I love this place. It's as pretty as it is in pictures…read more Short story: Woke up at 6am to catch the 7am train to Cinque Terre and guess what?! The train conductors decided to go on strike that day. People at the station said all regional trains are canceled this morning. I was about to cry because the #1 thing I most looked forward to was visiting Cinque Terre on this trip. Everything happens for a reason, right? Somehow at 9am, a train decided to take off going to Pisa, which connects to Cinque Terre. We got to Cinque Terre around 11:30am. Late start to the day but I finally got there. I visited and walked all 5 towns. Each one is special in it's own way. The five towns are called Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Most people would say Manarola is the prettiest, not going to disagree with that but I actually love Corniglia the most. Maybe because you have to climb a few (a lot) steps to get there. It's small and charming once you get to the top and you can see Manarola. I had the best gelato there and I have eating a lot of gelato during my 2 week trip in Italy. Each town has their own special food too. A lot of street food which was awesome. When I do visit again, I would stay a night at least to do the full hike and enjoy all the towns a little more. I cant wait to get back.

Cinque Terre translated into English is roughy "5 Lands" but it is more like "5 Villages."…read more Daniele was a great tour guide! He is very knowledgeable and passionate about his village of Manarola... And the other 4 "Cinque Terre!" The villages are only accessible by local trains from La Spezia train station or Levanto. It takes about 15min to arrive to Manarola from la Spezia (but take an earlier train because Italian trains are often very late and crowded!) We did the morning tour, meeting Daniele close to the marina at 9:45am. There were 12 of us on the boat (all Americans so communication was easy). Daniele speaks almost perfect English so the tour went very smoothly. He drove us past the Cinque Terre giving a very nice history of how his forefathers turned a very steep/rock facade into a fertile farming area. Fighting off pirate attacks and later becoming fishermen. Cinque Terre has a very deep and amazing history that Daniele tells as you pass some of the most beautiful scenery! Daniele stopped the boat for two separate swims in the Mediterranean Sea! Daniele was very helpful as to where to swim and not to. How not to use your legs (avoiding kicking the rocks) and how to climb the rocks without slipping! We dove off rocks, took a refreshing shower in a natural waterfall and swam the clearest of blue water! I cannot say enough of Daniele and his 2.5hr tour! He provides beer, water, wine, sodas. He was considerate to the children on our tour who began feeling a little sea sick. Bring sun screen!!!! There is no room on his boat for your luggage; we left ours in a "Left Luggage" for $9 euro (3 bags) at La Spezia Train Station. Hotels are NOT easy to find in Cinque Terre so make reservations far in advance or stay outside in La Spezia.

Giuliano owner of the Calipso is very kind, thoughtful and passionate and easy to understand his…read moreEnglish. We walked to the docks and found him this morning. He kindly waited for us to go back to our room and collect ourselves. His boat is very clean and comfortable and he offered us beverages and towels. He took us up close to all the ports and other interesting spots of caves and waterfalls. Offered for us to swim but it was too cold. He gave us great history information and things to do and restaurant recommendations. Gentle and romantic ride and very reasonably priced. We a so glad we took this wonderfully memorable trip with him!

I can not recommend this man enough. He is clearly passionate about the Cinque Terre and not only…read moredid he provide the best boat tour, we learned a lot about the history! He's a local fisherman and gave us the best recommendations for food as well. His name is unfortunately slipping my mind but it's a one man show so you don't have to worry about asking for anyone specific. Book a tour!

They cancelled on us late in the afternoon leaving us stranded with no other options the day before…read morewe left. They didn't even offer to help find another solution.

Great service and captain on a private boat tour. We stopped for a swim and I had the opportunity…read moreto see all the Cinque Terre villages from the boat with prosecco provided. Highly recommend Tiburon!

Such an amazing experience! Leonardo was fabulous. He made our trip. He led us around Golfo del…read morePoeti and was so helpful and friendly! Cannot say enough good things!

OUTSTANDING! Our group of 8 had a fantastic time riding a…read morehop hop boat along the coast to Cinque Terre. Capt. Marta was a wonderful mix of fun and knowledge. The stop to swim in the perfect blue water was a joy. We were a bit nervous that we would be on a speed boat the whole time, but it was great and allowed us to cover so much territory. Book your trip now.

All I can say is WOW! Maria and Nicola know how to provide a first class experience. Everything…read morefrom communication to execution was perfect. The boat is clean and comfortable. The snacks and Prosecco were delicious. Maria knew just the right times to refill our glasses and give tidbits of information without overwhelming. Nicola controlled the boat so impeccably that we didn't miss a thing. The entire experience was so well thought out that we were left with memories to last a lifetime. Thank you again from the Gonzalez Family!

The two brothers who run the boat and narrate are fun and interesting. They provide the right…read moreamount of folklore and fact. Sunset makes the lighting spectacular on the mountainside. Highly recommend!

Going out on the boat with Daniele was probably one of the best things we did while in Cinque…read moreTerre. It was nice to see all five towns from this vantage point which also oriented us for our hike. Swimming and snorkeling in the secluded was also beautiful. Daniele is an experienced captain and a native of Manarola, he has a vast knowledge of Cinque Terre and its history. He is a charming person and his friendliness rubbed off on everyone aboard. I highly recommend this excursion!!

