Last updated on February 5th, 2021

Vernazza Cathedral & Harbor, Visit Cinque Terre

Vernazza Cathedral & Harbor

Visit Cinque Terre – Five Villages

Visit Cinque Terre to see the 5 small villages perched on steep hills along the Italian Riviera. The five villages are:

  • Monterosso al Mare
  • Vernazza
  • Manarola
  • Riomaggiore
  • Corniglia
Lover's Walk, Visit Cinque Terre

Lover’s Walk

Visit Cinque Terre – See the Sights

  • Visit each of the 5 main villages on the Cinque Terre coastline by train or by walking.
  • Have dinner at one of the quaint restaurants.
  • Find local specialty foods for sale in the street front shops.
Vernazza view from Hillside, Visit Cinque Terre

Vernazza, © Pier Paolo Sposato – Fotolia.com

Cinque Terre Ferries

Consorzio Marittimo Turistico 5 Terre-Golfo dei Poeti operates seasonal Cinque Terre ferries between the villages. Ferries also arrive from various other towns along the coast, such Portofino.

Visit Cinque Terre – Hotels

Francamaria Rooms – Vernazza

Il Borgo Di Campi – Riomaggire

Affittacamere Le Giare – Manarola

Hotel La Villa Degli Argentieri – Monterosso al Mare

Corte Del Gallo – Corniglia

Manarola, Visit Cinque Terre

Manarola

Visit Cinque Terre – Hike the Azure Trail

Hike the Azure Trail that connects the five Cinque Terre villages. Some sections require a small fee. Sections may be closed to due to landslides caused by erosion after rainfalls. Don’t miss the popular Lover’s Walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola. There is a small fee to walk its coastline pathway. Padlocks are locked together all along the trail, as a symbol of binding love.

Riomaggiore, Visit Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore

Cinque Terre Weather

The Cinque Terre weather makes its five villages a summer tourist destination. Average temperatures peak in July and August at 86 F (30 C), while lows are about 66 F (19 C). From December to February average highs are 54 F (12 C) and average lows are 37 F (3 C). Not many people visit Cinque Terre in the winter. The rainy season extends from September to December. July has the best weather, but June may be a better time to visit to avoid the peak tourist period of July and August.

Lover's Walk Coastline Trail, Visit Cinque Terre

Lover’s Walk Coastline Trail

Visit Cinque Terre – Get There

No major airport or roads service Cinque Terre. To get there it’s all about the train. Despite Cinque Terre’s isolation and rugged coastline, the train service is frequent and an engineering feat. Instead of following the cliff edges, the train repeatedly burrows through the mountain sides. It emerges from tunnels to drop passengers at the isolated villages.

From the south, trains come up from Pisa through La Spezia. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach Riomaggiore from Pisa or Florence. La Spezia is only 10 minutes south of Riomaggiore. From the north, trains from Genoa take about 2 hours to reach Monterosso al Mare. It takes about 20 minutes by train to cover the entire length of the Cinque Terre five villages.

Visit Cinque Terre – Background

Cinque Terre is popular with French and Italian’s for its distinctive villages and for hiking on the trails between the five villages. The Cinque Terre area is becoming well known with other nations too. Cinque Terre is not as easily accessible as the better known tourist destinations and that keeps the volume of visitors down somewhat. There are no roads between most of the villages, but the rail service through tunnels along the coastline is very modern.

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