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

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.

We visited on 4/2/26, days before the Easter weekend, It was still fairly cool and almost no one…read morearound as it was early in the season , but it is easy to see that this is the most accessible sandy beach in the Cinque Terre. No chaises or umbrella's were out yet, but we sat at Bar Gigantic and also enjoyed the small church across from the water. We did not explore too much as our train was leaving back to Milan. Cute shops. The shore is directly off of the train.

Of the five Cinque Terre towns Monterosso has by far the best beaches and water to swim in. Very…read moresheltered. Plenty of places to grab a drink or bite near by

If you want a unique vacation experience I highly recommend doing a hiking vacation of Cinque…read moreTerra.... Literally 5 stunningly drop dead gorgeous ocean towns . The 5 towns are linked by either coastal trails with stunning views or by train You can easily visit all 5 by train in 5-6 hours Each town has its own unique charm: Monterosso is the largest with the widest selection of of amenities and gorgeous beaches which are swimable Venazza is the most picturesque but dmall Corniglia which is built on the cliffs most authentic but least touristy as it is the smallest Manatola is the one most st photographed with stunning colorful houses Riomaggiore is my fav as it has nice beaches plenty of shops and restaurants with a great vibe The beauty of the train you can visit any town and hike to the next one Magical experience Tip: Go in September or October cooler weather less crowded

Oh man! It is gorgeous in Cinque Terre! We stayed in Monterosso (one end of the 5 towns) and worked…read moreour way over to Riomaggiore. I'm glad we did it this way cause most people go the other direction, and I have to say Riomaggiore was my least favorite town cause it was so small and the beach area is not as large as ours! Monterosso - beach friendly with a rocky beach people sunbathe in and you can rent beach chairs for the day. The water is a bit chilly in May but people were definitely swimming in it. Fried fish stands and a ton of restaurant options in town and along the water. We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza! Crazy amount of stairs going up the first leg of the hike! But after that it was nice views of both towns and gorgeous! Especially upon approach of Vernazza where you go down a bunch of stairs to get into the town. Vernazza was one of my favorites! Water front restaurants and gorgeous views. We had a quick light lunch and then continued on with a hike to Corniglia. The hike was less rigorous as the first one from Monterosso to Vernazza but still lots and lots of stairs! The views on this one was also beautiful but I liked the ones from the first leg better. Corniglia was one of my least favorites cause it was so small and quaint. There is apparently the best gelato place in this town - we definitely wished we knew earlier cause we didn't get any! There isn't a view point in this town for pictures, like there are in the rest. People recommend seeing this town on boat from the ocean. We took a train back and decided to venture to Manarola and Riomaggiore the next day. Omg those stairs to the train station in Corniglia! There are ~380 steps to get to the train! I felt bad for people coming up! There is a shuttle if you want to pay like 2 euros a person to get up to the town. Manarola was another favorite! So beautiful and picturesque in every way! The ocean view hike from Corniglia to Manarola was closed due to mudslides so the inner vineyard hike is available but more rigorous. We decided to be lazy and let our legs rest and took the train to this town. We wished we had more time in both Vernazza and Manarola! So pretty! We took a train to Riomaggiore with the idea to boat back so we can see all 5 towns via boat but due to rough waters, the boat was closed that day. Bummer. There wasn't much to do in Riomaggiore since the walkway of love was closed and the town was small. Overall gorgeous and relaxing with options for nature lovers to hike and wine lovers for wine tasting in the rolling vineyards. Favorite towns to spend some time in - Vernazza and Manarola. Beach town Monterosso. And least favorite - Corniglia and Riomaggiore! But remember to grab a gelato in Corniglia!

We LOVED our private boat experience with Cristiano! He was incredibly friendly, always checked on…read moreus to make sure we were happy with the music and that all was good. We were treated to some drinks, and he took us to view all 5 villages of Cinque Terre. It was an experience we will never forget. What was also nice was that he called my husband and I by our names. Not miss, or sir, but by Julianne and Justin. And to me, that type of customer services really stand out and makes the experience more of a personal one. We would really love to hang with Cristiano when we come back to Cinque Terre!