even a boat club.
Traditional Beach
It’s the only place in Cinque Terre with traditional wide sandy beaches. The other villages have coves and harbour dips. It’s pretty and you could relax here for a couple of days.
Europe was experiencing a heat wave and the temperatures were much higher than usual for June. It was cloudy and humid when we arrived which was a shame as the colours would have really popped in the sunshine especially on neat rows of beach umbrellas contrasting with the grey stone and sand beach.
Coastal Hike v 10 minute Train
We walked through the village of Monterosso Al Mare keeping the sea on our right, to commence our hike to the next village of Vernazza. Looking back towards the village there were some great views.
This hike, is considered the hardest but prettiest hike on the trail. It took us about 2 hours in trainers and was strenuous due to all the steps up and down repeatedly. We enjoyed it and were glad we did it.
If we had taken the train it would have only taken 10 minutes to get to Vernazza.
We had great views over Monterosso al Mare and out to sea.
How Do They Do That?
Along the hike, we passed some farmland and a few remote houses. At one such house, construction was under way and we puzzled at how the bags of stones and cement were delivered to this spot. We caught up with a few other hikers and overtook them. It was quiet for much of the middle of the trail which we liked, but busier near the villages.
Vernazza
2: Vernazza
We approached Vernazza hiking the coastal path from Monterosso Al Mare, the sea on our right and vineyards on our left. Our first views of Vernazza were from above. It was crowded on the path with visitors walking up for aerial photos of the village as well as hikers like us.
Small and Packed
While waiting for our turn, a train went through one of the many tunnels. The village is densely packed on a spit with a harbour full of rowing boats. The beach was a triangle of grey sand and a few were swimming in the water.
Sea Food Restaurants
Ravenous from our hike, we stopped at the first restaurant with a free table. We were lucky as the place was packed. As you would expect from a fishing village, seafood featured heavily on the menu.
After lunch we looked around the village and the port on the seaward side, to admire the flaky pastry-like layers of dark sedimentary rock in contrast to the brightly coloured buildings and umbrellas of Vernazza village, before getting the train to the next village.
Staircase to Corniglia
3: Corniglia
Corniglia, the smallest and quietest of the five villages, is unique in being the only one of the five villages of Cinque Terre NOT on the coast. It is perched 100m above seal level and has no direct access to the sea.
We were running out of time and energy so it’s also the only village we did not spend time. I confess, I sat in the shade at the train station and waited for the next train, while Graham ran on ahead to snap the photo of the staircase. (Yes, these are honest guides from real experience).
To reach Corniglia from the train station, you can:
- Climb the 382 steps of the Scalinata Lardarina. The brick staircase zigzags up 33 flights.
- Walk up the road which takes about 15 minutes longer but is more gradual.
- Get a free shuttle bus to the village square, if you have a Cinque Terre Pass.
Manarola
4: Manarola
From the train station, we walked down through the village, past browsing tourists exploring the cute shops and cafes, towards the sea.
A sign told us about the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area created in 1999 being the most important reserve in the Mediterranean for marine mammals. The scuba diver in me nodded approvingly.
Down at the coast, we watched people jumping off the huge rock into the sea, while others sat on the rocks and sunbathed. It was hot so Graham went for a quick swim too.
Riomaggiore
5: Riomaggiore
At about 5pm we reached the final village we visited in Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore which was similar to Manarola.
It was the second largest village and my favourite.
I’m not sure if it was the most beautiful or if I liked it best for other reasons. The sun had come out for golden hour, it was quieter as many visitors had already left and I didn’t feel rushed as it was the final village to visit that day. I could relax and enjoy the sunset while others sunbathed on the sprawling rocks or cooled off with a swim.
We wandered through the town and people watched at the harbour.
As the sun descended, the village was bathed in golden light and we savoured the moment with a glass of wine before heading back on the train.
Final Thoughts
Cinque Terre was very touristy but pretty. It was expensive to visit as a day trip and as we had underestimated it, I was frustrated that we didn’t get to spend longer there.
With hindsight, I would have spent two days using the trains to let me do some more hikes between the villages, browsed the shops and relaxed for an afternoon on the beach. We made the mistake of doing too much in one day. Either visit all the villages by train in one day or stay overnight and then you can relax and do some of the hikes.
Also, only pay for your train as far as La Spezia and buy the Cinque Terre Pass there to avoid double paying for the trains.