The 5 Villages of Cinque Terre
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Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso - the Cinque Terre villages share very common characteristics, and yet each one is different in its own way. This guide is a quick journey through all of the five villages, highlighting the essentials, and providing recommendations based on our own experience.
Riomaggiore
Coming from the direction of La Spezia, Riomaggiore is the first train stop in the Cinque Terre area. It can be a great base for exploring the neighbouring villages, offering a good mix of amenities in terms of accommodation, places to eat, and hiking. The place has a really good energy to it in the evenings, and you can have the views all to yourself in the early mornings, before the crowds arrive. The village’s main artery is well connected to the train station via a pedestrian tunnel, which is convenient for transporting luggage.
Riomaggiore, along with Manarola and Vernazza, are undoubtedly the most picturesque villages of the five, and the tiny harbour of Riomaggiore is one of those postcard views you would’ve already seen all over the internet. This view is very popular at sunset, when the every visitor in Riomaggiore and their dog flock to the panoramic terrace on Via San Giacomo. For a slightly different vantage point as well as more privacy, you can try to scramble over the rocks that line up the harbour area. Due to how the sun shines onto the buildings, I personally preferred Manarola in the evenings, but Riomaggiore makes for a wonderful sight nonetheless.
Riomaggiore does technically have a beach - you will come across it if you head just a little past the panoramic viewpoint. However, it’s not a good beach by any standards. For any swimming and sunbathing activities, Monterosso, Vernazza, or possibly Manarola, are where you want to be.
great for…
spending the night
eating out
photography
ideas for food & drinks
Il Pescato Cucinato, Tutti Fritti • best for fried seafood cones, a local street food speciality
Rio Bistrot, Dau Cila • located in the harbour area • Michelin Guide
Osteria La Torpedine • great for food and drinks • limited seating
Bar e Vini a Pié de Ma • cliffside bar with a great location
Old School Cocktails & Food • great for sit-down breakfast
BRITTA • great for a healthy take-away breakfast, nice smoothies • vegan
Panificio Rosi • takeaway breakfast • tasty & inexpensive focaccia and pastries
Find our favourite spots in Riomaggiore in our map of Cinque Terre.
Manarola
Manarola is actually really similar to Riomaggiore, only smaller. It has a layout that is quite alike - from the street cutting through the centre of village and leading to a raised piazza, to the train station access which is via a short tunnel. Manarola also has a picturesque harbour area, although larger than that of Riomaggiore, complete with a postcard ready view that is just as iconic.
The harbour is a popular swimming spot and in the summer days you will see lots of people crammed next to each other on the pier, sunbathing. For me personally, it felt too crowded and improvised, and I much preferred the rocks and waters of Vernazza harbour for this sort of thing.
Manarola is where you will find two of the most popular restaurant in Cinque Terre. Trattoria dal Billy specialises in local dishes of pasta, fish and seafood. It’s very popular and for good reason - you really need to book this one in advance. We were lucky to be seated outside just on the edge of the terrace, and the view was lovely at sunset. Nessun Dorma and their Insta-famous drink-and-view combos are probably even more popular. It’s not a tourist trap though - drinks are nice, food is nice, prices are reasonable. The view are superb, but don’t feel like you must dine here to experience it - the same view can be enjoyed from anywhere along this side of the harbour.
In that sense, Manarola’s version of the classic Cinque Terre harbour view should make for a more pleasant experience, because you don’t get all the crowds gathering in one particular spot. Also, the sun shines directly onto the buildings at sunset, and really brings out those warm pastel colours. If I had just one evening to spend in Cinque Terre, I’d spend it here.
Note that the main walking trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola (called Via dell’Amore) has been closed for a while now and is to remain closed for some time to come.
great for…
sunset views
photography
eating out
ideas for food & drinks
Trattoria de Billy • one of the best in Cinque Terre • MUST book in advance
Nessun Dorma • extremely popular cliffside eatery • nice view • no advance booking (online queue)
Nessun Dorma Cantina • for wine lovers
Find our favourite spots in Manarola in our map of Cinque Terre.
Corniglia
I’ll be honest, Corniglia is probably no one’s favourite Cinque Terre village. That picture you saw of Cinque Terre on Instagram the other day - it’s not from Corniglia. And while this village is charming in its own way, it just doesn’t stand a chance against the picture-perfect vistas of Riomaggiore, Manarola or Vernazza and the beaches of Monterosso. Add in the 382 steps of Scalinata Lardarina that you need to climb to reach the actual village from the train station, and you’ve got a case of highest effort, lowest reward.
However, this also means that Corniglia is the least touristy of the five villages, and given how massively overwhelmed the entire region of Cinque Terre is during the peak summer season, that is something. If you need some peace and quiet and want to escape the crowds even just a little bit, Corniglia is a good place for this. As the village is quite small and its streets narrow, the place still feels really packed during the day, but it should quiet down significantly in the evenings.
Corniglia is relatively flat and perched high up on a cliff, which sets it apart from the other villages that all open directly into the sea. There isn’t really a good view of the village itself - probably the best one would be from a boat in the open sea. But there is a nice view of the sea from a panoramic terrace at the edge of the cliff.
This is the one Cinque Terre village where ferries don’t stop, due to its awkward positioning. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t go for a dip here. In fact, Corniglia’s swimming spot is a bit of a hidden gem - and you need to put up with even more steps to get to it. Head down the other side of the cliff once you reached the end of the village.
