The Cinque Terre Villages

5 little points on the map, a unique area, that has been featured on the covers of travel magazines around the world, thanks to the simpleness of its fishing villages and its true colours.

A common mistake is to consider the Cinque Terre as a single place, rather than an area. There is no such thing as a train ticket to the “Cinque Terre”, as the name actually means “Five territories”, namely the five hamlets of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, which look almost suspended along the rocky coast between La Spezia and Framura.

The fascinating surrounding nature of the Cinque Terre Villages is a seamless dialogue between sea and land, along the coast enclosed by the two promontories of Punta Mesco and Muzzerone.

Spurs of stone, coves and bays, ravines and the five colorful villages counterpoint the view of the Cinque Terre coastline from the sea.

Explore Cinque Terre Villages

Monterosso

Monterosso al Mare overlooks a large bay with reefs and beaches, very appreciated by those who prefer comfortable swimming facilities rather than the rough coast of the Cinque Terre.

Vernazza

Vernazza is possibly the most ancient village in the area of the Cinque Terre, with houses and churches dating back to the year 1000, when powerful Genoese families used to have properties in the area, important sea trading center at the time.

Corniglia

Vernazza is possibly the most ancient village in the area of the Cinque Terre, with houses and churches dating back to the year 1000, when powerful Genoese families used to have properties in the area, important sea trading center at the time.

Manarola

Manarola was founded in the thirteenth century probably by the people who lived in the town of Volastra, the hamlet you can still visit on the back hills.

Riomaggiore

The town of Riomaggiore is the first one of the Cinque Terre you reach from La Spezia, at about ten miles north-west from the city. It can be easily reached by boat, train or car, with a boat or the ferry leaving from La Spezia sea harbor.

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Cinque Terre

Monterosso

Monterosso al Mare overlooks a large bay with reefs and beaches, very appreciated by those who prefer comfortable swimming facilities rather than the rough coast of the Cinque Terre.

Vernazza

Vernazza is possibly the most ancient village in the area of the Cinque Terre, with houses and churches dating back to the year 1000, when powerful Genoese families used to have properties in the area, important sea trading center at the time.

Corniglia

Vernazza is possibly the most ancient village in the area of the Cinque Terre, with houses and churches dating back to the year 1000, when powerful Genoese families used to have properties in the area, important sea trading center at the time.

Manarola

Manarola was founded in the thirteenth century probably by the people who lived in the town of Volastra, the hamlet you can still visit on the back hills.

Riomaggiore

The town of Riomaggiore is the first one of the Cinque Terre you reach from La Spezia, at about ten miles north-west from the city. It can be easily reached by boat, train or car, with a boat or the ferry leaving from La Spezia sea harbor.

RIOMAGGIORE

Riomaggiore, the "first" village, surrounded by Sciacchetra wineyards.

MANAROLA

Where locals build for the community and you smile even at the cemetery.

CORNIGLIA

High on the hills, a stairway to heaven.

VERNAZZA

The perfect postcard, one of the most beautiful squares in Italy.

MONTEROSSO

The biggest of the Cinque Terre villages, a welcoming beach.

Download Cinque Terre Area Map

Scarica

Cinque Terre Experiences

Not to miss in the Cinque Villages

The Cinque Terre villages in six points:

1 Via dell'Amore

The Via dell’Amore, connecting Riomaggiore to Manarola, is closed but there are many alternative romantic routes.

2 Avoid the Crowd

Manarola, Vernazza and Riomaggiore can be crowded from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit at other times or at night to escape the crowds.

3 Trek from one village to the other

Trekking the paths connecting the villages with each other is the best way to enjoy the breathtaking views and understand the area.

4 A National Natural Park

The five villages are part of a National Park, with rules to respect on land and in the sea.

5 The Sea Trail

You can swim from Vernazza to Monterosso on the Sea Trail, a stretch protected from the boats to swim carefree in the open sea.

6 More to see

The Cinque Terre Villages are not the only ones worth a visit in the Cinque Terre Park: explore beyond the kingdom’s borders.

