Visiting Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera: Planning a one-day visit
The Cinque Terre, the romantic and beautiful cliff villages of on the Italian Riviera, can be easily accessed by train for a terrific day trip out of Florence, Italy. We took at great tour of the five villages and were completely flawed by the beauty and quaint charm of the area.
Of course, any of these towns would be a great place to stay overnight, and it certainly is a different, peaceful experience when the day-trippers are gone for the day. But if you can’t fit a stay into your vacation itinerary, a day trip to this great location is still a great option. You can eat, hike, swim, and enjoy incredible views for one incredible day, thanks to easy accessibility from Tuscany. Here’s what we did.
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Where is Cinque Terre?
Known for its colorful beauty and relaxing pace of life, The Cinque Terre - or The Five Towns - is a group of old fishing villages strung together high on the rugged cliffs of the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region. Medieval terraces built on the steep terrain allow the local people in this naturally isolated area to grow grapes, olives, and other local delicacies overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Once only connected by mule tracks, the Cinque Terre can now be reached by rail or boat, and offers many tourist delights, like beautiful beaches, engaging hikes and delicious local food. And of course, the breathtaking vistas are a photographer’s dream.
Though there are many reasons to stay a few days and relax in any of these quaint little villages, a collective tour makes for a beautiful and diversionary day trip, especially if your Italian vacation is city-focused as ours was. It is literally a breath of fresh air!
How to get to Cinque Terre
We took a bus tour out of Florence that brought us to La Spezia, where we got on the Cinque Terre Express, the fast regional rail which runs through the villages.
Of course, you don’t need to take a formal tour - you can do this trip yourself, by taking a train from Florence to the La Spezia station to pick up the Cinque Terre Express; the whole ride takes about two hours. We think the best and easiest way to book train tickets in Europe is to use Trainline. This website & app makes it very easy to type in your starting point and destination and see what your options are, then book the ticket and put it right into your Apple Wallet.
We are usually not “tour people”, but this is just the kind of tour we like - transportation and guidance to the area, a laid-back guide offering plenty of info and suggestions, and lots of “hands off” time to ourselves to explore at every stop.
We visited four of the five towns - Vernazza, Monterosso, Manarola and Riomaggiore, each with its own personality. We did not visit Corniglia, as it is mostly for serious hikers and not easily included in a one-day experience. But I’ll still give some information about it in this post.
You can purchase a Cinque Terre Train Card, which includes unlimited train travel on the La Spezia - Levanto line, free use of the eco-friendly buses and free access to all walking paths.
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The beautiful Vernazza harbor features a small, sandy beach and small fishing boats. All photos by John O’Boyle / The Empty Nest Explorers
Visiting Vernazza
Our first stop was the village of Vernazza, and it is a beauty! It was a great introduction to what to expect during our daylong adventure. The town is characterized by a jumble of pastel-coloured dwellings stacked in the ledges around the one main street with many nice restaurants and shops.
We didn’t hesitate to sample a few snacks - the pesto at “La Focacceria” was recommended to us so we tried a couple different versions, served pizza-style on focaccia bread. Buonissimo!
Vernazza is said to produce some of the finest olive oil in all of Italy, and the entire region has the perfect climate to grow basil, so it’s no wonder that their pesto is so good. We also tried some very authentic gelato - lemon of course - from a very sweet shop owner followed by a rich and satisfying cappuccino for only 1.50 euro. All the treats were beyond enjoyable!
There are no cars in tiny Vernazza - they are only allowed once a week when the street markets come to town so the locals can shop - and immediately you feel the peacefulness of no traffic. Vernazza also features a pretty little harbor and hiking trails to some of the other towns.
As with all hikes in Cinque Terre, they are pretty physically challenging even if considered “easy” - the terrain is very steep and it can be very hot in the sun. So go slow, drink water and don’t oversell your own abilities.
We decided to forgo hiking at this first stop, as we only had about forty-five minutes to explore here and we still had a full day ahead of us. (That’s another nice thing about taking a tour as an introduction to the area - the tour guide knew what amount of time was useful to get a taste of every town, whereas we may not have been able to figure that out on our own.)
So Vernazza was all about the snacks and views for us. We enjoyed seeing the train buzzing through the cliffs - a touch of modernization that does not spoil the scenery at all. You have to marvel at the engineering feat of boring tunnels through these ancient cliffs; the first train lines were built in the 1870’s. It did remind me of a very wistfully built model train display. Only it was real! Vernazza was a good first stop because it is small and easy to navigate but still has stunning views.
The beach in Monterosso al Mare.
Visiting Monterosso al Mare
We took the train north one stop to Monterosso al Mare. This town is the largest of the Cinque Terre towns and a bit more like a tourist beach resort. It does have some cars, but still is very laid back.
The town is dominated by the ruins of a castle and features colorful medieval lanes and the pretty terraced houses that characterize the area. A tunnel under the castle connects the old town promenade to a breathtakingly beautiful beach, dotted with colorful umbrellas. It is the only extensive sand beach in the Cinque Terre, so if you want to do “beachy stuff”, this is the stop to do it.
The real star of course is the Mediterranean Sea, so clear and blue and inviting. There was enough time at this stop to take a dip and many did.
Monterosso lemons
We made this spot our lunch stop and picked Ristorante Ciak. We sat outside in the lovely weather and atmosphere of Old Town Monterosso, and enjoyed the local pesto and homemade pasta, delightfully tossed and served tableside. But the bright, verdant dish isn’t the only specialty of the area. Inside you could see the spread of local seafood laid out, which was served in clay ceramic hot pots to the tables.
