Cinque Terre: Five Villages That Instagram Made Overrun, and the One Worth Staying In

The Cinque Terre – Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore – are five fishing villages on the Ligurian cliffside, connected by centuries of terraced vineyards, a coastal railway, and now by more day-trippers than the villages can reasonably absorb. The Italian government has considered visitor quotas. The villages have crowd-timed entry proposals. The problem is real.

Go anyway, but stay the night. The difference between arriving at 10am with the day-trip cruise passengers and waking up at 6am when the fishing boats are out and the light on the harbour fronts is low and clear is the difference between the Cinque Terre you want and the Cinque Terre you get. If you sleep in the village, it belongs to you for those early hours.

The UNESCO World Heritage listing covers not just the villages but the terraced vineyard system – walls built by hand over centuries to create agricultural land on cliff faces. The local Sciacchetra, a sweet wine made from partially dried grapes, is specific to this coastline and genuinely worth trying.

The Villages

Vernazza is the most architecturally cohesive, with a natural harbour, a 15th-century watchtower, and a church overlooking the water. The view from the hills above is the best close-up aerial shot on the coast. The village was significantly damaged in the 2011 flooding but has been restored.

Manarola is the most photographed at sunset when the coloured houses stack up the cliff above the harbour. Via dell’Amore (the Love Walk) connecting Manarola to Riomaggiore reopened in 2024 after years of closure due to rock fall risk; check current status before visiting.

Monterosso al Mare is the largest, with the only proper beach in the five villages and the most tourist infrastructure. Stay here if you want beach access and the most options for accommodation and food.

Corniglia sits at the top of a cliff accessible only by train or a climb of 382 steps from the station below. It is the quietest of the five because the effort filters out some of the casual day-trippers.

Riomaggiore is the southernmost and the gateway village when arriving from La Spezia.

The Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail)

The coastal trail connecting the five villages passes through vineyards, olive groves, and cliff paths with the sea below. The full trail takes four to six hours depending on pace. Sections have varying conditions and some require the Cinque Terre Card (available at park offices and stations, around 7 euros per day). The steep sections between Corniglia and Vernazza are the most rewarding.

Getting There

La Spezia (with a mainline station) is the standard entry point: trains from Genoa (1.5 hours), Florence (2 hours), or Pisa (1 hour) connect to La Spezia, from where regional trains stop at each Cinque Terre village. The regional train between villages costs a few euros and runs frequently.

Eating

Trofie al pesto (the locally correct pasta shape with Ligurian pesto) is the dish to order throughout. Pesto here uses smaller-leaf Ligurian basil with a specific flavour profile. Fresh anchovies from the Ligurian Sea, grilled or marinated, are the other local food worth seeking out. For the pesto: Trattoria dal Billy in Manarola is the most consistently mentioned by locals; book ahead.

Sit-down prices in the tourist-facing waterfront restaurants are high. Buying focaccia and sliced items from the village bakeries for picnic-style eating on the trails costs a fraction of the amount.