Stop 3: Cinque Terre
The Five Villages of Cinque Terre
You’ve seen the photos - colorful houses stacked into the hillsides of these fishing villages. With no automobile access it’s a complete throwback in time. Trains, trails and boats connect the five villages, each one a bit different, all worth your visit.
But before we go too far, here’s how you pronounce it - Cheen. Qwa. Tear. Rah. Don’t make the tourist mistake of calling it Sinka Teary. A lot of people mispronounce it but you won’t.
Each of the five villages has its own personality.
Monterossa: The most “resort like” with a large beach, plenty of restaurants and more spread out.
Vernazza: Considered by some to be the most beautiful of the villages.
Corniglia: Not on the water, getting to town requires waiting for a shuttle or hiking the stairs but once there it’s charming.
Manarola: The natural harbor make for a popular cliff diving spot for the adrenaline seeking crowd.
Riomaggiore: The classic pastel colored houses all stacked on the hillside, postcard beautiful.
View from the Monterosso Train Station
Train from Florence to Cinque Terre
Remember what we already learned in the last section:
Trenitalia is the actual official train operator.
ItaliaRail is an agency that books tickets on the Trenitalia trains. This is the easier way to book your tickets.
Getting from Florence to Cinque Terre will require that you make at least one transfer. The train ride is about 3 to 3.5 hours depending on your train and connection. Trains run around 6 times a day.
How to Survive a Missed Train Connection
Taking a train from Point A to B is easy - transfers make it more challenging. Our first train was late in departing. We got to the next station with minutes to spare. However after running down stairs, into tunnels, up stairs, dragging our luggage, we missed our connection. We freaked out.
Next time we're going to plan ahead and check when the next train leaves so we know that a missed train might only mean a 30 minute delay until the next. Less stressful than trying to figure it out at a busy train station surrounded by frantic tourists all doing the same.
Where We Stayed in Cinque Terre
Which Village is Best to Stay at?
You’ll get a lot of varying opinions on this but we picked Monterosso. We wanted to be on or near the beach. We wanted lots of restaurant options. And Monterosso had the most hotel options. We picked what we thought was going to be one of our best hotel stays - but more on that in a moment.
Monterossa is divided into the “new” section by the beach, and the “old” section which is through a tunnel. Both are fine but for lodging you want the new section if you want to be near the water. When you search for hotels you might find some with great rates and views but do a google map search as some can be quite distant from the key attractions.
Monterosso is the largest of the villages but remains quaint
Staying Flexible, a Hotel Fiasco Adventure
And now we come to our first major issue. After doing all of our research we settled on Hotel La Villa degli Argentieri. It had the location, it was within our price range, but we must have been tired of looking at reviews or we would have seen the headlines “DO NOT BOOK HERE”, “BAD SERVICE”, or worse, the ominously foreshadow “CANCELED OUR RESERVATION”.
48 hours before we were to arrive they emailed us stating there was a problem with our credit card and gave us 24 hours to fix it. We instantly called, we entered another card just to be safe, then within an hour they completely canceled us and told us they were SOLD OUT. What? No hotel? They left us to figure it out. It was stressful, it was not fun, and their attitude sucked. Let me put it this way - I’m still waiting for their manager to call.
A big kudos to booking.com who helped us through this. They showed great compassion and worked hard to find us a new spot.
So… Where to Stay?
We ended up staying at Affittacamere Albamare, the only place left with a vacancy. And while it had no ocean view and was a 5 minute walk to the water, it was fine, clean, basically an apartment with a little kitchen and 2 bathrooms at half the price. If you find yourself looking to save a few bucks, this place was pretty good and very friendly.
Hotel Baia had the perfect location, right on the boardwalk overlooking the ocean. There are ocean view tables reserved just for hotel guests, making it a prime spot. Worth checking out - I’d stay there for sure.
La Terrazza Sul Mare Monterosso al Mare also looked very enticing. Superior location, ocean view.
Things to Do in Cinque Terre
Take a Hike from Monterosso to Vernazza
Transportation between the five villages is either train, boat, or via the hiking trail. We opted to hike, at least from Monterosso to Venazza. Access to the trails between Monterosso and Cornignia isn’t free because it’s a National Park - you must get a pass, available at the train station for €7,50. You can also wait in line at the trail head to purchase there, but save the time and buy it before.
