Top 6 Things to do in Cinque Terre, Italy, Explore and Experience!

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In this post we will be introducing the unique and remarkable, Cinque Terre, Italy. We will be discussing a brief history and revealing our top 6 things to do! For any tours and activities, you might be interested, you can book with Expedia, Viator or Get your Guide and for train travel book using the OMIO, all very easy to use, reliable and what we recommend.

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Table of Contents:

1. Introduction to Cinque Terre
2. Cinque Terre’s Historical Run Down
3. Top 6 Things to do and experience in Cinque Terre
4. References
5. The Wrap up

1. Introducing Cinque Terre, Italy:

Cinque Terre (meaning 5 lands) consists of 5 seaside, fishing villages and is situated in the region of Liguria on the Italian Riviera. It is a National Park with a UNESCO world heritage site designation, which they received in 1997. The 5 Villages are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, (south to north). These unique and beautiful villages have colourful houses, shops and restaurants built up on the hillsides that look like they are spilling out towards the sea. Corniglia is the smallest, quietest and most rustic of the group and is the only one without direct sea access. Monterossa al Mare is the largest, with their old and new town areas, and has the largest beach front, making them look the most like they fit into the Italian Riviera. Vernazza with its beautiful harbour, waterfront church and Castle ruins, up above the town bosting great views, is arguably the prettiest town. Manarola is the second smallest and full of charm, it has some great restaurants with amazing views, a “pinch me” moment Pesto making class and lookout, great for watching the incredible sunsets. Last, but not least is Riomaggioro, this village is a little on the quieter side, but just as interesting and beautiful as the others, it has a pretty harbour with great views of the town, and if you follow the streets up, up, up, you’ll come to the Church of San Giovanni Battista with it’s pretty square and yes, more amazing views! In our Top 6 things to do, we don’t have any museums or must-see sights, it’s more about experiences. These are 5 relatively small villages that offer more of a feeling of laid-back Italian life rather than the hustle and bustle of some larger cites. These 5 villages are connected together by train, ferry or hiking trails, giving you a lot of options for exploring. Enjoy!!

2. Cinque Terre’s Historical Run Down:

• Cinque Terre dates back to the 11^th century, when they were first mentioned in documents. Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza were the first to be settled with the others soon to follow, at this time they were part of the Republic of Genoa.

• In the 16^th century the villages built or repaired fortifications and towers to protect them during pirate attacks.

• Between the 17^th and 19^th centuries the 5 villages were in an economic decline, but between the new military presents in La Spezia and the railway line linking them to Genoa and other places, this quickly Changed.

• The 20^th century brought the completion of the coastal highway, growth in tourism, the 1997 designation of the UNESCO world heritage site and the establishment of Cinque Terre becoming a national park.

• In October of 2011, Cinque Terre was hit by torrential rain causing floods and mudslides, resulting in severe damage and 9 deaths. Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare were hit particularly hard. The clean-up took roughly 6 months, but to safely reopen all of the hiking trails is still ongoing.

• Today, tourism is their biggest revenue source, but they are also big producers of wine, olive oil, honey, lemons and anchovies.

3. Top 6 Things to Do in Cinque Terre:

1. Explore Riomaggiore:

Riomaggiore is a little quieter than some of the other villages, but just as charming. We are suggesting to either start here one morning and spend a few hours exploring at a leisurely pace or end up here for dinner and an evening Passeggiata (stroll). After checking out the harbour, head up hill and explore the little alleyways, quaint staircases, and amazing lookouts. Make your way up to San Giovanni Church and square, the views from here are beautiful. Depending on if it’s open or not, (make sure to check before you go), you could take the via dell’Amore trail that connects Riomaggiore to Manarola, it’s a short, easy 20-minute hike. If it’s not, consider the train or the ferry to Monarola, as it’s a great option to get a glimpse of the villages from the water.

2. Pesto Making class at Nessun Dorma in Manarola:

This experience was definitely a “pinch me” moment for us and one of our favourite things to do in Cinque Terre. We highly recommend it. If you explore Riomaggiore in the morning, you could walk to Manarola in time for the 10:30am class, (make sure to check for path closures first.) Otherwise, you could take the train or ferry. The 2.5hrs class is 85 euro per person, (as of May 2025), which includes the class, a delicious charcuterie board lunch, wine, an apron, amazing views, and a gift for the best Pesto of the day! Well worth it. If the 10:30am class doesn’t work, there is also a class at 1:45pm, these two classes run every day, but Tuesdays. They also offer a class on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:00pm, perfect for dinner. Check out their very informative website, Nessun Dorma.

3. Sunset at Belvedere di Santa Maria lookout and dinner in Corniglia:

Corniglia is one of the quieter, smaller villages, but still has a lot to offer. It has its own main square, lookout with breathtaking views, restaurants, wine tasting, a deli, and what every Italian town needs, a Gelateria, (one of the best)!  You don’t need a lot of time to get a feel for Corniglia, which is why we are suggesting a late afternoon with dinner, which would give you enough time to explore, have some gelato, a wine tasting, catch the beautiful sunset, then have a relaxing meal. We ate at La Posada Ristorante, which we really enjoyed both the food and the atmosphere, sitting among olive trees with views of the ocean, can’t beat that! (Pictured above).

