If you’re looking for a unique place to visit in Italy with incredible views, Cinque Terre might be the place for you. We visited these five beautiful villages for three full days, and it was amazing in every way. There’s a lot to do and see in Cinque Terre, so this guide will be helpful if you plan to visit sometime soon.
In this post, I cover everything we did, where we ate, where we stayed and how we got around. It’s a lot of information, but I broke it down by each day so that it would be a little more organized. I included TONS of photos, so that should give you a better sense of the area as well. If Cinque Terre isn’t already on your bucket list, it will be after reading through this post.
Table of Contents
Overview
Where We Stayed: Airbnb in Riomaggiore
Transportation: We took a train from Florence to La Spezia and then La Spezia to Riomaggiore. We booked the train tickets ahead of time. Once we were in Cinque Terre, we walked around the towns and used the train to get between towns. We bought a 2-day unlimited train pass to get between the towns of Cinque Terre. It was about $30 a person for a 2-day train pass.
Day 1
We arrived in Riomaggiore around 1 PM after taking a train from Florence. There really isn’t a good way to drive a car into town, so you will more than likely be taking the train. You could take the ferry from La Spezia, but that would be much slower than a train.
After a steep climb with 100+ pounds of luggage, we made it to our Airbnb. It was an extremely difficult walk to the apartment, so keep that in mind if you are traveling to this area. My advice would be to bring less luggage and wear comfortable shoes. Cinque Terre is anything but flat.
The climb up the hill was 100% worth it because the view from our Airbnb was unbelievable. I think I could have sat on the patio all day. The water was so blue and so clear, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I loved having this view of the Italian Riviera during our stay in Cinque Terre. If you are looking for a great place to stay with a view, this Airbnb would be a great option.
Once we freshened up a bit, we walked into town to find some food. We ended up at Enoteca Dau Cila, which has an amazing view of the water and colored houses. I would highly recommend this restaurant, as the food was delicious and the views were even better. It’s the perfect place to relax with a glass of vino.
We decided to order the local fare which included fritto misto and pesto pasta. Of course, we had to order a bottle of sparkling wine to pair with the food. I probably could have sat on this restaurant patio all day because it was so nice outside. To be honest, I think this ended up being one of our favorite meals in Riomaggiore!
After finishing up with lunch, we decided to spend the rest of the day exploring Riomaggiore. There are TONS of shops and restaurants in this town, so you could easily spend a few hours walking around. I would recommend exploring a few of the side streets, as there are some hidden gems in those areas.
If you’d rather get out on the water, Riomaggiore offers several different types of boat rentals. You can do anything from sailboats to gozzo boats to fishing boats. They have it all! There is no shortage of things to do in this town.
When we arrived at the train station earlier that day, we noticed a restaurant/bar right on the water. I was really curious about this place, so we ended up venturing back that way. Just when I thought the views couldn’t get any better, they did. You can’t see the colored houses from this part of town, but you do get an amazing view of the Italian Riviera. I mean…..look at that blue water!
We ended up grabbing a quick drink at A Pie de Ma, which was the restaurant/bar we had noticed earlier that day. They don’t offer service, so you have to order your drinks at a counter before grabbing a seat outside. They have plenty of outdoor seating, and you’re guaranteed to have an amazing view wherever you sit. This was a great little stop for an afternoon treat. They also have a full food menu if you want to eat a meal here.
After walking around Riomaggiore all afternoon, we went back to our Airbnb to sit on our balcony. We had a bottle of sparkling wine with us, so we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to enjoy it. It was a great way to unwind for a couple hours before dinner.
We didn’t make reservations for dinner, and we quickly realized that was a mistake. When we ventured out for dinner around 7:30 PM, all of the restaurants were packed! I was really surprised because it was still “early” as far as dinners go in Italy.
After wandering around for a few minutes, we ended up finding a restaurant called Trattoria La Grotta. They had both indoor and outdoor seating, but we had to sit inside since we didn’t have a reservation. Overall, I was really impressed with this place and it was pretty healthy overall. We ordered fresh fish for dinner, and I thought it tasted delicious. I feel like you can’t go wrong ordering fish when you are near a body of water!
