Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre

Visiting the Cinque Terre National Park is an unforgettable experience. The place is simply marvelous, with breathtaking views at every corner. The landscapes are dreamy, and walking through the colorful villages feels like being in a living postcard. Additionally, the food is fabulous; every bite of the local cuisine is a delight for the senses. Definitely a five-star destination. Highly recommended for any nature and food lover!

This is one of the most amazing places we visited so far in the 🌎. We simple ❤ 🇮🇹. This is a super mega MUST place to vist in Italy. Restaurants are amazing and if course, shopping is a must. Not many bathrooms unless you eat in the restaurants or pay €2.00 per person.

Perfect summer trip! Actually I went there mid May, it wasn't so hot but neither cold, and neither full of people, so it was perfect! Very beautiful landscapes with cozy atmosphere, great restaurants with great options for both food and wine! There are hikings options boat tours, and also train with easy access to travel around the five cities Would totally recommend it and also come back to there!

We took a private boat tour from Porto Venere. It was about 5 hours tour with a couple of stops for just jumping and swimming in the open sea. We also stopped for an hour at Vernazza for lunch and shopping. The bottom line I think it is the best way to see all the five cities and appreciate the amazing views and also experience the Mediterranean

We enjoyed our trip and the spectacular views. As with most anywhere in Italy, it's a lot of walking up and down. Keeps you in shape! Delicious food!

The best way to visit Cinque Terre is with the train from La Spezia Central Station.
The train departs every 20 to 30 mins. It takes 20 to 30 mins to arrive at the furtherest point: Monterroso.
A bit of view over each place:
Monterosso - good beaches (filled with fine peebles). It is not as good looking as the others but still has an appeal. Try the orange gelato in one of the gelaterias. It's really good. Alternatively, just have coffee on the beach.
Vernazza - the most popular and most picturesque. Highly recommended. Almost every angle is a kodak moment. Try to have one of the many focaccia. They are delicious.
Caroniglia - a tricky one as it sits on a sheer cliff. So prepare yourself for a 10 minute ascent towards the town and 10 mins for descent. It is the most different one but I enjoyed it the most. Have a look for vantage points from up above over the other 4 cinque terre villages.
Manarola - a beautiful village by the sea with the same characteristics of the other 3.
Rio Maggiore is the second most beautiful village in my view.
Beautiful view from above and below.
A few tips: unless you really enjoy hiking, I'd suggest you hop on and hop off with the train. You can see more and get tired less. Don't worry, you'll cover plenty of steps regardless. Google Maps doesn't represent the true time for a walk as there is plenty to climb and descent.
If you are stressed for time, I'd go Vernazza, Corniglia, and Rio Maggiore . Try and do Rio during the golden hour. The colours are amazing!

A unique Italian experience. Walk through the tiny fishing towns and you are transported back to a simpler time, with real Italian culture and great views. Each town is different in it's own way.

But tourism has also clearly left it's mark and during the day it will be very crowded. Crowded to the point where you can hardly walk through the town and getting service at a restaurant requires you to wait in line for 30 minutes.

There a no public toilets, so you will need to order something at a restaurant to use thiers.

- Come early
- You will have to walk 5-20 minutes from the parking lot depending on the town.

The beautiful and brightly coloured houses that scatter the background of the Cinque Terre National Park is truly a bucket list item that you need to tick off.

Depending on the time of year, you can walk the hiking trails between the five towns. We were here on the 30th April and only 2 tracks were open.

It is worth buying the day passes which give you unlimited bus, train and ferry rides as well as access to the walking trails and the public toilets at the stations.

Try and arrive early and avoid moving between the towns from midday to 2pm when it's really busy.

Each of the 5 towns has something different to offer.

Highly recommend

Fabulous 2 day walk. Stayed in Levanto where you can squeeze in some surfing if so inclined. We walked to Vernazza from Levanto (180 floors). Second day started in Vernazza and walked to Riomaggiorre (240 floors). Not worth getting the train pass. Walk is more of lots of steep steps and way less busy than the crammed towns.

This is truly one of the most beautiful places I have visited! We traveled there by train from Florence. We spent three days in Cinque Terre. Our base camp was in Riomaggiore. You can very easily reach every town with the train. Or better yet, you can hike from town to town.

