20 Dec Cinque Terre Itinerary – How I Explored the Villages and Beyond
Cinque Terre.
Italy. I have been in love with Italy ever since I first stepped out of the plane that took me to Venice.
Since that first visit I can safely say I have visited Italy quite a lot.
From Venice to Rome, from Milan to Bologna or from Puglia to Sicily, these last years have been amazing for me and my travels to Italy.
On a hot July, some time ago, my steps took me to Cinque Terre and since that day this little area has remained in my heart.
What I want to do in this post is to tell you about my itinerary (since I traveled a bit even outside Cinque Terre) and let you enjoy some pictures that are dear to me.
I already posted an article about my accommodation in that area and if you read it you know by now that I chose Moneglia as a base for my travels.
The reason is simple. During summer months Cinque Terre can get pretty crowded and therefore prices will get high. Little villages next to this area will be cheaper and places like Levanto, Bonassola, Moneglia, Deiva Marina or even Sestri Levante are beautiful on their own.
While La Spezia is another option I wouldn’t stay there for one reason: it is a bigger town. And a bigger town, even if it’s beautiful, means more cars, more noise, more people.
When staying in little villages like Moneglia you can count the cars in a day and you wouldn’t reach a high number and even if there are places where traffic cannot be restricted (think of London, New York, Istanbul), places like these are even more charming in a quiet setting.
Before I start getting into details I will admit that, yes, it is possible to visit all 5 villages in a day. Rush yourself from morning till night and visit them, but I will tell you from the start this is a bad move.
Italy is not about rushing from one place to another just to check things off. It is about soaking in the whole feeling of the country, enjoying your time there, tasting a glass of wine, hearing the locals laugh and talk and enjoying a great meal.
Yes, if there are budget constraints you can take a day pass train ticket and visit the little towns fast, one after the other and you’ll see them all in a day.
But if you have a few free days, here is how I split my itinerary when I visited Cinque Terre:
Day 1- Riomaggiore and Manarola
Day 2-Vernazza, Corniglia and Monterosso al mare
Day 3-Lerici and Portovenere(Golfo dei Poeti)
Day 4-Portofino and Camogli
Day 5-Moneglia.Just enjoying the beach and getting a tan.
Since the train from Moneglia to Cinque Terre took about 30 minutes I split my days as follows:
Breakfast and getting a tan for 1:30-2:00 hours
Visiting starting from 12:00 until evening
This is what I was telling you about relaxing and taking your time. There are certain places where you need to rush from site to site, change means of transportation, stand in long queues to enter a monument. Cinque Terre is not like this. Cinque Terre is about unwinding, about watching the sunset in peace, about taking a swim in the morning then moving slowly and enjoying the area.
What is beautiful in Cinque Terre is that you are not exploring, searching for something specific, but rather enjoying what this place has to offer.
There is no such thing as a must-see, but rather you can relax, walk around and feel the place.
So that being said, let us start:
Day 1
Landed in Milan Bergamo, took the bus to Centrale, train to Genoa, train to Moneglia. Yes, it is pretty difficult but when I went back to Milan there was a direct train so no problem there.
After leaving my bags at the hotel and grabbing a bite to eat (I will review this place in a later post) I walked for 500 meters to Moneglia train station and boarded the first train towards Riomaggiore. I noticed that many travelers, regardless if they come from Genoa or La Spezia, stop at Monterosso first. I did the opposite and chose Riomaggiore as my first stop.
Riomaggiore is my second favorite village from the five and I loved it from the start. I think the most common picture when people think of this place is the little pier with boats on it, the small incline letting the boats rest in the sun.
Now, you may expect a big description for each village but that is out of the point. Some places are only understood when seen.
For example, when you think of Burj Khalifa you don’t need to see it to understand it is tall. But trying to explain small colored fishing villages in Italy is a bit more difficult.
I think Riomaggiore is better to see first than Monterosso because of its size. Monterosso is the biggest of the five villages and the most crowded. From what I remember there are also cars in some parts of it so in a way it is different from Vernazza or Riomaggiore for example.
The second village that day was Manarola. Manarola is a bit larger when compared to Riomaggiore but beautiful nonetheless. Many travelers think of Manarola as the most beautiful place in Cinque Terre so you could give it a bit of extra time when visiting.