After dinner, we made the hike back up to our Airbnb to catch the last few minutes of daylight. I have to say, Riomaggiore has some of the BEST sunsets I’ve ever seen. Honestly, it was one of those moments in life where you wanted time to stand still. It was pure magic.
Day 2
The next morning, we woke up a little bit earlier so we could take some pictures before the crowds rushed in. It was fun to get a few shots of the town in the morning light. It was so quiet and peaceful that morning in Riomaggiore.
After our photoshoot, we took the train to Manarola, which happens to be the closest town to Riomaggiore. We walked around town for a little bit and decided to stop at a café for a cup of coffee. I highly suggest trying the coffee in Italy even if you aren’t a regular coffee drinker. The coffee in Europe is so much better than anything you will find in the states.
We strolled around Manarola for an hour or so and admired the beauty of this coastal town. There isn’t really beach access in this town, but some people were laying out on the rocks near the water. You can get a really good view of the colorful houses if you walk down the hiking path towards Corniglia.
Our next activity of the day was a Pesto Cooking Class at Nessun Dorma. I heard great things about this place, and I knew we would enjoy it since we love pesto. We were also going to try some of the local wine while making pesto, so we were sold on this experience.
The class started out with a little background on pesto and where it originated from. After a brief history lesson, we started making our own pesto by picking the basil leaves directly from the plant.
Picking the basil leaves was probably one of the easiest parts of the pesto making process. It was hard work when it came time to actually crush the basil leaves. You need a LOT of upper body strength if you want to make fresh pesto! Alex and I had to take turns crushing the basil because we were starting to sweat.
The biggest surprise when making the pesto was how much cheese and olive oil we used. We used both Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino. Most of the saltiness came from the cheese, so you really don’t need to add much salt to make fresh pesto.
After all of our hard work making pesto, we were finally able to enjoy some delicious wine and yummy snacks. The local white wine was really refreshing and paired nicely with our charcuterie. We were served a variety of cured meats, cheeses and focaccia. Of course, we spread the fresh pesto on just about everything we ate. I didn’t want to let any of it go to waste!
After an amazing experience at Nessun Dorma, we took the train to Vernazza, another one of the five towns in Cinque Terre. I didn’t know much about this town, but I thought it would be fun to explore and see what we could find.
When we arrived at the train station, there were SO many people and we could hardly move. I was surprised to see this because none of the other towns in Cinque Terre had been this crowded.
Once we got through the mass of humanity, we made our way to the main street of Vernazza. There were tons of shops and restaurants located in the center of town, but nothing looked super unique. All of the shops seemed very similar to things I had seen in Riomaggiore and Manarola, so I didn’t feel the need to stop in.
We did, however, make a pitstop at a local gelato shop for a sweet treat. I guess we wanted a little palate cleanser after all our pesto and salty snacks. We split a pistachio cone and decided to keep exploring the town.
Since there were so many people in the center of town, we decided to hike up a set of stairs to see if we could find something less crowded. It was pretty challenging climb up, but we ended up finding a nice restaurant/bar that had an amazing view of the Italian Riviera. Part of the restaurant was reserved for guests ordering a full meal and part of the restaurant was for people who just wanted to order a drink.
We ended up grabbing a couple glasses of the local wine while we soaked in the gorgeous views. It was so relaxing, and it was nice to get away from all the people down below. I thought it was neat to see all the different boats on the water. I so wish that we would have done a boat tour of Cinque Terre because it would have given us a totally different perspective of the area.
Since Vernazza was too crowded and overwhelming for us, we decided to take the train to the next town up, Monterosso al Mare. This is the biggest and the oldest town in Cinque Terre, and they are most well-known for the beaches and colorful umbrellas. We were planning to do a beach day in Monterosso, so I wanted to get a sense of the town before committing to an entire day there.
