Cinque Terre, Italy

October 18 - 25

Cinque Terre, a string of five century-old small villages along the coast of Italian Riviera, connected by hiking paths and train tracks, and mainly accessible only by train and water. This allows them to retain their traditional beauty and breathtaking views. We explored each village and hiked the popular trails from Corniglia to Monterosso. This UNESCO’s Mankind World Heritage is a place like no other.

Voyagers tips: Pick up a local train schedule from the ticket office, it makes it much easier to figure out which train you want to get on each time. Be sure to validate your train tickets when you get on inter-village regional trains. We didn’t realize it the first time, and was going to be fined $50 per person. After some protesting, they dropped the fine to $5 per person, so we paid $20 and learned our lesson. Be ready to carry your luggage up and down stairs, so pack light. Hiking paths close often due to weather and the information is not widely available, even the ticket offices don’t know if paths are open that same day. Enforcement of closure is inconsistent, often the only way to know for sure is to show up to the ticket collection booth and ask. The villages are well preserved, which also means the infrastructure is behind the times and poorly managed, which can be frustrating. Multi-day passes are available for hiking-trail-only or trails+trains. For families, the daily Family pass of 42 euros/day is a good option and includes unlimited train, trails and buses.

Where to stay: Vernazza is the best village to stay given its beauty and convenience; Monterosso is also a good option. Don’t stay in Corniglia as we did, the town is way too small and is about 250-300ft above the train station, requiring a steep climb or a bus to get to, and the village is so small that the tiny markets and restaurant selection are quite poor. Manarola and Riomaggiore are nice also; Riomaggiore is a big village but is less geared towards tourists, and can be a good choice if you want the authentic experience. If you want to be dropped off at the front of your hotel / vacation rental, the Monterosso new town is your only option, but it’s not nearly as nice as Monterosso old town.

Getting to Cinque Terre: The best way to get to Cinque Terre is by train. No cars are allowed in the villages. Trenitalia.com is the official website for train information and ticket purchasing; ItaliaRail.com is more user-friendly for English-speaking users and is connected to Trenitalia.com, but I found that sometimes ItaliaRail.com is missing some train connection options, and small stations are harder to find. It’s ok to show the tickets (which is emailed to you upon purchase) on your phone, no need to print them out. Several connections are usually needed. If you need to connect from Monterosso to another village, the ticket office is next to Platform #1. If arriving from Platform 2 or 3, go through the tunnel and either up to Platform 1, or leave the station, turn left, walk about 30ft, and you’ll see the ticket office up the stairs on your left.

We took the train from Venice through Milan, with another connection in Monterosso, to get to Corniglia.

The Milan train station was busy but was easy to navigate. No place to sit other than in restaurants and cafes.

This was a long travel day: Train from Venice to Milan, from Milan to Monterosso, from Monterosso to Corniglia, then a bus up to Corniglia village center. Phew!

We got to Monterosso, the kids went to play on the beach while I tried to figure out where to buy the train tickets to Corniglia.

Ashlyn got bored waiting for the bus in Corniglia and found creative ways to entertain herself.

We enjoyed a nice meal at the Food and Sea restaurant in Corniglia after a long travel day. Pizza and pasta were good, the preserved salty fish weren't our favorite.

Half liter of house wine for 4 euros, can't beat that. It actually was not bad!

The "trofie" pasta is supposedly designed to go with pesto sauce. Never seen it in the US.

Corniglia

Our favorite part of Corniglia, the hidden cove.

The reason there's no one else on the other side of the cove is that it's hard to get to.

We had to time our runs with the waves so we don't get wet.

We made it!

Camouflage - You may see Maren, but can you find Ashlyn?

This was our private cove, nobody else crossed the rocks to get there.

Due to the limited space at the port, boats are stored on the shore and not in the water. The path through this area leads to another beautiful hidden slope facing the ocean.

The climb up the slope is quite steep...

But the view and the serene feeling is soooo worth it!

Come on up, Megan!

We loved sitting up here all by ourselves. We could sit here for hours and just enjoy the view.

Time to head back down.

The view from our wrap-around balcony was awesome.

We loved our private roof-top terrace with a gorgeous view, where we enjoyed several meals.

People pay extra for restaurants with a view. We just take food home and climb up to our terrace for the best view.

The rest of the apartment and the village leaves much to be desired, but the view was undoubtedly awesome.

There's a popular viewpoint on top of the village where you can see the ocean... and our apartment.

Say hi to the camera!