On the first day we took the train to Corniglia, and from there we hiked to Manarola. On the second day we took the train to Monterosso al Mare, and from there we hiked to Vernazza. The seaside towns are beautiful, but they get very busy with tourists during the day. That's the best time to hit the trails! You have the choice between the shorter seaside trails, or the longer, more challenging hill-top trails. The seaside trail will be busier with tourists. It was recommended to us to take the hilltop trails, and boy we are glad we did. The views were breathtaking, and we had the trails pretty much to ourselves, walking through vineyards and smaller communities. Then by the time we made it to the next town, the tourist rush was over and we could relax quietly on a patio and enjoy the town.

Cinque Terre was my favorite place to visit during our trip to Italy, and we're thinking about returning for a longer stay.

Visiting Cinque Terre is like stepping into a postcard. The vibrant colors of the houses against the backdrop of lush green hills and sparkling blue waters create a visually striking scene. Each village has its own unique charm and character, making it worth exploring all five during your visit.

Monterosso al Mare is the largest of the villages and boasts beautiful sandy beaches. It's a great spot to relax by the sea and enjoy fresh seafood at one of the local restaurants. Vernazza is often considered the most picturesque village, with its charming harbor and iconic church tower. Walking through its narrow streets, you'll discover cozy cafes and shops selling local products.

Corniglia is perched on a hilltop, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding area. Its unique location allows you to enjoy stunning vistas from almost anywhere in the village. Manarola is known for its romantic atmosphere and is a favorite spot for sunset viewing. The village's terraced vineyards produce some of the region's best wines.

Riomaggiore is the southernmost village and is famous for its vibrant houses cascading down the hillside towards the sea. The village has a lively atmosphere and offers opportunities for snorkeling and diving.

Cinque Terre is a hiker's paradise, with trails connecting the villages and providing incredible views of the coastline. The Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail) is the most popular, offering a scenic route between the villages.

In addition to its natural beauty, Cinque Terre is known for its delicious Ligurian cuisine, including pesto, fresh seafood, and focaccia bread. The region's wines, such as Sciacchetrà, are also a must-try.

Recommend to look into these villages from the sea. Take a boat tour instead of walking inside the villages. They are super crowded.

1.A must visit place in Italy to enjoy the spectacular beaches with colorful man made houses on the rocks.
2.It's best when visited during summer to enjoy more but any season visit will not disappoint you though..!!
3. You can complete all places in cinque Terre in 3 days.
4. Good train transport facilities available to visit all 5 villages with every hour train frequency..!!

Amazing natural wonder with peaceful cities around. Beautiful hiking trails around. Eat, drink, love.

Cinque Terre is a small village in the north of Italy, built along the winding Mediterranean coastline with five very close villages (five small villages from north to south: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore). The biggest feature of Cinque Terre is its winding and narrow colorful alleys, built on sea rocks, with beautiful views of the sea and sky.
Cinque Terre was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997 and was designated a national park in 1999. La Spezia is the only place you must pass to enter the Cinque Terre. There are many trains to the Cinque Terre. It only takes 20 minutes to get there. It is generally more convenient to live here. The means of transportation between the various villages in the Cinque Terre is the train, with a single fare of more than 3 euros. If you ride multiple times in a day, you can also buy a day ticket. Personally, I feel that the five villages have similar styles, so you don’t need to visit them all, just choose 2-3 that you like.

Great food and fantastic views! I go back here all the time in my mind. We came out the tunnel right at sunset. The train, the cities, the sea... it's a painting. The whole scene is stunning.

Stunningly beautiful part of Italy, though incredibly crowded for mid-June

Make sure you have plenty of time to explore all the small towns, try the local food and enjoy the sea. Amazing trip, travel in and out is easy although it can get crowded but train stations are easily accessible, suitable for groups and families.

We joined a group tour to see the 5 villages. They were all lovely but you really don't get enough time in each that way. I suggest staying in the area and having 2-3 days to visit them all. Or just visit one or two. We hiked between two villages and the trail and views were lovely! As was the cruise back to the starting point although were exhausted by that point. There are great local restaurants and shops in each village that are worth visiting. I am attaching a few photos from various villages we saw along the way!

Just bella bella Italia. This villages is like taken out of a fairy tale, I was very impressed with how this villages was built, something wonderful. The only minus is the huge crowds of people during the season, but it is understandable because everyone wants to see this amazing place😁