Cinque Terre travel blog — The fullest Cinque Terre travel guide for a great trip on a budget for the first-timers

Manarola can be considered the most beautiful village in Cinque Terre (according to many people’s feelings). The most beautiful is probably because the photos of Manarola Cinque Terre on Instagram are mostly of Manarola. There are also many colorful houses stretching on the mountainside, but more colorful, wider stretches and more open. The rocky beach area at the foot of the mountain is also more beautiful and there are many places for people to “sunbathe”. Especially Manarola has a small road along the cliff where you can walk up high and take pictures overlooking the beautiful main houses.

I rented a hotel here so from La Spezia I took the train straight to Manarola. From the train station will pass a short tunnel to enter the center. The disadvantage of Manarola is the train station was separate from the ticket counter, there were no staff at the station to ask if there were problems with the train schedule or finding the train number. It’s very easy to get on the wrong train and the train is often arrival and depart very late.

What to do in Manarola?

Watch the sunset in Manarola: This is the only village you can watch the sunset properly, because the sun is still visible. Watching the sunset here reminds me of the sunset in Oia – Santorini, everyone gathered together at a spot and watched the sun go down. The angle to see the sunset is also in the form of 45 inclination because the slope of the mountain slopes gradually tilt to the northwest.

Participate in activities on the coast: Because the coast is full of large rocks, here you can sunbathe, or “jump bridge” from the top down. There are a number of waters that surround the big rocks like a cool miniature pool.

Visit the vineyards: Manarola has a lot of vineyards on the mountain so you can both hiking and visiting these gardens.

Pose and pose: There are too many corners to have super beautiful, super fantasy images in Manarola. You can stand at the rocks near the coast, or follow the small trail up to pose. The most beautiful is probably choosing a restaurant, cafe at the end of this long trail, sitting right next to the balcony and looking directly out to Manarola. The best view is Nessun Dorma restaurant.

What to eat?

There are quite a few restaurants in this village, but the most famous is probably Trattoria Dal Billy, beautiful view, delicious food but the price is quite high. Alternatively you can choose Pizza take away, wait outside and also can eat here. Restaurant Pizza is Pizzeria & focacceria La Cambusa.

Hiking from Manarola to Corniglia: This trail is quite beautiful.

Corniglia Village

The lovely little village is located on a hill so there is no beach nor the beautiful scenery like the other villages. Corniglia’s train station is also on a hill high above the sea level. However, there is a shuttle bus around the area.

What to do?

I am not very impressed with this village but this may be a favorite for travelers who want to stay quiet away from the noisy area. You can stroll to visit the small corners of the village, watch the sea from the top of the mountain or simply find a small restaurant for your lunch.

What to eat in Corniglia?

It seems that this village is home of more cafe or bar than famous restaurants. You can refer to shops like Caffe Matteo specializing in Italian cuisine with pizza, pasta with wine, Er Posu Cafe specializing in breakfast and lunch, Pan e Vin Bar with coffee and sandwiches.

Hiking from Corniglia to Vernazza

This trail is the most difficult trail in Cinque Terre, taking about 2 hours with nearly 4km. But if you hike along this trail, you will enjoy many beautiful views of both villages. The trail is not only long but it is quite difficult to go with many sections with bumpy and slippery stones.

Vernazza Village

Vernazza is the village that left me the most unforgettable impression, not because it was the most beautiful but because of the many bad experiences here. The village also has eye-catching mountain range houses, the pier extends to the coast so you can stand under the pier and take a look at the entire village.

This is one of the three most famous villages of the Cinque Terre with Manarola and Riomaggiore. Vernazza is no less bustling than Manarola, there are countless options for eating and playing in the village. This is also the place you should consider to stay because rental hotels and apartments are quite diverse.

What to do?

