Top 10 things to do in Cinque Terre, Italy
Cinque Terre consists of 5 beautiful and colourful towns, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, along the North Italian coast. I spent an incredible 5 days there in 2019 and these are my top 10 things you must include in your visit!
Stay at Alla Marina Affittacamere
We had the most incredible accommodation at Alla Marina Affittacamere. These apartments are right on the water in Riomaggiore with amazing views over the town and sea. The hosts were lovely and the location was perfect. Couldn’t recommend it enough!
Spend a day in Vernazza
We spent a day in Vernazza, exploring the colourful streets, eating fresh food and tasting gelato flavours. After a jam packed morning, we spent the afternoon lazing on the rocks, reading our books, swimming in the harbour and people watching. A truely Italian and wholesome day.
Vernazza to Monterosso hike
Not only do you get to see the famous shot overlooking Vernazza, you’ll enjoy an incredible walk and end up in a new town. The Vernazza to Monterosso hike is 7.6km, 4.5 miles and takes about 3 hrs and 30 mins (catch the train back). The hike is beautiful, walking through vineyards and along the stunning coast, although it is a steep climb with lots of stairs. You may also be fortunate to hear live music from buskers along the track.
You’ll finish in Monterosso, the largest town in Cinque Terre. Monterosso has a bigger beach with day beds available to purchase or you can find a spot along the rocks. There are a lot of bars and restaurants along the beach but we went a few streets back and found a family run restaurant, La Taverna Di. The food was authentic and uncomplicated but was beautiful and fresh! I enjoyed some of the freshest bruschetta I’ve ever had and still think about to this day.
Riomaggiore to Corniglia hike
Drink prosecco at sunset from the sea wall at Riomaggiore
As we stayed in Riomaggiore, we did this simple and inexpensive activity more than once . Grab a bottle of prosecco from the convenience store and make your way along the sea wall before the sunsets. As you pop open your prosecco, watch the sunset over the ocean and watch it cast beautiful light on the colourful town.
Eat pasta and pizza from Il Maggiore, Riomaggiore
Il Maggiore became our local restaurant as it had terrific food and beautiful people. We went here most nights to either sit in the restaurant and soak in the atmosphere or to get takeaway pizza and head to the sea wall with our wine. I’d definitely recommend the mushroom pizza, we couldn’t look past it, and of course a couple of Aperol Spritz!
Sip aperols at Nessun Dorma, Manarola
Nessun Dorma is a well known bar and restaurant in Manarola that overlooks the beautiful town. Here you can enjoy aperols and delicious bruschetta and take in the colourful town. If you can, I’d recommend going in the afternoon to be there for sunset. It is very popular so there is often a line. Factor this into your plans
Eat lasagna from Il Porticciolo
After some drinks and bruschetta at Nessun Dorma, head to Il Porticciolo for dinner. This authentic italian restaurant had the best lasagne I’ve ever tasted - thank me later!
Eat seafood in a basket
In every town there are these takeaway shops that have fresh seafood in takeaway baskets. Make sure you try these as they are so fresh, being in fishing towns and are the perfect snack to carry around as you explore the town.
Kayak along the coast
If you’ve got a couple of hours to kill, hire a kayak and see the towns from the sea. We hired kayak’s from Riomaggorie.
TIP: The most economical way to explore all the towns is to buy a Cinque Terre pass each day. The pass includes access to the trails, unlimited train and bus access and access to the museums.