We stayed in a lovely apartment rented by Cinque Terre Riviera in Monterosso al Mare in January…read more2025. However, we give this apartment rental company a low rating because they gave us a non-existing address to go to at first. We only found out after walking, with several suitcases, for about 20 min. on a cold winter day with stress from the LA wildfires threatening our home. We then had to call the company for instructions and walk 20-25 min. back the same way! We got to the apartment, where the heater did not work. We were instead given a FABULOUS apartment with a view, so that was great, but the initial troubles were a lot. We tried to check out early as our home was located very close to the Los Angeles wildfires, but were only told "safe travels". No understanding. No response to simple request to mail forgotten glasses to a local address. Company NOT recommended. Go with another reputable one.

The Cinque Terre Riviera is comprised of 5 beautiful small coastal towns nestled between the…read moremountains connected by hiking trails, train stops,and boat ferry stops. I highly suggest the train as its quickest if you wish to see all 5 towns in 1 or 2 days but if you have a couple days, I highly recommend the hiking trails as you can catch some beautiful mountain views of the towns and work off all that amazing Italian food! It takes between 3-25 min to get between each of the towns via train. Trains leave about every 30 min. Here are my rankings of the 5 small coastal towns from least favorite to most favorite: #5 Corniglia is the smallest town of Cinque Terre. She's built far above the ocean on the cliffs so it's a bit harder to get any good scenic photos of this location unless you can snag a shot from a distant hiking trail. To arrive in Corniglia you've gotta huff up the 365 steps to reach the center of town. If you have excessive luggage my advice is to not stay here. However, you should come here if you want to get away from it all. #4 Riomaggiore has one main street, a small harbor, a rocky beach, a castle, a church, a pharmacy, and a handful of restaurants. It is the closest to the main city of La Spezia where you can catch the train and has plenty of train connections to the different towns. #3 Vernazza is the beauty queen of Cinque Terre. She's incredibly photogenic! From the hiking trail you can get an amazing shot of Vernazza surrounded by water. Vernazza is a one-street town with a church built on the water. It has a castle, the remains of the old wall that protected against pirates, and a gorgeous waterfront piazza. #2 Manarola is the second village, just north of Riomaggiore. It is also a one-street town, with a small cove in the harbor where you can swim. It is where the most famous Cinque Terre photos are taken from with a view of the cliffs and the water. It's very similar to Riomaggiore, but has a more grown-up, chill vibe. This is by far my favorite town as I loved the feeling of the one street leading directly to the water with its cobblestone streets, small vendors and colorful homes clinging to the cliffside. #1 Monterosso al Mare is the northernmost village of Cinque Terre. She's the biggest kid in the family, and has many streets and even a few cars driving around there. Monterosso is made up of an old town, a new town, lots of sandy beaches, some larger hotels and a long seaside promenade suitable for strollers too. If you want to avoid stairs and have a more resort feel to your vacation, then you should stay here. Cinque Terre has a national park, is considered as a protected waterway,a Unesco World Heritage site, and vehicle traffic is restricted inside the villages. There are no big hotels in any of the 5 towns, only small inns, bead and breakfasts and rentals. If you're in Italy and love hiking and quaint walkable unspoiled small Italian towns, Cinque Terre Riviera is a must see!

My 5 friends and I chartered the Sins 2 for a day-trip around the Portofino and Cinque Terre areas…read moreand absolutely loved it. This was the best experience we had in Liguria and after doing extensive research about the boat options available I can say hands down this is the best value. Captain Cesare picked us up from the pier in Santa Margherita were we were staying and took us for an amazing trip. We stopped in a couple of amazing spots for a swim and had lunch at a cool restaurant on the main square of Vernazza. Cesare provided drinks but we were also able to bring our own. Highly recommend this for a group of friends, couple or family.

Great boat charter! We messaged Giovanni on Instagram and booked the trip easily. We took out the…read moreboat Vices and it was clean & very comfortable. Giovanni took us to four different locations and made us a reservation for lunch in Portofino. It was an amazing day, would definitely recommend :)

My family recently booked this agency for a tour to Cinque Terre. I can't say enough about our…read moreguide. We were driven the couple hours there with a driver and our guide. It was really nice to have a separate guide who was not driving and could focus on us. We then had a wonderful few hours of guidance in the villages and on the boat ride. She was knowledgeable, very experienced with the area and accommodating. Most importantly, however, we had difficulty with an ill family member in the farthest village. Our guide was phenomenal. She was attentive and went out of her way to be helpful. She arranged an early departure and truly went above and beyond to help. It was an unfortunate twist to our day, but she couldn't have made it any easier. She was great and I'd refer her to a friend or family member in a heart beat.

From the owner: BellaItalia Tours is a family owned and operated business…read more The BellaItalia team are all from Pisa, Lucca and local area and know the Tuscany very well. BellaItalia Tours aims to provide visitors to Italy with a true Italian experience by offering small, boutique tours which can be tailored to suit your dream Italian holiday. Knowing Tuscany so well, your hosts will share with you secret destinations and insider knowledge. They will also of course take you to see the famous sites, so you can tick them off your bucket list if you so desire.

Amazing place to visit, hike, drink eat etc…read more I hike most of the trails between the 5 towns and they are spectacular. You can even take the train or a water taxi between them depending. The highlight for me was the final hike from the most southern town Riomaggiore all the way to Portovenere....8 miles 2500 feet of elevation gain and stunning view after stunning view. You even pass by a monastery great little outdoor restaurants etc. Bucket list item

The most beautiful walk of my entire life. Be sure you understand the route - easy to get lost!read more