Garlicky mussels, grilled octopus, calamari, and other local fish are the usual offerings throughout the Cinque Terre. And they take particular pride in their native anchovies, which are served in many different forms - fried, marinated, salt-cured or with pasta, and also in a layered baked dish with potatoes, tomatoes, and olive oil.
Even if you don’t care for them, you should give anchovies a go in Cinque Terre. A very different experience than out of the tin.
And of course, there are lemons, lemons, lemons, everywhere! Lemon trees grow all over the promenade and look so cheerily Italian. Every little shop offers all manner of lemony trinkets, from aprons to pottery to soap to tea, and on and on. So when we had some more gelato, even though we picked strawberry this time, we of course had a little scoop of lemon in the cup. When in Rome – I mean – when in Monterosso!
View from a hike high above Manarola. The stunning view is worth the steep climb.
Visiting Manarola
Charming and romantic Manarola was our next stop. We took the train south this time, passing Vernazza and Corniglia (where we did not visit on this particular tour) and stopping in Manarola. The first thing you notice about this town is how high up it is - built on a high rock 70 meters above sea level. It doesn’t have a real beach here like Monterosso does, but deep-water swimming is said to be some of the best in the world and it is a very popular spot for cliff diving.
Debbie and John hiking above Manarola.
The operative word for Manarola is STEEP. The town is characterized by “carrugi” - narrow stepped lanes and you really get a sense of how high up you are. It was here that we decided to do some hiking, led by our tour guide, Antonio.
Because this part of the Cinque Terre is a national park, it has better-maintained hiking trails, but the terrain can still be a little rough. I really recommend wearing sturdy shoes or at least sneakers. You can always tuck flip-flops into your bag for beachgoing, but you’ll want to have real shoes on for this kind of hiking. I saw some people taking this trail in sandals, but I do not think that’s a good idea.
It starts out paved but is a very steep climb, and then goes along the rough terraces with vineyards supported by stone walls. (Interestingly, they are referred to as “dry stone walls”, which means they are created without mortar. The stones are just carefully and tightly placed, and have to be regularly maintained by craftsmen who are experts at this ancient technique.)
This scenic trail connects Manarola to Corniglia - but you don’t have to go the whole distance to see spectacular views looking back at the villages and the Mediterranean. It’s also free and you don’t need a hiking pass.
This was one of the most memorable experiences we had while in Italy. The views from this trail are just stunning, almost otherworldly. Worth every rugged step.
Panoramic view of Manarola
Visiting Riomaggiore
One more ride on the Cinque Terre Express took us to the most southern village of Riomaggiore.
This small village has picturesque sea views and is dominated by its pretty little harbor. There are plenty of steps to climb, and admittedly, our legs were getting tired! So I think, as a day trip, we had done just the right amount of exploring by this time.
Riomaggiore is connected to Manarola by the famous Via Dell’Amore or “Lovers’ Walk” trail known for romantic landscapes as it winds through an excavated rock face that overhangs the sea.
In the winter, the wind and weather can be rough, and no tours take place during that time of year. The locals say they can read the wind; to know the wind is to know the weather. But being here in late May, the weather was just perfect.
The boys climbed the steep steps to take pictures of the harbor, but I sat this one out and did some people-watching. It was pretty crowded in this tiny town, which felt a little tighter than the other villages we visited and I might even say “grittier” but still lovely. One last cappuccino and we were ready to get on the train back to La Spezia.
Corniglia
The one village our tour did not cover was Corniglia, which is located in the middle of the Cinque Terre towns, between Vernazza and Manarola. If we had continued on the trail of our “big hike” in Manarola, we would have wound up in Corniglia. But the trail is quite challenging and not for the faint of heart.
Corniglia is the only Cinque Terre town that does not have access from the sea. The other towns are connected by ferries that run every hour. It is quieter than its more touristy sisters and looks less coastal and more like an inland town. If you are looking for a quiet place to stay in the region, this might be the place.
Best hotels in Cinque Terre
We enjoyed Cinque Terre so much we are absolutely planning to return for another visit. For our next visit, we’ll try staying overnight in Cinque Terre. If you’d like to stay overnight here are a few highly rated options.
Scorci Di Mare in Riomaggiore
Rooms with amazing views
150 feet from Riomaggiore’s rocky coast
many dining options nearby
Check dates and rates here
Hotel Souvenir in Monterosso
5-minute walk to the beach
Excellent breakfast included
flat screen tv, wifi, and private bathroom
Check dates and rates here
Final thoughts on visiting Cinque Terre
We really enjoyed taking a day trip from Florence to Cinque Terre. It gave us a good general overview of the area, and we definitely would like to go back and stay awhile sometime. Not every village has hotels, and they are generally small and family run. Other accommodations are bed & breakfasts, apartments and guesthouses, depending on what town you stay in.
There are castles and churches and ruins to explore in Cinque Terre that we did not focus on. For us, it was about the combination of nature and culture, photogenic views, hiking, and local food. And these are definitely things you can appreciate on a day trip.
With the bus and train ride from Florence, it is a long and tiring day, but we found it to be one of our favorite experiences in Italy. Thumbs up!
Oh and do try the white wine! They take pride in it!
If you are looking for more info about visiting Italy check out our post with tips for traveling in Italy and how to travel by high-speed train in Italy.
This post was researched and written by Debbie of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here.
Helpful links for visiting Cinque Terre
Tips on photographing Italy - https://www.theemptynestexplorers.com/blog/photo-tips-for-traveling-in-italy
City Wonders small group tour - https://citywonders.com/florence-tours/cinque-terre-and-portovenere-tour
Cinque Terre Express train - https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-timetable
Ristorante Ciak - https://www.ristoranteciak.net/
A few well-reviewed Cinque Terre tours:
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