3 Days in Cinque Terre

I had just arrived in Italy, and I only had 3 days in Cinque Terre. For those of you who don’t know, Cinque Terre is an area of five fishing villages and is one of Italy’s most beautiful regions. The villages in this region are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. For my time in Cinque Terre, I decided to be located in Monterosso, which is one of the larger villages. Although tourism is still present in this area, Cinque Terre is the perfect place for you to go and get away from the city scene. Three days is not nearly enough time to fully experience a region, however, I feel that I did a fairly good job of compiling activities that allowed me to make the most of my stay. If you or someone you know is thinking about traveling to Cinque Terre in the upcoming months, keep reading for beautiful pictures and personal advice on Cinque Terre.

Day 1:

On my first day in Cinque Terre, I decided to spend the day relaxing on the beach. I am very happy that I chose to spend my first day in Cinque Terre at the beach, as travel can be very taxing on your body.  I have been to many beaches in my life, but I have to say that the beach in Monterosso might always be my favorite. The beach itself isn’t very big, but the surrounding scenery makes up for it. While relaxing in my chair I looked over to see beautiful hills and mountains. When I turned around I saw colorful homes and businesses above me. Every turn offered beautiful scenes of summer. One note that I will make is that the beach is quite rocky, so I would definitely recommend bringing sandals so that you don’t hurt your feet. After relaxing on the beach for most of my day, I walked around the village, seeing everything that it had to offer. There were some very good seafood restaurants and even better – GELATO! After visiting multiple regions in Italy, I have come to the conclusion that my favorite gelato is located in Cinque Terre. There are multiple storefronts that sell gelato in this area, and they all taste amazing. For those who don’t know, Cinque Terre is very well known for their lemons, so I would have to recommend trying their lemon gelato. Just a little tip, most restaurants and shops do close in the afternoon for a couple of hours before opening again for dinner/the evening.

Day 2:

On the second day in Cinque Terre, I took a little boat tour through some surrounding villages of Monterosso. The water in this area is extremely clear and blue, and our guide even let us stop and swim multiple times on the excursion. There were some beautiful caves along the rocks, which can be seen in the picture on the left below. As someone who gets seasick, I will say that this might be a little triggering. I strongly suggest bringing dramamine or some other motion-sickness medication to combat this if you decide to take a boat tour. While on the boat, our tour guide offered us drinks and focaccia bread (an absolute favorite in Italy) and told us about the history and current events of the surrounding towns. At the end of the tour we docked the boat and I was able to explore the town just north of Monterosso, known as Levanto. Levanto was a charming village that offered more shopping opportunities than Monterosso. The picture on the right shows the beautiful streets with the mountains peaking through in the background. After exploring for a couple of hours, I took the train back to Monterosso. 

Just a little side note, the transportation system in this area is extremely efficient and you are able to travel between all villages and towns very easily. 

Day 3:

On my last day in Cinque Terre, I decided to take a hike from the village that I was staying in, Monterosso, to the nearby village of Vernazza. This was my absolute favorite activity of my entire time in Cinque Terre. Although challenging at times, the hike offered the most beautiful views that I have ever experienced. The trail itself is a 2.2 mile hike that is labeled as moderately challenging. You begin the trail just past the train station in Monterosso and end the hike in the center of Vernazza. On the way, you pass an old military fort used during the Second World War, a convent at the top of a hill, and the old town of Monterosso. It took me roughly 2 hours to finish the hike, and there were many other people on the trail. Just a warning, they are not afraid to use stairs. I did find myself getting winded a couple of times along the trail, but there were thankfully periods of flat terrain between the more difficult sections. As I mentioned, the views on this hike were absolutely unbelievable. I took the picture below while on the trail, as the first full view of Vernazza. After completing the hike, you are thankfully able to choose between various restaurants in Vernazza and explore the shops. 

Cinque Terre truly lives up to its reputation. The locals were friendly, the food was mouth-watering, and the scenery was breathtaking. Additionally, the transportation between the villages was incredibly accessible. Something that I love about Cinque Terre is that every village offers something different. Some of the villages are more rural, while others offer shopping and a variety of restaurants. I stayed in Monterosso, and I strongly recommend that to anyone considering coming to Cinque Terre, as it offers more airbnb/hotel accommodations than some of the nearby villages. Regardless of which town you choose to stay in, rest assured that you will leave wanting more. If you enjoyed reading about my experience in Cinque Terre, please stay tuned as I will be uploading my experience in Florence and Rome very soon!