How to Spend a Long Weekend in Cinque Terre, Italy

As we pulled our suitcases down the steep cobblestone hill for the last time, passing by the weathered pastel buildings home to wine shops, produce markets, and souvenirs galore, I reveled in the fact that there was no one around yet.

No tourists arriving for their vacations, no vans honking at pedestrians to give way on the narrow street, no locals smoking in clustered groups or sipping coffee at the bars. It was quiet for the first time since we’d arrived days ago. We were alone as dawn began to break over the tiny seaside town; not yet hot enough to break a sweat, or to laugh as melting gelato dripped down our wrists.

Even though we only had minutes to spare before our train left, I raced to the port to get one last photo of the place I’d always dreamed of seeing with my own eyes.

That photo’s my favorite of them all.

✰✰✰

Visiting Cinque Terre has been at the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember, and I finally checked it off this year. It’s usually the first place that shows up when you Google “Italian Riviera” or “coast of Italy vacations”, and even if you didn’t know its name, you’d instantly recognize the iconic, brightly-painted buildings jutting out into the blue seas of the Mediterranean. It’s one of the most sought after vacation destinations in Italy, and each town has its own charm and character to uncover.

If you’re planning a trip to Italy, Cinque Terre is a must–and not only to be able to pretend like you’re a sea monster in disguise walking around the streets of Portorosso (which I did the entire time). It’s the perfect spot for a long weekend trip any time of the year, and I’m sharing my four-day itinerary to help you plan your own bucket list vacation filled with salty air, freshly caught seafood, iconic buildings and all the pesto and wine you can eat.

CINQUE TERRE: THE FIVE LANDS

Cinque Terre (pronounced CHEEN-kweh TERR-ray) is not one town, but five historic fishing towns on the Ligurian coast that make up the majority of the Cinque Terre National Park. The area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, and has become one of the most popular coastal destinations in Italy (unfortunately leading to a huge increase in overtourism in recent years). From north to south, the five towns are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Each town has their own unique atmosphere, filled with tiny shops, pastel buildings, winding uphill roads, and gorgeous views overlooking the ocean. Here are a few main points to remember about each town:

Monterosso is the only town with a large, sandy beach (complete with a lido that’s home to those iconic green and orange umbrellas).
Riomaggiore arguably has the most iconic harbor views (you’ll likely recognize the bright red building on the edge of the cliff).
Corniglia is the smallest and least accessible town - there are 382 stairs from the train station to reach the town, and it doesn’t have a main harbor like the others. It’s much quieter here!
Manarola is home to Nessun Dorma, a popular restaurant with incredible views over the town and seaside.

HOW LONG SHOULD I STAY IN CINQUE TERRE?

Three to four days is the perfect length for a trip to Cinque Terre, in my opinion - anything less isn’t enough time, but if you want to stay longer and explore more, you definitely should. We stayed for three nights/four days and thought it was a great length of time to see everything we wanted. The towns are well-connected by trains that only take about five to ten minutes between each town, so it’s really easy to get around quickly and explore a lot in a short amount of time.

I’d also definitely suggest getting the Cinque Terre Card, whether it be the train card or the trekking card. There are a number of options ranging from 1-3 days of use, and within our trip, the card more than payed for itself. We didn’t do any of the hiking between towns, but if you’re planning to hike and/or take trains between all the towns every day, the Cinque Terre Train Card gives you unlimited access to everything you need to get around. You can also hike pretty much all of Cinque Terre, but do note that the popular hiking trail Via dell’ Amore that connects Riomaggiore and Manarola is closed until July 2024.

WHERE SHOULD I STAY IN CINQUE TERRE?

I stayed in Riomaggiore during my trip to Cinque Terre, and I loved it! It felt the most picturesque and homey to me, but there are beautiful places to stay in any of the five towns. If I had to choose another, I’d pick either Vernazza or Manarola - they both felt pretty similar to me, were a bit bigger than Riomaggiore, and had great shopping and food options.

Day 1: Arrive and Explore

On your first day in Cinque Terre, why not get there early and see everything it has to offer? You’ll likely be arriving by train from La Spezia, so hop off the train once you reach Riomaggiore and begin your adventure. Grab a to-go drink from the train station bar, walk through the pedestrian tunnel, and get ready for a steep uphill walk through town. You can head down to the harbor first and take in the sea views, check out the handful of Michelin-rated restaurants by the water, and of course, take your photos of the idyllic pastel buildings in front of the port. Pro tip: walk up the lefthand ramp and down the stairs to get to the small jetty in the harbor for the best photos.

