Enjoy at the fullest the beauty of Cinque Terre, Italy
Cinque Terre literally means “Five Lands” in Italian and it is a dreamy destination along the Ligurian coast made up of five, wonderful, colorful and unique villages well worth the visit.
The landscape and territory have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is, in fact, the natural beauty of the place that really stands out.
Visiting Cinque Terre might be a great pause to the many historical and cultural attractions scattered all around Italy. It is interesting to know that this destination was pretty much unknown to tourists until the 1960s, especially due to the difficulty to reach the cliffs (unless you had a boat).Today, Cinque Terre has become fairly popular and has good infrastructures and services offered to visitors that want to reach them.
How to get there
All the five towns can be easily reached by car, but some are thrown off by the narrow roads on the edge of the cliffs and the high parking fees. A good recommendation to save some money is to leave the car near La Spezia, for examples in a secure parking slot in the train station and take the train to the train. There’s a train line connecting all five villages with Rome, Pisa and Genoa. If you’re travelling from Milan or Florence, you should take trains to Genoa or Pisa and then take the line to the Cinque Terre. Alternatively, there are ferries getting there leaving from Portofino, Porto Venere and Genoa.
Once, you have decided how to get there, you only have left to explore the iconic villages!
The Villages from south to north
1. Riomaggiore
This village is for many the first stop when getting to Cinque Terre. It has a pretty harbour and the beautiful postcard views to take wonderful photos. You can appreciate romantic sunset sights and climb on top of the cliff to admire the best view of the village.
2. Cinque Terre is Hilly. Really Hilly
Many travellers arrive at the train station in Riomaggiore, the largest of the five villages and are then surprised to learn that their hotel is located hillside. It’s not uncommon to climb 100+ stairs to reach your hotel. Once you’ve reached your accommodation, you may have to carry your luggage up several flights of stairs.You need to be aware of this if you travel with havy luggage.
3. Avoid the italian holidays weekends
Holiday weekends in Italy are when the rest of the country comes to the coast. That means that not only are there lots of foreign tourists in the Cinque Terre at these times of the year, but all the Italian holidayers are here as well. If you can plan your trip for the weekdays instead of the weekends altogether, even better.
Holidays to keep your eyeballs peeled for and avoid, if possible:
Easter weekend
April 25th — Italian Liberation Day
May 1st — Labor Day
June 2nd — Republic Day
August 15th — Ferragosto
4. Vernazza
Vernazza is probably the most popular village in Cinque Terre. It has a small, sandy beach, a cute harbour and a piazza where you can grab a delicious gelato and watch people passing by. Of course, Vernazza also has breathtaking views to offer, no matter where you find yourself at.
5. Monterosso al Mare
This is the biggest village, it has more than one street and divided into an old town and a new town. There are many sandy beaches to chill at and work on your tan and a long seaside promenade.
That said, everyone finds its favourite village after visiting the Cinque Terre. To go there is definitely a remarkable experience: what are you waiting for?