The Corniglia village is perched on top of the hill, about 250ft above the train station. This is the path between the village and the train station.

This tiny semi-covered desk is the "information center" in the village.One person covers it in the morning when it doesn't rain.

We went down to our favorite spot one last time for the signature cartwheel pictures before leaving.

Corniglia train station at night.

Gorgeous view at the hidden spot around the corner from the small Corniglia port.

Corniglia, the smallest of the five villages. We were attracted by the views of this apartment and decided to stay here, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a base. The village consisted of two streets and a small square, with tiny markets and few restaurants. And the climb from the train station to the village center is tiring if you don’t want to wait for the small bus. We did love the view from the apartment’s wrap-around balcony, as well as our private terrace with one of the best views in Cinque Terre. We also loved the private cove that we found, with almost no one around, as well as a spot on the cliff to escape from it all. Certainly worth a visit, just not as a base.

Voyagers tips: The best spot in Corniglia is a hidden spot. Go up the main street from the village square, and take one of the right turns down some flights of stairs to a path that takes you down to the pier. It’s hard to see from the path, but it’s there. Walk the downhill path to the water and you’ll see the pier. Climb through the rocks on the right to get to the beautiful cove that you can enjoy all by yourself. Afterwards, continue on the stairs on the left side of the pier to a steep slope where you can sit or lie down and enjoy the ocean view and the sea breeze. This is probably the only ocean spots in Cinque Terre by the water with almost no crowds around. There’s also a good viewing deck if you just keep going up the main street to the end. By main street, I mean a street wide enough for three people side by side.

Monterosso

Vendors lay out these massive clothes on the beach, makes for an interesting sight.

This is the only village with sandy beaches. But people really don't come to Cinque Terre for beaches.

Turn left coming out of the train station and walk until you see the tunnel, go through the tunnel to reach Old Town Monterosso.

The main square at the entry of old town.

It feels like going back in time.

There's a church on the main path.

We forgot the name of the church, but it was quite nice inside.

An entire store dedicated to pesto!

You can walk up to the top of the hill where the fort in the background is located.

The path to go up is next to the tunnel.

The view from top of the hill is quite nice.

Looking at the old town side of Monterosso.

Looking at the new side of Monterosso, the train station side.

We had lunch before heading to the next town. The pasta wrapped in foil was an interesting twist. Ignore the thing that appears to stick out of my head.

Let's head to Vernazza! Part of the platform is in the tunnel.

Monterosso, the most touristy village of the five, and the only one with sand beaches. There is the new part of town and the old town, separated by a tunnel. Old town is car-free and feels much more like Cinque Terre. We thought the touristy aspect would ruin the town, but it’s actually quite a nice place to stay and to visit, and more convenient than the smaller villages in terms of grocery shops and restaurants, while maintaining the charm of Cinque Terre.

Voyagers tips: There’s a direct train to here from Milan. Ticket office for train station is adjacent to Platform 1.

Vernazza

The main walking path in Vernazza.

There's a cave to the left of the main path. It's relatively small with an obscure entrance, but it's quite interesting.

Ashlyn adds to the rock stack.

The rock layers look pretty cool.

These rock and cement walls add to the charm of the village.

The port is a popular spot, with plenty of area to sit and chill.

Of course the girls feel the need to go jump on rocks.

The fort on top of the hill in the background is worth a visit.

I got drenched while standing on the rocks taking a picture of Megan.

Ashlyn practicing her spider-man moves.

Boats are stored on land due to the limited water space at the port.

Climbing up the hill to the hiking entrance point. We're not hiking today, just going up for the view.

Nice view from the hiking trail ticket booth going towards Monterosso. You can see the train tunnel on the right.

The port is our favorite part of Vernazza.

Going back down to the port.

Perfect spot for a silhouette shot.

We then climbed up to the fort for another view. Megan stayed at the port to rest her legs. Can you spot her?

There she is!

You can see Monterosso from up here.

Looking at the village of Vernazza.

Not sure what prompted this picture.

Maren demonstrating her flexibility.

Ashlyn's turn!

You can see the outside of the cove from here.

Vernazza was our favorite village of the five. It has the combination of a beautiful and fun port, the charming old town feel, and the convenience of good selections of restaurants and grocery stores. If we go back again, we’d stay in Vernazza.

Voyagers tips: Check out the cool small cave near the station. It’s worth it to climb to the fort for a nice view. The climb to the hiking trail ticket booth towards Monterosso was cool, and offers a great view, even if you don’t do the actual hike.