When you’re done, take the train to each town one by one and just wander. I always find that simply walking aimlessly through new towns gives me the best view and experience - just walk down streets, poke into shops, and see what life’s about in this new part of the world you’ve found yourself in. Try out some street food during your explorations (fritto misto is a staple in Cinque Terre), grab a glass of local wine at a bar, and try literally anything containing pesto: you’re in the region it originated from!

When it’s time to check into your hotel or Airbnb, no matter what town you’re in, it’ll be easy to get there by train. One reason I suggest keeping your trip to three or four days is because of packing; you want to pack light here, ideally only using one backpack. Rolling suitcases and Cinque Terre are a bad pairing, and you don’t want to waste time schlepping your luggage up staircases and winding cobblestone roads when you could just wear a backpack.

After dropping off your bags, continue exploring! Walk down to the waterfront in Vernazza, pop into unique jewelry shops on the quaint streets of Corniglia, sink your toes in the sand in Monterosso; just get a little taste of each town and what they have to offer before you fully schedule out the rest of your trip. You might have an idea of what you want to do each hour of every day before you even get there, but once you’re able to see each town and their own unique characteristics, you might find yourself wanting to spend time in different spots than you thought you would.

Day 2: Beach Day at Monterosso

If you’re visiting Cinque Terre, you’ll probably want to spend a day at the beach, and Monterosso is by far the best place to do it. Being the largest town in Cinque Terre, and the only one with proper sand beaches, you’ll want to plan a day in Monterosso to rent a lido chair (or a free spot on the beach) and let the sun warm your skin for hours on end. This town actually has two parts to it - the old town and the new town. The newer area of Monterosso is home to Spiaggia Fegina, the popular sandy beach with those recognizable striped umbrellas you see in every other photo of Cinque Terre. These chairs & umbrellas are part of the lido, which cost money to rent both in the off season and high season, but there are public areas of the beach you can camp out at free of charge as well.

Since Monterosso is the largest of the five towns, it’s a great spot to spend a full day even if you aren’t going to the beach! The old and new parts are connected by a tunnel and marked by the Aurora Tower, so it’s incredibly easy to walk from one end to the other throughout the day as you explore. The old town is beautiful and historic, filled with lots of shops, restaurants, and old, quaint streets to wander through. One of my favorite spots to grab a drink was Torre Aurora, a cocktail bar in the old tower with unbeatable views (pictured below). There’s no shortage of amazing food here either, so spend the day meandering down streets, doing some shopping, enjoying an Aperol spritz (or four), and devouring delicious local meals.

Since it’s so simple and quick to travel by train here, you can easily get to any of the other towns at any point today if you don’t want to spend the whole day in Monterosso.

Days 3 and 4: Excursions or Classes

Day 3 is going to be the day you do something special, whether it be taking a boat tour along the coast of Cinque Terre, joining a pesto-making class at Nessun Dorma, wine tasting at a vineyard, hiking the entire Cinque Terre; whatever you choose to do, go all out today! There are plenty of wonderful things to experience here, and you want to make sure that you schedule enough time to get in a really special adventure, even if it’s just another day spent lounging at the beach or eating your way around your favorite of the towns. Personally, we spent a lot of our third day going back to shops we’d seen in different towns to finish up shopping and just soaking in the sights for one more day (though if we had a bigger budget, we’d been eyeing a sunset boat tour). If there’s anything specific you’ve been wanting to do in Cinque Terre, make this the day you do it. That way, you can enjoy a slow morning on Day 4 before you check out of your accommodation.

If you’re only visiting for 3 days, I’d suggest splitting Day 2 between the beach and an excursion, or choosing one or the other - that way you aren’t stressing for time on your last day. If you aren’t planning any specific excursions or activities for Day 3, get breakfast in your favorite town and enjoy the last of your time in Cinque Terre!

WHEN SHOULD I GO TO CINQUE TERRE?

I took my trip on the cusp of late September & early October, so it was off-season–however, there were still some decent crowds no matter where we went. I can’t imagine how crazy and packed it gets in the dead of a high season summer, so if you’re planning on visiting then, be prepared for intense heat and intense crowds of tourists. If you’re planning to travel during high season, also be mindful of the overtourism craze and plan a trip for at least three days; like I mentioned, one day isn’t enough to see Cinque Terre as it’s meant to be experienced, and it makes public transportation all the more hectic.

Early to mid-autumn was a great time to visit considering the weather was still warm, but crowds were less intense than they’ll get in the summer. I’d imagine early spring would be a nice time to visit as well, but I can’t personally attest to that.