Day 2
This day started with my favorite village: Vernazza. I just love this place. From the moment I stepped down from the train I felt so good and I enjoyed it so much that it was already my favorite even before reaching the pier.
Vernazza’s bay is the most photographed image from Cinque Terre and I think this says a lot about how beautiful this place is. To top things off I had an incredible dish of pasta in a restaurant near the water which I already reviewed on the blog and that dish stayed in my mind for a long time.
Next stop was Corniglia and I must warn you that this is the only village that doesn’t have direct access to the beach. From the train station you can climb the stairs (a lot of them) to reach the village or you can take a small white van (little bus) that takes people up. I chose the stairs due to the fact that I didn’t want to wait for the van and my physical condition was ok at that time.
For me Corniglia was OK but nothing special. Maybe due to the fact that it has no beach, no boats, I don’t know. There are some nice views from up there but I’m more of a sea-type of guy so for me Manarola, Vernazza and Riomaggiore were better options.
The last stop of the day brought me to Monterosso and here I have mixed feelings. First, the village is much larger than the rest, its streets are wider, more people present, more room for souvenir shops. While I found it pretty, I wouldn’t put this place in my top three villages of Cinque Terre.
Day 3
After a quick tan I boarded the train and headed towards Lerici and Portovenere. Golfo dei Poeti as this area is known, close to Cinque Terre but not part of it.
From La Spezia I took a bus directly to Lerici and I think the trip lasted around 30 minutes (only for the bus).
I won’t write much about Lerici since I wasn’t too impressed by the place. It is ok, just ok, but not my thing.
I bought a ticket on the boat to Portovenere from there and waited for the time to pass while walking slowly around the city.
Now, Portovenere is a totally different story. I loved it. From the moment the boat started coming closer and I saw the shapes of the buildings, I knew I was going to like this place.
Very, very crowded, tens of locals sitting on the rocks tanning and at the castle there was a wedding. Yes, I was lucky and saw that as I walked up the steps of the castle.
Portovenere is beautiful. The buildings, the narrow streets, the flowers. It feels and looks superb. If I were to give you a piece of advice it is to visit this place. Maybe you can skip Lerici, but you will regret missing Portovenere.
From Portovenere I took the boat back to Monterosso, stopping at each little village (from what I remember) with the exception of Corniglia.
I think that a boat trip is worth it. You get to explore the area by train, by foot (as it was possible then to walk on paths connecting the five villages), but you can also see them from the sea.
Day 4
Portofino and Camogli.
This was one of the most beautiful days of my trip by far. I started by taking the train to Santa Margherita Ligure, then just as you step out of the train station, to the right, in 10-20 meters you can board the bus for Portofino. The journey takes 20-30 minutes on a small winding road and if you’re lucky enough to get a seat you can admire the entire route.
Portofino is small, maybe smaller than Riomaggiore, but it is totally worth the trip. The small harbor, sometimes filled with boats, is a picturesque sight, maybe one of Italy’s most recognized images. If you have time, climb to Castello Brown and admire the town from above. Even if it is small, it is a famous place, so don’t be surprised to find designer shops and higher prices.
Since on that day the sea was rough I couldn’t take a boat to Camogli, so I had to go back to Santa Margherita Ligure and from there take another bus (from the city center, not the train station). The road between the two towns is exactly what you’d expect from Italy: small, winding, but beautiful.
When I reached Camogli I have to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t spend much time researching this place before my trip, so it was a surprise.
As it turned out, I loved it. The buildings, the streets, the colored houses and the harbor—larger than anything I saw in Cinque Terre—it was all just magic.
Not only the center of Camogli is beautiful, but also the shoreline, where there is a lot to see and admire.
On my way back I took the train straight from Camogli to Moneglia and ended the day with the best pizza I ever ate in my life (I will review it on the blog).
I used the last day as an opportunity to rest and enjoy the sun. I was satisfied with what I had seen, what I had eaten and how this place made me feel.
Small places like Vernazza, Camogli and Portovenere can bring back memories for years. These are beautiful places, places that deserve a visit and places that you will never forget.
Maybe as the years pass I will return someday to Cinque Terre for a glass of wine and that amazing view of Vernazza in the evening.
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