Corniglia is the hardest to get to on foot from the train station (due to the steps), but there is a bus shuttle - the fee is included in the Cinque Terre Card. This can be quite handy if you are carrying luggage.
great for…
peace and quiet
hitting your daily step count target
not much else really
ideas for food & drinks
A Cantina da Mananan • best in Corniglia?
KM0 • great eatery with a lovely courtyard terrace
Alberto Gelateria • delicious ice-cream • granita with basil and lemon on a hot summer day is everything
Find our favourite spots in Corniglia in our map of Cinque Terre.
Vernazza
I wouldn’t be surprised if most travellers would put down Vernazza as their favourite Cinque Terre village. This one has a bit of everything - a very pretty historical centre, with colourful buildings and nice eateries, a centrally-located train station, great spots for swimming and sunbathing, and not one, but two amazing viewpoints. It’s probably our favourite.
One viewpoint lies towards the start of the hiking trail leading to Monterosso, and offers a spectacular view over the harbour area - probably best around sunset time. Note that this viewpoint falls on the official hiking route, which requires a Cinque Terre Trekking/Train Card, just past the checkpoint. No one was checking tickets when were were there, but it’s something to keep in mind - best to do this one on a day when you have the card. The viewpoint is well known, the path is narrow, and people tend to linger in that one same spot, so it can get pretty crowded at times.
The other viewpoint lies at the other end of the village, at the start of the hiking trail leading to Corniglia. This one is located before the actual checkpoint, so no need to worry about the card at all. It offers a perspective that is quite different, so definitely worth checking out both viewpoints. If you just look at the pictures, you might think those are two different Cinque Terre villages.
You can also climb up to Daria Castle, for a small fee (1.5€) - it’s that viewing platform with a circular tower that you can see in the previous photo. The view is not as good though.
Vernazza has the only natural harbour in Cinque Terre, and the most interesting one. There you will find a tiny stretch of sandy beach - a very rare sight in Cinque Terre, beyond Monterosso. Head further along the walkway that borders the harbour and throw your towel over one of those big rocks to lay claim to it. The swimming area is well marked and quite extensive, and the water around there is calmer than in other places around Cinque Terre, where the waves can be quite strong. And did I mention the view is lovely? This was our favourite swimming spot - and that is including Monterosso.
great for…
beautiful views
photography
swimming
ideas for food & drinks
Ristorante Belforte • popular restaurant with a prime location
Il Pirata delle 5 Terre • great for breakfast
Cinque Sensi Vernazza • wine, cocktails and more
Find our favourite spots in Vernazza in our map of Cinque Terre.
Monterosso al Mare
Among the villages of Cinque Terre, Monterosso is probably the one that stands out the most as being different from the other four. The most distinctive feature of Monterosso is that it’s made up of two parts. To the east, the older part of town is the nicer one, the one that has that typical Cinque Terre look - narrow streets and colourful terraced houses. To the west, the newer part of town is larger and has a more resort-type feel to it. This is where you will find the train station as well as the only proper beach in the Cinque Terre area.
Coming from the direction of Levanto, Monterosso is the first train stop in the Cinque Terre area. Much like Riomaggiore, Monterosso can also be a great base for exploring the neighbouring villages. Being the largest in area of the five villages, there is an abundance of options in terms of accommodation and places to eat. And while the Cinque Terre area doesn’t pride itself on its nightlife, Monterosso is probably as good as it gets. Better yet, you have the best beach in Cinque Terre on your door step.
Yes, the best part about Monterosso is the beach. With the exception of Monterosso, Cinque Terre as a whole is really not a good beach destination, at least not in the traditional sense. But it sure makes the most of what it has - a rock and some water, it’s a beach! It is actually possible to sunbathe or go for a swim in all five villages, and it can be great fun (in fact, I prefer swimming in Vernazza rather than Monterosso), but sometimes the experience can feel a little uncomfortable or too improvised. Monterosso, on the other hand, has a proper vast sandy beach, Fegina Beach, split into various sections, and a few others too. Some sections are free for all - on a sunny day, these can get very crowded and fill up quickly. Others are private beach clubs, with paid entry - basically the ones that come with those multicoloured parasols, which have become such an iconic feature of Monterosso. Expect to pay up to 30€ per day for two sunbeds + umbrella, during high season. Half-day rates are available too.
The two parts of Monterosso are linked by a pedestrian tunnel running through the sea cliff, but you can also take an alternative route higher up along the edge of the cliff. This path runs past the Capuchin Monastery and comes with great panoramic views all around. Two restaurants, both highly rated, benefit from this prime location in between the two halves of Monterosso - L’Ancora della Tortuga and Torre Aurora.
great for…
spending the night
eating out
anything beach-related
ideas for food & drinks
L'Ancora della Tortuga • cliffside restaurant with sea views • Michelin Guide
Miky • fine dining • Michelin Guide
Torre Aurora • unique location
La Cantina Del Pescatore • reasonably priced
Enoteca Da Eliseo • aperitivo, wine, small bites
San Martino Gastronomia • great for lunch • reasonably priced • no advance booking
Fornaio Di Monterosso • good focaccia
Find our favourite spots in Monterosso in our map of Cinque Terre.
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