From Riomaggiore To Monterosso
Have you ever been somewhere that looks like a postcard?
Cinque Terre is even MORE beautiful than that.
Cinque Terre is known as “The Five Lands” comprised of five tiny seaside villages on the North coast of Italy.
From South to North: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso.
Each village is beautiful in it’s own way, but all have a magical coastal Italian charm with so much culture. Then streets are lined with family-owned shops, artisan gelato, and the best Italian and seafood you’ll ever eat. The water is crystal clear reflecting the colorful old buildings.
You could easily spend a week exploring the hiking trails and getting lost among the winding staircases in each village; however, I’m going to try to narrow it down to just two days in paradise.
DAY 1
STARTING OUT IN RIOMAGGORIE
We rented an Airbnb in Riomaggorie, the southernmost town. It is an easy starting point for exploring the other towns whether you are up for a day of hiking or taking the train! We stayed up in the village at Roberto Airbnb, which was gorgeous and a fantastic host (highly recommend).
Walk along the main street in Riomaggorie and visit the local shops with the best lemonchello, fresh pesto and handmade jewelry.
Once ready to leave Rio, walk through the walking tunnel to the train station and enjoy breakfast with a view at A Pie de Ma
Through the tunnel, there’s a tourist shop where you can buy a 5 Terre day pass for the train and hiking trails for €16.
Note: You will only need this pass on day 1 – the trails on day 2 don’t require a pass and you’ll only take one train, which is €4 per person.
BOAT TO MANAROLA
We were looking forward to a hike on day 1, but the Via dell’Amore and Beccara trails (from Riomaggorie to Manarola) were closed due to rain. The villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola are very close but have a steep mountain separating them so the hike is not easy from what the locals told me.
Good news is, there are other options besides hiking and training! There is a large boat that runs every 30 minutes and takes you to any of the 5 villages for €5… OR a smaller private boat for €30, but so romantic!
It’s hard to decide but I believe Manarola was my favorite town!! It’s as picturesque as Rio and had the most beautiful staircases winding through the colorful buildings. Tip: Bring your swim suit! There’s a great harbor area perfect for cliff jumping and swimming!
LUNCH TIME
We went to Nessum Dorma (AMAZING views & food) – there was a small line for waiting but so worth it!
We enjoyed the Tricolore brushetta and Cinque Terre Focacce and il bianco
We finished hiking and exploring the streets of Manarola before heading back to Rio in time for sunset on the rocks with pizza & wine <3
DAY 2
GOODMORNING MONTEROSSO AL MARE
Today is hiking day!! Catch the train to the most northern village, Monterossa – it is the most touristy village of the five, BUT…
The good news it there is a beach! Unfortunately, it was raining so we didn’t stay long BUT I was able to take breath taking photos!!
Within the town there are two sections – the new and the old. Walk by The Church of Saint John the Baptist and take a peek inside the beautiful striped white marble sanctuary. Stroll by shops… but keep moving to prepare for the hike!
HIKE TO VERNAZZA
Pick up the hiking trail to Vernazza at the edge of old town in Monterosso. It starts out up hill for a while, but it does flatten out.
I recommend good hiking shoes but its obviously doable in jean shorts and Keds ha! It is a fairly easy trail and took us about 1.5 hours!
It ended up being the most beautiful day once the rain cleared up in Vernazza! We wandered, shopped, ate & beached!
You’ll probably be ready for lunch after the hike. Stop for something with pesto; it’s what this area is known! There are also paper cones filled with fried seafood, slices of pizza, and about a million cute patios where you’ll want to stop for a drink. We went to lunch at Al Castello and enjoyed the pesto pasta with lots of parm cheese and limoncello (you have to try!!)
After lunch, make your way up to Castello Doria. It is €2.50 to get in, but it offers one of the best views of Vernazza.
After coming down, reward yourself at the bottom with the best cinnamon gelato at Gelateria il Porticciolo. Trust me. After your bellies are nice and full, go to the pebble beach for some relaxing!
We sunbathed here for a couple of hours (sunny and 75, a dream). It wasn’t too crowded so in a way it felt like we were on our own little private beach.
Beware of the slippery rocks! I was walking barefoot near the water and almost wiped out on a slimy rock, I would recommend bringing shoes that have grips and can get wet!
After you are tired of the sun, go back to your home base for some relaxing! We did not have a set plan this night which ended up being great. With it being a Sunday night, it felt like we were one of the locals!
We did not have reservations but stumbled upon the cutest Italian restaurant which is sometimes the best treat!
Overall tips: do not over plan or stress about all of the details falling into place! I can be very guilty of this but I loved having extra time on our itinerary each day to discover new activities in the area and really take in each moment.
YOU are going to FALL IN LOVE with Cinque Terre! Please feel free to message me directly with any questions, I could talk about this trip for days!
{Blog posts on Rome and Florence coming… who is interested?}
2 Comments
Janet
Wow! What absolutely stunning places! You are so lucky to have traveled to these places. They are so picturesque!
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Shelby
Hi Janet!
This was my first time to Europe & I highly recommend going to Cinque Terre if you go to Italy! My favorite place we traveled to by far!