How-to Hike the 5 Villages in Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is one of the most picturesque places in Italy and if you want to see all five villages in one day, you better get moving!

ciao!

Cinque Terre which translates to ‘five towns’ is home to five unique, incredibly charming, and colorful seaside villages. It’s like 7 miles of Pinterest travel inspo. We didn’t plan to stay the night here, but as soon as we hopped off the train I immediately regretted not booking a room. We would soon learn it’s kind of like the Amalfi Coast, but way easier to access. Plus in Cinque Terre, the Sentiero Azzurro Trail (which means “Blue Trail”) takes you cliffside from one village to the next.

Need to know: You need to purchase a trekking pass to use the Sentiero Azzurro. There are two versions of this pass. One only allows you to use the trail, the other allows you to use the trail and the train to get from one village to the next. There’s about a 5 Euro difference and I highly recommend getting the Trekking & Train Pass considering part of the trail is closed due to flash flooding in the past and the alternative route will take you hours. You can learn more the passes here.

How to get there: We took a day trip and a lengthy itinerary to Cinque Terre via train from Florence. It takes about 2.5hrs with one or two train changes depending on your route. Once you get to Cinque Terre you can hop off the train at any of the 5 villages, each has its own station. However, if you’re looking to see all five villages (which I *12/10 rec) you can start at either end in Monterosso al Mare or Riomaggiore.

How much time to allocate: Typically if all trails were open it would take about 5-6hrs from one end to the other, not including time to explore, snack, and take a breather. We took the first train out, the last train back, and just barely made it to all 5 villages.

Recommended route: I read reviews on both routes and we decided to start in Monterosso and end in Riomaggiore since Riomaggiore is known for having the best sunsets. Monterosso is the only village with an actual beach and it’s easy to navigate as far as finding the hiking trail. Not to mention it is a stunning start.

1. Monterosso

Now, let’s talk about the hiking trail. It is a real hike. It’s not a dress cute and hope for a feed full of pics of you looking all effortless and fancy free. Jonathan and I are pretty active and I found it pretty strenuous, with lots of rocks, dirt, stone steps, and steep inclines. It’s not too difficult to not do at all, it just requires some preparation. Wear comfortable shoes. I wore my running shoes and was just fine, but I saw people in sandals and they looked miz. Also, check the weather. We hiked in April, so the temperature was just about perfect, but I’ve read some horror stories from people hiking during the summertime.

It’s about a 2mi hike from Monterosso to Vernazza which is probably the most beautiful of all the villages and the place we decided to stop for lunch.

2. Vernazza

We staked out a terrace table at one of the restaurants closest to the water, ordered two Aperol Spritz and a pesto pizza. (pesto is a specialty in this part of Italy, and it’s no wonder why)

After lunch we hopped back on the trail headed to Corniglia which is about a 2.5mi trail and once again filled with lots of rocks, dirt, stone steps, and steep inclines. However, also once again, stunning. Note: Just outside of Vernazza and just off the trail is a little café with a breathtaking view and a delicious spritz.

3. Corniglia

Corniglia is another beautiful village filled with colorful houses and coastal vineyards.

Oh and the world’s best gelato. Literally, this was our favorite gelato in all of Italy and we had A LOT. Get the chocolate, raspberry, and Nutella. (you’re welcome)

Now the main trail (Sentiero Azzurro) from Corniglia to the next town of Manarola was closed due to flash flooding in the past and the only other trail was quite lengthy. We were on somewhat of a schedule to make it to Riomaggiore by sunset, so we used our Trekking & Train Pass for a brief (like 5min) train ride to Manarola.

4. Manarola

We decided to stop for dinner at what turned out to be one of the most incredible restaurants we’ve ever been to, Nessun Dorma. It’s nestled into the cliff serving up fresh DOP Buffalo Mozzarella (if you don’t know, please educate yourself and get ready for a game changing cheese) and good til the last drop Italian house wine. This meal was like something out of a movie. The view was indescribable, there were even dolphins playing in the ocean below us. Plus, we were celebrating Jonathan’s birthday and not only did our server dress up as a birthday clown, but he brought us an out-of-this world piece of Limoncello cake.

In hopes of making it to Riomaggiore in time for sunset we hopped back on the train and literally ran through the village arriving just as the sun was literally kissing the ocean.

5. Riomaggiore

At this point you can probably see why I wished we had booked a room and woken up the next morning to spend more time in each village, (eating more DOP mozzarella and even more gelato) but that wasn’t the case so we took our tired little selves back to the train station to catch the last train out to Florence.

Few things to note: The last train out sometimes, like in our case, doesn’t always make it out… We got stuck for a few hours in Pisa where we were supposed to make train change. So just something to consider when deciding whether or not to spend the night in Cinque Terre. It’s still beyond worth it to stay all day if you can’t stay for the night. We eventually made it back lol just one of us wasn’t awake for the ride.

Also, if you’re coming from Florence there are two train stations that can take you to Cinque Terre - don’t make the mistake we did assuming you have a ticket booked at one, when it’s really at the other. (that got our 6a trip off to a fun little start) I suggest taking ItaliaRail departing from the Firenze Santa Maria Novella station. As mentioned on their website, ‘The station at which you’ll change trains varies, so check your itinerary closely. Many go through Pisa or La Spezia, but there are other options. Also note that some routes require two connections. The trip takes from 2.5-3 hours, and tickets cost $20-28.’ You can find more information here. For more information and maps of the trails visit the Cinque Terre site here.

Even if you only make it to one village, I am fairly confident that Cinque Terre will end up on your 12/10 rec list too.

xx,

rachel

South Florida based travel blogger creating a diary of how-to’s for 12/10 recs

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