Riomaggiore

These fried seafood street food is quite common in Cinque Terre, we stopped by a vendor to try it out. The calamari, shrimp and fish nuggets were good. The cod nuggets, not so much.

This black cat sits above the seafood shop hissing at passers-by.

It's a nice town to walk around.

The shops and restaurants disappear when you walk further up from the train station.

The Church of San Giovanni Battista on top of the hill was quite grand.

Inside the Church of San Giovanni Battista.

There's a modern elevator on the street that goes up the hill, which was much appreciated. It's a modern structure in an old village, quite a unique sight.

View from the top of the hill looking down at the village..

A nice view point to enjoy the view and rest our legs in the shade.

Maren was in the mood for some gelato.

Cool rock formation along the coast.

On the other side of the port, there's a nice spot to climb down and get close to the water. We chilled here for a while while the girls jumped around.

Time to explore the next town.

Riomaggiore is the largest village in terms of population, but it’s less tailored towards tourists. It’s great for a more authentic feel of the local lives, but it also has less attractions and restaurants than Monterosso or Vernazza.

Manarola

The beautiful port of Manarola is the highlight of the village.

The village has the typical Cinque Terre charm.

Dryers are a rarity in Europe, especially around here. Clothes are hung on a rack; large sheets are hung off of balconies.

The high trails around the port provide great views of the port, especially during sunset.

Let's go up the trail and see where that leads.

The big rocks provide natural barriers so that the swimming area has calm water.

We found a playground on top of the hill.

The village is especially pretty with the evening sun shining on it.

A surprising number of people set up their cameras on tripods well before sunset and just sit back and wait for the sunset, with their tripod holding the spot for them.

People can walk right down to the water for a dip.

The girls just love to climb rocks.

Ashlyn found her personal spot.

We found a restaurant for dinner before heading back. The seared tuna was delicious. This was one of our few lavish meals in Cinque Terre.

Manarola, the second smallest village in Cinque Terre. The town is typical Cinque Terre, a bit smaller than the others, but the gorgeous port is where people hang out. Such a beautiful spot.

Hiking trails

The weather forecast predicted rain everyday of the week, but it was not accurate. We were happy when the trailed opened two days after the big rain.

Corniglia was a good starting point given its higher elevation.

There are a few scenic spots along the walk, although most of the trail didn't have a view.

We paused to enjoy the views at the few viewpoints along the way.

We got excited when we saw Vernazza from the trail. The end is near!

Coming down to Vernazza. We could see the train station from up here.

We stopped for a nice lunch, filled up our stomachs and rested our legs, before our next hike.

The girls enjoyed their seafood pasta.

The hike from Vernazza to Monterosso starts with this narrow set of stairs from the village square.

We can look back at Corniglia from here.

The shades along the way were appreciated on this sunny day. Most of the trail doesn't have views.

This was a spot with a gorgeous view.

Tree-covered path.

At long last, we're going downhill towards Monterosso. These steps are big, coming up must've been painful.

We're here!

Stopping for ice cream in Monterosso to reward ourselves.

Heading back... Validate your train tickets to avoid 50-euros fine. Five of six machines at the station were broken. We looked all around before finding a working one at Platform 1.

Taking some well deserved break after a fun day.

The hiking trails in Cinque Terre are world famous and a must-do when visiting. There are several trails, the most popular ones are the ones along the coast that connect the villages. Unfortunately, the ones connecting Corniglia-Manarola and Manarola-Riomaggiore are still closed as of 2019. The ones connecting Monterosso-Vernazza and Vernazza-Corniglia are still open. We hiked from Corniglia => Vernazza => Monterosso. It’s a beautiful hike where the views are sporadic, not throughout. It can get hot, even in October when we hiked. Bring plenty of water. We walked from Corniglia village to Vernazza, stopped for a lunch break, then hiked from Vernazza to Monterosso. This path worked out very nicely for our family.

Voyagers tips: Hiking trails are often closed on rainy days as well as the day after, and even the people selling tickets don’t know when the trails are open. The only way to know for sure is to hike to the ticket checking booth, which is a shame. The trails along the coast require tickets, you can buy the daily or multi-day passes that cover everything, or just the trail tickets. Between Vernazza and Monterosso, both ends are at sea level, so it doesn’t really matter which direction you go. Between Corniglia and Vernazza, Corniglia’s starting point is higher, so I’d recommend going from Corniglia to Vernazza for a bit of net elevation decrease. It’s still a good workout in this direction with a steep climb early on.