Overall, I was really impressed with this town, and it didn’t seem as crazy crowded as Vernazza. There are a few restaurants located on the beach, so you’ll have some options if you are looking for a nice view. Some beaches were private and others were public. To get access to the private beach with the colorful umbrellas, you’ll have to pay 20 Euro a spot. That includes two chairs and the umbrella. All things considered, I don’t think that’s too bad of a price!
We ended up grabbing a quick drink on the beach since it was such a nice day. We couldn’t help ourselves and we wanted to soak in as much sunshine as we could! The restaurant we sat at is called Nuovo Bar Eden and it’s very easy to find. They have a full menu, so it’s a great place to grab lunch if you decide to do a beach day in Monterosso.
After a fun day of hopping around the different towns, we finally made our way back to Riomaggiore. We walked back to our Airbnb to relax on the patio and freshen up a bit before dinner. For dinner, we had made reservations at Rio Bistrot for 7 PM. We tried to get into this restaurant the previous evening, but they were completely full. If you decide to make a reservation, make sure to request an outdoor spot! Depending on where you get seated outside, you should have a nice view of the water.
I really enjoyed our meal, and I liked that we ordered a wide variety of dishes including pesto ravioli and fresh seafood. Of course, our Italian wine was amazing as well. I definitely have a newfound appreciation for Italian wine after this trip.
We ended the evening by watching the sunset from our Airbnb patio. This was one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen, and it was such a peaceful evening. Watching the sunset in Cinque Terre is one activity that cannot be missed! It will take your breath away.
There’s nothing better than watching the sunset with the ones you love. 🙂
Day 3
For our last day in Cinque Terre, we took the train to Monterosso al Mare so we could sit by the beach all day. You can rent an umbrella and two chairs for about 20 Euro. It’s a pretty good deal if you plan on staying most of the day. Also, you are able to leave and come back if you need to run to the restroom or a nearby restaurant to grab a bite to eat.
We had the most beautiful weather for a beach day, so we ended up staying the majority of the day. It worked out really well because we were able to order takeaway lunches and a bottle of wine from a nearby restaurant. There are no food or alcohol restrictions on this beach, so you can pretty much bring whatever you want. Surprisingly enough, you can even bring glass!
There are several restaurants and shops nearby, so you really don’t have to buy food ahead of time. It was really easy for us to grab a lunch to go from the restaurant across the street. Also, there are several gelato shops near the beach if you are in need of an afternoon treat.
After spending several hours on the beach, we made our way back to Riomaggiore. Once we freshened up a bit, we decided to walk around town and see what else we could find on our last night. We decided to stop at Bar O’Netto for a quick cocktail and a few snacks. I LOVE all of the complimentary snacks you get when you sit down for a drink. It’s one of the best things about Europe!
I ordered a margarita, and it was actually really good. I was impressed because I didn’t expect much out of an Italian margarita. This bar also served tons of snacks including peanuts, chips, olives and a few different types of bread. It was more food than we were expecting!
Since we ate SO many snacks during happy hour, we didn’t need much for dinner. We decided to grab take away dinner from Mamma Mia!, which was practically next-door to the bar. They serve a bunch of different fried foods in paper cones. Most people were getting the calamari cone, but we decided on the chicken nuggets and fries. I guess we were missing American fast food or something! Even though it wasn’t anything special, it definitely hit the spot.
Overall, we LOVED our time in Cinque Terre, and I wish we could have done even more. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and I have a feeling we will be back someday soon. I would love to experience a boat ride in the Italian Riveria, and I also think it would be fun to do a little hiking between the towns. I was so impressed by everything we saw, and I think there’s something for everybody regardless of what type of traveler you are.
If you’re curious about what else we did in Italy, check out some of my other posts linked below.
- Two Weeks in Italy
- Rome in a Day
- Tuscany – Montepulciano
- Tuscany – San Gimignano, Volterra, Borgo Pignano
- Two Days in Florence
- Italy – What I Wore
Of course, if you have any other questions about Cinque Terre, feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail. Ciao for now!
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