Up the hill and view the whole village: Unlike Manarola, Vernazza does not have the mountain trails to see opposite the houses hanging on the cliffs. But this village has a beautiful view from the top of the mountain. Moreover, if you hiking from Corniglia or Monterosso to Vernazza, you also see a lot of beautiful view points.

Doria Castle Castle: Built from the middle of the 11th century and located at the farthest tip on the top of the village of Vernazza, Doria Castle is easily recognizable with the tall tower facing the sea. The way to climb here is quite difficult, but the results are worth the money!

Relax on the beach: The beach in Vernazza is not too big and mostly rocky, but this is a relaxing walk and enjoy the sun.

Other activities: In Vernazza you can buy a boat tour around the villages, or joining a cooking class. If you have a good financial condition, you can rent a half-day boat for about € 140.

What to eat?

This village is famous for its many delicious and rich taste ice cream shops. Gelato in Vernazza you can find out in some famous shops like Gelateria Il Porticciolo and Gelateria Vernazza. The delicious shops is usually crowded and waiting in line for a long time.

The restaurants in Vernazza you should try is Piadiamo Vernazza, which specializes in sandwiches, Vernazza Winexperience, mainly snack with wine. Il Pirata delle Cinque Terre is more famous, but this restaurant is quite far from the beach and has to walk high up into the village.

Hiking from Vernazza to Monterosso

This trail is also a difficult type to hike in Cinque Terre, you should be prepared carefully for tools such as good climbing shoes, bring full drinking water. The path is small and narrow, sometimes slippery because of dirt. In return, there are quite a lot of beautiful views and spots along the way.

Monterosso al Mare Village

This is the largest village in Cinque Terre which is also the farthest from La Spezia. However Monterosso is the only village that actually has a beach in Cinque Terre, other villages with sea but are all under the cliff. If you want a variety of dining options, you should choose stay here, there are many hotels, accommodation and a large number of restaurants. Eating seafood in Monterosso is great.

What to eat?

Some famous restaurants in Monterosso like eating pizza in Pizzeria La Smorfia, eating seafood in Il Bocconcino also specializes in street food. If you want to eat cheaper you can choose Gastronomia San Martino – specialize Italian food with prices ranging only around 10 euros / person.

Because it is the only village with a real beach and stretches, you can sunbathe all day here by renting chairs and umbrellas. Also visiting around the village is a good idea, shopping and there are some churches here. Hiking from here can take 2 hours to reach Venazza, the view is very beautiful.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Cinque Terre you can refer to

• Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence
• Cinque Terre and Portovenere Day Tour from Milan
• Cinque Terre Guided Day Trip from Milan
• Pisa and Cinque Terre Guided Day Trip from Florence or Pisa
• Cinque Terre and Portovenere Day Tour from Florence
• Private Day Tour of Cinque Terre with Florence Departure
• Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence
• Best of Cinque Terre with Local Lunch
• From La Spezia: Cinque Terre Sailing Tour by Speedboat
• Florence: Cinque Terre Day Trip with Optional Hike and Lunch
• Cinque Terre Tour: Porto Venere, Monterosso and Vernazza
• Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore, Monterosso, Vernazza Boat Cruise
• From Monterosso: Cinque Terre Kayak Tour
• From La Spezia: Cinque Terre Cruise Shore Excursion
• Milan: Cinque Terre Full-Day Guided Trip With Cruise
• Cinque Terre Sunset Boat Tour
• From La Spezia: Cinque Terre Full-Day Boat Tour
• From Florence: Cinque Terre Full-Day Trip
• From Florence: Cinque Terre Full-Day Trip with Lunch
• From Florence: Pisa and Cinque Terre Full-Day Tour
• From Florence: Full-Day Private Cinque Terre w/ Pisa

If you are interesting to another paradise tourist destination with so many beautiful colorful houses hanging on the cliffs like Cinque Terre let’s check Positano: Positano blog — The fullest Positano travel guide for a great trip to beautiful Positano on a budget for the first-timers.