4. Sunrise in Beautiful Vernazza:

Vernazza is often considered the prettiest of the 5 villages and I can see why. If you get the chance to spend a magical, early morning here, you’ll be very happy you got out of bed.  We took the 7:00am train from Levanto and reached Vernazza at about 7:10am, we wandered down the main street, Via Roma, and found a little café called the Blue Marlin. We had a bacon and eggs type breakfast with coffee and tea, and sat in their outdoor section, which we quite enjoyed. You could also order breakfast and coffee to go from any of the little places along the main street and eat at the harbour while watching the sunrise. After we ate, we continued down that main street, stopping to look at different vendors wares, as it was market day (every Tuesday morning). Once we reached the harbour, we sat and soaked it all in, what a beautiful place. The sun was still rising so the colours of the buildings and umbrellas were quite nice. We watched a little boy fishing off the edge of the dock and got to witness the charming town waking up. We then hiked up through a maze of little walkways and staircases to the Doria Castle which had amazing views of the ocean and of the colourful town and harbour. We spend about 3 leisurely hours in Vernazza before heading to the hiking trail to Monterossa al Mare. For more on places to eat, rules of the hiking trails and sunrise times check out our post on the Tips and Recommendations, Your Travel Guide to:  Cinque Terre, Italy (Coming Soon).

5. Sentiero Azzurro Hike from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare with lunch:

After our relaxing morning in Vernazza we headed off to do the hiking trail from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare. This was a difficult hike as there are a lot of dusty ups and downs, on this dirt path, but definitely rewarding. The views were breath taking especially the views of Vernazza as you’re leaving and Monterossa al Mare as you get closer. In-between there is a lot of cliff views, vegetation, and vineyards, very pretty. We started this hike at approx. 10:00am and where glad we did as the town was starting to fill up, so we were able to beat most of the crowds, which we strive for. The path at this point wasn’t too busy or hot, but by the time we arrived in Monterosso people were filling the path and the temperatures had risen, a lot. I would have still rather have had that quiet morning in Vernazza, but if you prefer a quieter, cooler hike you could have started with the hike. Most people hike Vernazza to Monterosso, not the other way around as there is more uphill sections when starting in Monterosso, but still do able. As you’ll see in our 3-day Itinerary, we try and plan out your day so that you maximize the less touristy times. Check out our Itinerary here (coming soon). Once we reached Monterossa al Mare, we explored the old town area first and had lunch at Causapersa, pizzas and drinks, which we really enjoyed, and needed after our hike!! Depending on the time and your energy level you could either head over to the new town area of Monterossa and explore or relax on the beach. Walking around here in the middle of the day isn’t as bad as the other villages because it’s bigger, so you don’t feel as packed in. Monterossa has beautiful beaches filled with colourful beach umbrellas, quite the sight to see!

6. Explore Neighbouring Levanto during peak hours:

While technically not part of Cinque Terre, Levanto is the next best thing to it. Only 4 mins north of Monterosso al Mare by train (or 20mins to Riomaggiore) and included in the Cinque Terre pass, allowing you to train back and forth as much as you like, this makes a great place to visit or use as a base for exploring the area. It’s flatter than any of the 5 villages, is less touristy and it’s also a beautiful seaside town. Levanto makes a great escape from the over crowned Cinque Terre Towns in the middle of the day when all of the day trippers or cruise ship goers are inundating the area. Or it makes a great base to stay in while visiting Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera! This is what we did, we rented an amazing 3-bedroom apartment for 4 days and spent 3 of them exploring Cinque Terre and one on the beautiful Portofino Peninsula, for more on that check out our post “Travel Guide and 1-day Itinerary for the Portofino Peninsula, a great day trip while visiting the Italian Riviera!”

 Levanto has a laidback feel, lots of beach area, some free a some paid, kayak rentals, bike rentals, a great boardwalk, a castle, churches, and great restaurants. You can bike to neighbouring Bonassola in under 30mins, on a bike path through tunnels, (or walk it). Or you can hike to Monterosso al Mare on a 7 km trail taking a few hours. As well, it’s quite excisable by car. We were able to get up early, be at the train station within 10mins, hop on the train, and be in the farthest village in less than 20mins. We would spend the morning exploring, hiking, enjoying our cooking class, then head back to Levanto for the afternoon, relax at the beach or our apartment, explore Levanto, shower, change, then head back to explore one of the villages later in the afternoon, to watch a beautiful sunset, have dinner and of course Gelato!! This was a great option for us!

4. References:

All of this information, research and suggestions came from our own experiences we had while exploring this stunning corner of the world. As well, countless hours were spent reading travel books, like DK Eyewitness, Italy, Rick Steves Italy’s Cinque Terre and Lonely Plant’s Genoa and Cinque Terre. We also read multiple Travel blogs and tourism websites like, Tourist Italy!

5. The Wrap up:

After reading this, we hope you feel inspired to visit this breathtaking area filled with incredible views, hikes, and food. We hope you find our information helpful when you’re planning your own trip to Cinque Terre.

At Wild Meadow Studio, we love everything travel: planning, research, maps, books, itineraries, tours, trying local foods, meeting new people, hiking, cooking classes, relaxing and of course creating memories and artwork, through our photos! We enjoy talking travel too, whether it’s sharing our experiences or hearing about yours. So, comment, ask questions, give advice, join our mailing list, like, follow, pin, share with friends, anything goes, let’s talk travel!

Thank you,

From Wild Meadow Studio

A Travel and Photography Blog

Where we Focus on the Journey

By: Beth de Verteuil

www.wildmeadowstudio.com

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