Get the lowest rate for your Hotel in Tuscany through Booking.com

Get the best deal direct from the owners on TuscanyAccommodation.com

Book your unique Tuscan Experience

Book your Tour

Book your Tickets ahead & Skip the line!

Buy Museum Tickets

How to Get to (& moving around) Cinque Terre

Color Architecture & Rocky Landscapes

Cinque Terre means “Five Lands” in English and is composed by five crazily constructed small fishing villages located on rocks along the cliff in a spectacular landscape. In 1997, the National Park of Cinque Terre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and even out of season it can be packed with other visitors.

As the villages are really close to one another you may visit all of them in just one day (read more details about what to see and do in each little town). However, I recommend staying at least one or two nights in one of the villages as it gives you the opportunity to explore all five towns at a more relaxed pace, especially during mornings and evenings when day tourists are gone.  The silence that descends when the streets empty and the even lights start to flicker on, will give you another perspective of this enchanting land.

Arriving by Car

No doubt, Cinque Terre is best reached by train. But for those who want to arrive via car, you'll also find a few helpful suggestions and things to know below.

The easiest village to reach by car is actually Monterosso, which also has the cheapest parking. Manarola and Riomaggiore do have parking lots above their towns, but you will need to walk from there to the center. Corniglia and Vernazza are more difficult to reach by car, due to narrow roads and limited parking space. You can also drive to La Spezia or Levanto and then proceed by train.  Portovenere has the legendary Pathway no. 1, the original trail to Cinque Terre and many towns also offer ferry service like Lerici.  Read this article for some alternatives stops with a car.

Getting around: by foot, train or boat

There are basically three ways to move from one village to another; you either walk, take the train or the boat. The walking trail is 12 kilometers and runs along the coast through all five villages from Riomaggiore in the south to Monterosso in the north.

Check the status

Remember that trail availability can change overnight due to weather conditions, and since 2012 some of the trails are closed due to a landslide. Check before going on the official Parco 5 Terre website

Sandy beaches are few and far between, except in Monterosso, and the trails will climb and descend through the landscape, giving you fantastic scenic views of the villages as you leave one behind and approach the next one. You will need to buy the Cinque Terre Pass for hiking the trail. You can get it from the train stations, at tourist information offices or at every start of a trail at each village.

The price varies depending on the number of open paths, but expect EUR 5-8 a day, and for an extra EUR 5 you get limited use of the trains as well.

Alternatives to Hiking the Trails

If the trails along the coast are closed, you can either go for the longer and more demanding trails running further up in the landscape or catch the train or boat, which takes you from one village to another in a few minutes. The train is a very easy and convenient way to get from village to village. It runs approximately two times an hour and cuts through coastal tunnels, so don’t expect to see much.

The boat runs less frequently, but I highly recommend taking it at least once as the view of the villages from the sea gives you the possibility to really appreciate the colorful buildings against the backdrop of the hills.

If you travel with children in a stroller, it is not possible to walk the trails between the villages as there are too many stairs and stones. The only part that is doable with a stroller is the Via dell'Amore, or the Way of Love, the stretch of the trail that goes from Riomaggiore to Manarola as it is flat BUT it is closed! For all others, catch the train or the boat. If you like hiking, I recommend a trip from Corniglia to San Bernadino on top of the hill or from Manarola to Riomaggiore.


Author: Helle D. Rasmussen

Helle is a Danish citizen currently living in Siena with her Rwandan husband and their one-year-old son. She has lived in several countries around the world and loves to explore every part of the place she lives. She is in the process of exploring Tuscany, especially Siena and its surroundings, and would love to pass on her experiences.



Comments

Questions? The right place to ask is our Forum*

* Questions posted on Comments above will no longer receive replies: please ask on our Forum!

Our Travel Guides

  • DiscoverTuscany.com
  • VisitFlorence.com
  • Chianti.com
  • Tuscany Accommodation.com
  • Florence Accommodation.com