The words ‘Cinque Terre’ means ‘5 Lands’ so before travelling to this part of Italy, understand that Cinque Terre describes an area made of five main villages; so before you plan your stay you’ve gotta figure out which of the five villages you want to stay in.

The Five Lands:

Riomaggiore

Our Favourite Village. Riomaggiore has one main street, lined with peeling pastel buildings that lead to a small harbour with a rocky beach. It has good train connections to the closest  city of La Spezia.

 

Manarola

Manarola also a one-street town, with a small harbor where you can swim. It has a real chilled grown up vibe, and a real split in the land is great for taking photos. Head towards Corniglia and theres a wonderful little bar on the cliffside to get great food and great views.

Corniglia

The baby of the family and smallest village is Corniglia. She’s a rebel. She’s built far above the ocean on the cliffs. To arrive in Corniglia you’ve gotta hoof it up the 365 steps (one for each day of the year) to reach the centre of town. If you have excessive luggage don’t stay here. But saying that, it’s where to go to get away from it all.

Vernazza

The beauty queen of the Cinque Terre is named Vernazza.  She’s incredibly photogenic. Vernazza is a one-street town with a church built on the water. She has a castle and gorgeous waterfront piazza and a harbor with a small area of sand you may even call a beach.

Monterosso

 

The northernmost village is called Monterosso al Mare. She’s the biggest of the villages with many streets that (sadly) actually have quite a few cars driving through them! Her landscape isn’t as vertical as her sisters’ — you could spend the entire day not climbing hills and stairs here. Monterosso is made up of an old town, a new town, lots of sandy beaches, some larger hotels and a long seaside promenade suitable for strollers too. If you want to avoid stairs and have a more “resort” feel to your vacation, then you should stay here