Useful Advice to explore the Cinque Terre villages

How to travel from one village to the other

By car, the roads to reach Cinque Terre are mostly narrow. There aren’t many places to park and it can be a good idea to reach the villages by other means.
By train, every village in the Cinque Terre has a train station. Check the Cinque Terre Card, with benefits also for those who love trekking.
By ferry, you can reach Cinque Terre during the summer. To get to Cinque Terre, please visit our ferry schedule. There are numerous marinas for private pleasure boating.
We recommend e-assisted bikes to ride the CInque Terre routes: view our bike guided tours.

A bike on the Cinque Terre train

Manarola

Best advice to visit the Cinque Terre

The best advice to visit the Cinque Terre area is to pick one of the five villages to get off the train or boat and travel to one or more others, according to the time that you have available.
In high season, the visit can be spoiled by the presence of too many visitors, while the most important thing in the Cinque Terre is in fact to get the opportunity to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, hike the nice paths in the silence of nature, discover the enchanting sea view, rather than run from one village to the other.

At La Spezia railway station and in all villages you can pick one or two of the stations and buy a single ticket to get there (about 7,50€ return ticket to reach the furthest village). If you prefer to visit the whole area you can get a Cinque Terre Park ticket. Make sure to buy the “Cinque terre Train Card” and not just the basic Cinque Terre Card, which only allows you to walk on the paths of the Cinque Terre Park and not to hop on and off the train.

The Cinque Terre Beaches: just like heaven

THE BEACHES OF LA SPEZIA: A Do In Italy guide for you!

The beaches of the Cinque Terre area offer a lot more than just views of the villages and their marinas: hidden coves, crystal blue, semi-submerged grottoes, natural gems to be discovered with respect and patience.

One hundred pages of guide about the Cinque Terre’s beaches and about the Gulf of the Poets, nearby La Spezia, with descriptions, instructions on how reaching the shores, and GPS coordinates for those who travel by boat!

Click here and get the preview

Map and Guide

with information, activities, experiences and a complete guide to the beaches of the entire Cinque Terre area

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✔ Map, information, experiences and activities to do in the Cinque Terre area
✔ E-book guide of the Cinque Terre, La Spezia and upper Tuscan beaches: how to reach them, information, GPS coordinates and much more.

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cinque terre stories

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Top Experiences in the Cinque Terre Villages

The Cinque Terre Villages

5 little points on the map, a unique area, that has been featured on the covers of travel magazines around the world, thanks to the simpleness of its fishing villages and its true colours.

Explore Cinque Terre Villages

Monterosso

Vernazza

Corniglia

Manarola

Riomaggiore

- Where are you?

Cinque Terre

Monterosso

Vernazza

Corniglia

Manarola

Riomaggiore

RIOMAGGIORE

MANAROLA

CORNIGLIA

VERNAZZA

MONTEROSSO

Download Cinque Terre Area Map

Cinque Terre Experiences

Not to miss in the Cinque Villages

The Cinque Terre villages in six points:

1

Via dell'Amore

2

Avoid the Crowd

3

Trek from one village to the other

4

A National Natural Park

5

The Sea Trail

6

More to see

Useful Advice to explore the Cinque Terre villages

How to travel from one village to the other

Best advice to visit the Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre Beaches: just like heaven

THE BEACHES OF LA SPEZIA: A Do In Italy guide for you!

Map and Guide

with information, activities, experiences and a complete guide to the beaches of the entire Cinque Terre area

cinque terre stories

The revolutionary Cinque Terre Railway

Is the Cinque Terre Via

The biggest nativity in the

Is the Via dell’Amore Open?

Top Experiences in the Cinque Terre Villages

- Where are you?

Cinque Terre Area

The Cinque Terre Villages

The Gulf of the Poets: Portovenere, Lerici and La Spezia

The Vara Valley and the Bio District

Lunigiana, ancient castles and abbeys

Download Cinque Terre Area Map