Visit the colorful Cinque Terre

Posted on February 8, 2023

Cinque Terre consists of the five villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, Corniglia and Monterosso al Mare. The villages are all equally beautiful and are definitely worth a visit! In this blog we give you tips for a visit to the colorful Cinque Terre.

How do you get there?

Cinque Terre is located near Genoa. You can fly directly here from Schiphol. Of course you can also travel to Cinque Terre by car. We did this because we were going to the South of France for another week afterwards. If you're staying near Cinque Terre, you can easily take the train to the five villages. We took the train from Santa Margherita Ligure. This will take you about an hour. You can buy tickets via the Trenitalia website.

Where is the best place to sleep?

You can of course stay in the villages themselves, but this is very expensive in high season. We therefore chose to stay in Santa Margherita Ligure, a bit away from Cinque Terre. We really liked the village itself and from here you can easily take the train to Cinque Terre. A perfect base! The villages of Levanto and La Spezia are closer to Cinque Terre and from here you can also take the train. These are also good places to spend the night if you do not want to stay in Cinque Terre itself.

Cinque Terre

The five villages are located on steep cliffs on the Italian coast. You could visit all five villages in one day, but then you would have very little time to walk around them. If you have the time, it is better to allow two days for all the villages. We visited Cinque Terre for a day and chose to go to two villages to walk around and have something to eat and drink and to view the other villages from the water! You can also choose to take the walking path that runs between the villages. You do need the Cinque Terre Card for this.

Manarola

Manarola is the fourth village from Santa Margherita. It has a nice center where you can wander through the narrow streets. Make sure you are in Manarola around lunchtime, because at Nessun Dorma you can enjoy a delicious meal with a beautiful view of the village! From Manarola you can also take the boat to one of the other villages.

Vernazza
We took the boat and got off at Vernazza, the second village from Santa Margherita. This village is completely different, but has the same colored houses. It is recommended to walk to the viewpoint just outside the village. From here you have a beautiful view!
For a guided tour and ended in the Sistine Chapel. Really beautiful to see!

Trips from Santa Margherita

There is much more to see and do near Santa Margherita. For example, a ferry goes from Rapallo via Santa Margherita to Portofino and San Fruttuoso. A tip: if you want to see Portofino and San Fruttuoso, you can buy a ticket for the boat to San Fruttuoso, because then you can also get off and on again at Portofino.

Portofino

Portofino is a nice village with a beautiful harbor. The village is an exclusive seaside resort, so it is a lot more expensive, but don't let that stop you! Walk to the lighthouse and be amazed along the way. You have a beautiful view of the bay from here.

San Fruttuoso
A visit to San Fruttuoso is also worthwhile. It is a beautiful place with an abbey in a bay. There is a small beach and you can eat very well here and enjoy the view at La Cantina.

Camogli
Camogli is a small fishing village between Portofino and Genoa. It is a pleasant village to walk through and have a drink on the boulevard. From Santa Margherita you can reach Camogli in 5 minutes by train. By car it takes about 20 minutes.