The trail to Vernazza has plenty of eye catching views. Yes, it was scorching hot that day!
Monterosso to Vernazza is 3.5 km. That doesn’t seem that bad. And everyone we asked, including the woman in the train station selling the passes, said it was “easy”. Well, hmmm, I wouldn’t call it easy. In fact, with the uneven surfaces and stairs at every turn, it was downright hard. But we did it, we made it, and it was one of the highlights of our vacation. The views are stunning, the paths peaceful, and the reward at the end, lunch in Vernazza, was well worth the effort.
We originally planned to continue hiking to Corniglia, a hike some said was way easier but claimed to be even harder by some guides. And then we remembered the train that connects the villages and as the wine poured another hike seemed less likely. And that’s a regret because anyone can take a train but walking a trail in Italy, in Cinque Terre, that’s what vacation memories are made of.
2. Kick Back on the Beach in Monterosso
Warm water, extra buoyant due to the salt level, makes for a cooling diversion to the hot weather. The course sand, however, is a bit tough on the feet, just warning you. The public section is free but up the way a bit are umbrellas with two connecting lounge chairs you can rent for the day for around €25, highly recommended as that sun is hot and the sand is not very comfortable. Rent it in the morning and you can come and go, it’s yours for the entire day.
3. Visit The Other Villages via Water Taxi
The water taxi sounds like a GREAT idea but they packed us in like anchovies. Be ready to get slapped upside your head by someone taking a selfie. Still, it’s better than the train for the overall experience. We took it from Monterossa to Riomaggiore, about €13.
Riomaggiore has the famous stacked buildings. Take the walk up the center of town, there are plenty of places to eat or snack as well as shops. Once you are done you can catch the train to get to the next village.
Manarola has a natural harbor that’s popular with those who like to jump off the rocks. Bring your bathing suit whenever you leave your hotel. Even if you don’t dive it’s a great place to cool down.
Corniglia is not on the water. You’ll need to walk up the steep hill, climb 383 stairs, or wait for the public shuttle. We grabbed a private shuttle to avoid the wait. Once at the top the town is cute, quaint, with great views. Tip: If you see a cute restaurant with open seats, grab them. The town is so small and the crowds so large that you hesitate and you might end up having to wait a long time for another table to open up.
Vernazza is arguably the prettiest of the villages. We hiked here so our main goal was to find a cold beer and fresh seafood, both readily available.
4. Explore the Glorious Seafood Scene
Everywhere we turned there was fresh seafood, from crispy fried sea creatures served in paper cones as the best street food, to fresh anchovies which were light and lemony. Make dining a big part of your adventure in Cinque Terre. And while the seafood is superb, don’t forget that Cinque Terre is also the birthplace of Pesto and Focaccia and home to many local wineries. I dive deeper into the food scene in this section.
Things We Missed
Super fresh ingredients all over Cinque Terre
We had a great time in Cinque Terre but there are a few things we missed.
Sunset Cruise: There are plenty of options for getting on the water to watch the sunset. I live in a coastal town so I know all about touristy booze cruises but I’ll admit I was a bit jealous when I saw people getting on the boat as we walked to dinner, the brilliant sunset calling to them. The water taxi is no substitute for a sunset cruise.
Beach Chair Rentals: I don’t know why, for some reason we just assumed that beach chair and umbrella rentals were going to be super expensive. We didn’t know that they charge less in the afternoon and would have made our beach day way more enjoyable. Around €25 for the day and €10 for the afternoon, that’s crazy we did not do this.
Nessun Dorma in Manarola
As we watched the people jump off the cliffs we wondered why other people were taking this long, hot, steep walkway to the top. We did not know that not only are the views great but the path leads to Nessun Dorma, one of the best restaurants in Cinque Terre. Small tables on the cliff side, all local ingredients, no touristy pizza or pasta, it’s supposedly one of the most authentic and wonderful Cinque Terre food experiences.
The Pesto Experience is a way to sneak in a cooking class with your lunch at Nessun Dorma. Starting at 10:30 you avoid the crowds and get a unique Italian experience, making pesto in a fun group setting then staying for lunch and wine. They also have a Wine Experience at 5 PM, a small group experience with local bites. Both sound amazing, next time for sure.
