10 Best Things to Do in Cinque Terre

Manarola is the second smallest of the five villages and arguably the best for evening light, when the cliffside houses turn deep orange. The village has no proper beach, but locals and travellers alike swim from the flat rocks next to the harbour, where a ladder drops straight into 4 metres of water. Above the swimming spot, a short paved path called Via Birolli leads to viewpoints over the vineyards. Manarola is also the historical home of Sciacchetrà, the sweet passito wine made from dried grapes grown on the terraces above the village. Stop at the small Cooperativa Agricoltura di Cinque Terre for a tasting, or eat cone-served fried seafood from Il Pescato Cucinato on Via Renato Birolli.

Pro Tip: For the postcard view of Manarola, walk 8 minutes uphill on the trail toward Corniglia and turn back around at the cemetery. This is the exact spot every photographer uses.

Monterosso al Mare is the largest of the five villages and the only one with a proper sandy beach - a 1.5-kilometre strip split into a free public section and paid sun-lounger zones (roughly 20 to 30 EUR per day for two loungers and an umbrella in 2026). The village is split into two parts connected by a short tunnel: Fegina, the newer beach side with the train station, and the older centro storico behind the headland, which holds the 14th-century Church of San Giovanni Battista with its striking black-and-white striped facade. Monterosso is also the anchovy capital of the region, and the local Acciughe di Monterosso are protected as a Slow Food product. Try them salted, marinated, or fried in local trattorias.

Pro Tip: If you want to swim and hike in the same day, base yourself in Monterosso. It is the flattest of the five villages and the easiest to leave a bag at.

Riomaggiore is the easternmost village and the first stop out of La Spezia, which makes it the most common starting point for a Cinque Terre visit. The main street, Via Colombo, runs uphill from the tiny harbour past bakeries, wine bars, and the 14th-century Church of San Giovanni Battista. The village is built into a steep ravine that once carried a stream (now covered over), and the pastel houses stack up the sides like theatre seating. From the harbour, a set of stone steps leads to a small rocky beach where locals swim in summer. Riomaggiore is also the starting point of the Via dell'Amore, a paved cliffside path to Manarola that reopened in July 2024 after a 12-year closure caused by rockfalls.

Pro Tip: The Via dell'Amore requires a separate 5 EUR ticket in 2026 unless you already hold a Cinque Terre Card Trekking. Book online in high season, slots sell out.

Corniglia is the only village of the five that does not touch the sea. It sits on a promontory 100 metres above the water, and reaching it from the train station means either climbing the Lardarina, a brick stairway of 382 steps arranged in 33 flights, or taking the green shuttle bus for 2.50 EUR one way (free with a Cinque Terre Card). Because access is harder, Corniglia is noticeably quieter than its neighbours - the main square, Largo Taragio, is small enough that you will hear the church bells and the espresso machines competing for attention. Try the local gelato at Alberto Gelateria on Via Fieschi, especially the basil flavour, which draws queues down the street. From the terrace at Belvedere di Santa Maria, you get an unobstructed 180-degree view of the coast.

Pro Tip: Skip the stairs on arrival, take the bus up, then walk down the Lardarina after your visit. It is much kinder on the knees.

The Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail), officially trail number 592, is the main coastal footpath connecting the five villages. It runs roughly 12 kilometres from Monterosso al Mare to Riomaggiore and is the reason many travellers come to the region in the first place. The full walk takes 5 to 6 hours at a steady pace, with the Monterosso-to-Vernazza and Vernazza-to-Corniglia sections being the most demanding (steep switchbacks, uneven stone steps, roughly 500 metres of cumulative elevation gain). Access requires the Cinque Terre Card Trekking, which costs 7.50 EUR per day or 14.50 EUR for two days in 2026, or is included with the Cinque Terre Card Train at 19.50 EUR per day. Trails close after heavy rain and rockfalls, so always check the current status at cinqueterre.eu before setting out.

Pro Tip: Start at Monterosso and walk east - you finish the two hardest sections first, then coast into Corniglia for lunch.

The Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Montenero is a small hilltop church above Riomaggiore, sitting 341 metres above sea level. Records mention a chapel on this spot as early as 1335, and the current pale-yellow building dates from the 14th and 18th centuries. Most people come not for the church but for what surrounds it: a panoramic terrace that looks straight down the entire Cinque Terre coast, with all five villages visible in clear weather. You can reach the sanctuary two ways. The scenic option is trail 593 from Riomaggiore, a 45 to 60-minute climb through terraced vineyards. The easy option is the ATC shuttle bus from Riomaggiore's Piazza Vignaiolo, which costs 2.50 EUR one way and takes about 15 minutes. There is no entry fee for the church.

Pro Tip: Go for sunset. The light hits the western villages first and you can watch the wave of colour move down the coast.

Two products carry the region's DOC and PDO protections: Cinque Terre white wine (a blend of Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grapes) and Sciacchetrà, an amber-coloured sweet passito wine made from the same grapes dried on wooden racks for at least a month before pressing. Sciacchetrà takes roughly 10 kilos of grapes to make one litre, which is why a 375 ml bottle retails for 30 to 50 EUR in 2026. Pair either with the region's other cultural export: pesto alla genovese, made with local basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and Ligurian olive oil. Book a tasting at the Cooperativa Agricoltura di Cinque Terre in Groppo (a hamlet above Manarola), where 25 to 35 EUR per person gets you four wines, a pesto sampling, and local focaccia. Reserve at least 48 hours ahead in high season.

Pro Tip: Buy a small bottle of Sciacchetrà to take home rather than a full-size bottle - it is expensive because it is genuinely difficult to produce.

Seeing Cinque Terre from the water is genuinely a different trip. The pastel villages that look interesting from the train look extraordinary from 200 metres offshore, because you finally see how vertically they are built into the cliffs. The main operator is Consorzio Marittimo Turistico 5 Terre - Golfo dei Poeti, which runs a scheduled ferry from April to October between Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore, and Portovenere. A single hop between villages costs around 6 to 10 EUR in 2026, and a full-day unlimited ticket runs about 27 EUR (35 EUR including Portovenere). Corniglia has no port because of its cliff position, so boats skip it entirely. Boats stop running in bad sea conditions, and the service is sharply reduced in winter.

Pro Tip: Take the train one way and the boat back. The train is fast and cheap for the outbound leg, and the boat gives you the view at a slower pace on the return.

Punta Bonfiglio is the small promontory just west of Manarola, and it holds what most photographers consider the definitive shot of the village. To reach it, walk from Manarola's harbour up Via Renato Birolli, past the church, and continue along the paved cliffside path toward the cemetery. Just beyond the cemetery, the path opens onto a landscaped terrace with benches, a small playground, and an unobstructed view back across the bay to Manarola's stacked houses. There is no entry fee and no ticket required, since this section of path sits outside the paid Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail). Arrive around 8 p.m. in summer or 5 p.m. in winter to catch the last light hitting the village facades. Bring a jacket, the wind on the point can be noticeably cooler than in the village itself.

Pro Tip: Continue 15 minutes further west on the path for the Nessun Dorma bar terrace, but expect a queue in high season - the view is the same 200 metres before it.