Cinque Terre

From Wikitravel

Cinque Terre, which means Five Lands, is a hidden gem of Italy and a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Site. Five small coastal villages in Liguria make up Cinque Terre, connected by a train line and hiking trails.

A village of Cinque Terre
Cliffs over the Mediterranean
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Cliffs over the Mediterranean
Another village of Cinque Terre
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Another village of Cinque Terre
Another village of Cinque Terre
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Another village of Cinque Terre
Red Flower along walking path, Mediterranean in background
Enlarge
Red Flower along walking path, Mediterranean in background
Table of contents
1 Cities
2 Get in
3 Get around
4 See
5 Do
6 Eat
7 Drink
8 Sleep
9 Get out

Cities

Get in

Cinque Terre is serviced by rail and each of the villages has a train station. Regular local trains from Genoa and La Spezia.

If you're travelling by car, be prepared to leave the car outside the town area. Roads are very narrow at some places!

Get around

See

Do

The Cingue Terre boasts some of the best coastline hiking trails in the world. The path from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called the Via Dell'Amore (or roughly "Lovers Walk"). The beautfiul trail along the shore is very easy to hike. The next hike from Manarola to Corniglia is also easy. The trail from Corniglia to Vernazza offers incredible views of shore and is only steep at certain places. The trail from Vernazza to Monterosso is the steepest (but not overly demanding), winding through Olive orchards and vineyards and offering dramatic ocean views.

The walk between all the village takes the better part of a day. For those that would rather not walk (or not walk the entire trail), a pedestrian ferry service runs seasonally to all five villages, plus Lerici. The price is reasonable, and gives a nice view of the villages from the water. The milk train that connect all the villages is also a quick way to hop among towns.

Hiking Times

Monterosso - Vernazza: 90 minutes.

  • Narrow trail, steep at times. Beautiful views of Vernazza.

Vernazza - Corniglia: 90 minutes.

  • Amazing Views of Vernazza; greenest trail.

Corniglia - Manarola: 45 minutes.

  • Scenic low trail past a beach.

Manarola - Riomaggiore: 20 minutes.

  • The famous Via del amore, paved flat trail cut into the cliff.

Eat

  • Manarola
    • Restaurant Il Porticiello

Drink

Sleep

At least one of the villages has a hostel.

Monastery of S. Bernardino, above Corniglia, offers accommodation for about 60€ per room.

You can also easily find private rooms for rent. If you can't see signs, ask in a cafe.

The town of Lerici, a couple of kilometers to the south, has several hotels, including the Hotel Europa and Hotel Doria.

Get out