Cinque Terre

This page discusses the Cinque Terre; for the rest of the Liguria region, including the areas north/south/inland of the Cinque Terre in La Spezia province (some of which provide a similar experience to the Cinque Terre but with fewer crowds), see the Liguria page

When to Go

• Sadly, the Cinque Terre are no longer the sleepy, forgotten fishing villages they were when Rick Steves first started writing about them...they now draw a LOT of tourists from all around the world, clogging up the towns and footpaths, especially in the summer.

• Most popular but worst: Summer is not only the most crowded time, but it can also be unbearably hot, which especially makes the hiking trails more difficult

• Least crowded but more limited services: Winter, when many of the restaurants are closed...but it is definitely the least-crowded time

• Goldilocks time: Shoulder seasons (especially early spring or late fall) have reasonably good weather and fewer crowds, but restaurants are still open

Getting Around

• A footpath, known as the Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail), connects the towns, and requires a fee for admittance (one version of the fee includes train transport; see Cinque Terre Insider's take on it) --> see "which footpaths are open?" below, for more

• A train connects the towns (it's probably the easiest way to get between them)

• There is limited car parking outside of the towns—generally speaking, it's not a good idea to drive between the towns.

• There's also a ferry connecting the towns in the warmer months...this is probably the most fun but also the most unpredictable way to get between them

Each town has its own character...from north to south:

Monterosso (al Mare)

bustling resort town with a large beach

• • ? Buranco - winery and agriturismo rec'd NY Times, stop by for a wine tasting with some light food

  • ? Gastronomia San Martino - good for quick meals (a restaurant & tavola calda), very popular on Google & TripAdvisor, rec'd Frommers who call it "local gem" with very casual atmosphere, also rec'd NY Times, Lonely Planet

  • Il Ciliegio - rec'd by Slow Food Osterie d'Italia 2014-2017 (not anymore in 2018)

  • L'ancora della Tortuga - Michelin star?

  • Trattoria da Oscar - rec'd Frommers, Lonely Planet

  • Ristorante da Miky - rec'd Frommers, Lonely Planet, Michelin...many people say it's the "best" (or fanciest/most expensive?) restaurant in the Cinque Terre

    • La Cantina di Miky - less formal/less expensive place with same owner

  • Il Casello - rec'd Frommers

  • Il Fornaio di Monterosso - focaccia shop that got on Dissapore's top list

  • L'Ancora della Tortuga - can get expensive, rec'd Michelin, Lonely Planet

  • Da Eraldo - rec'd Lonely Planet

  • Torre Aurora - rec'd Lonely Planet

  • Il Massimo della Focaccia - rec'd Lonely Planet

  • Ristorante Belvedere - rec'd Lonely Planet

  • Slurp! Gelato - rec'd Lonely Planet

  • Il Fornaio di Monterosso - rec'd Dissapore for foccacia

• Note: as of early 2022 the main Monterrosso-Vernazza hiking path is closed

  • it looks like pretty steep trails 508/582/591/509 connect these towns via the mountains...?

Vernazza

"the pretty one", beautiful babe of the bunch with its picturesque harbor

• • ? Batti Batti' - focaccia shop rec'd New York Times, Lonely Planet

  • Il Pirata - coffee shop/restaurant/hotel rec'd by Rick Steves 

  • Gambero Rosso - seafood restaurant rec'd Lonely Planet, Frommers

  • Gianni Franzi - old school seafood rec'd Lonely Planet

  • Gelateria Vernazza - rec'd Lonely Planet

  • Ristorante Belforte - rec'd Frommers

  • Ristoriamo - popular with food bloggers

  • Trattoria Gianni Franzi - rec'd NY Times

  • Volunteer with "Save Vernazza" to help repair local farms (~twice a week)

  • ...way up the hill from the town is Nostra Signora di Reggio, which Rick Steves likes

Corniglia

"the one on the cliff", quieter

• ...there used to be a good lemonade/yogurt shop near entrance to town...?

• ## A Cantina de Mananan - rec'd by Slow Food Osterie d'Italia 2021, Frommers, Golosario, looks fun/fresh

• # Km 0 - sandwich shop with locally-sourced ingredients, rec'd New York Times, Lonely Planet

• # Alberto Gelateria - rec'd New York Times, Lonely Planet, local ingredients like honey and basil

• Ittiturisimo Corniglia - food writer Laurel Evans says it's "the freshest food around", appeared on Stanely Tucci show

• La Posada Ristorante - rec'd Lonely Planet

• Il Gabbiano - cafe with cold drinks, sandwiches, etc on the trail in the tiny hamlet of Prevo, rec'd Lonely Planet

• Bütiega - take-away deli rec'd Lonely Planet

• Pan e Vin - rec'd Lonely Planet

• Note: as of early 2022 the main Corniglia-Manarola hiking path is closed

  • ...if the road between Corniglia and Manarola is closed (or you want some more strenuous hiking) you can detour via Volastra (trail #587 aka 7a, then 586 aka 6d, then 506 aka 6), check out this site for more, this map shows some of the paths

    • you can also take a bus from Manarola to Volastra to shave some time off; departs ~hourly

    • Rick Steves rec's skipping the "official" trail #6/506 between Manarola and Volastra, instead heading on the "Vineyard walk" from the cemetery/Punta Bonfiglio to a sign/turnoff reading "Volastra panoramica")

Manarola

cute little town nestled in a small valley, a bit more "rustic", subject of the most famous photos...Manarola was probably the main inspiration for the town in the Disney movie Luca

• ?? Nessun Dorma - bar with a view and simple meals (mostly bruschette, cheese, and cured meats) rec'd New York Times, popular on TripAdvisor...also runs a "Pesto Experience" lunch/lesson at 10:30 on most days, where you make ligurian pesto

• ? Trattoria dal Billy - rec'd Frommers, Golosario, Lonely Planet (especially for seafood)

• Il Porticciolo - rec'd Frommers, Lonely Planet

  • Il Porticciolo Foodrink - more informal place associated with the restaurant, rec'd Lonely Planet

• # Cappun Magru - informal wine bar / restaurant (also has some quick take-away stuff?) rec'd Slow Food Osterie d'Italia 2021, Lonely Planet (there was a restaurant in Riomaggiore with the same name that is now closed—might have been the same owner?), more info about their eponymous dish here

• Da Aristide - rec'd Lonely Planet

• Gelateria 5 Terre - rec'd Lonely Planet, also has cannoli

• (Marina Piccola was rec'd Michelin but not any more as of 2021, their Google reviews have also slid down considerably; still rec'd Lonely Planet...)

• the flattest part of the entire 5-town hike is between Manarola and Riomaggiore

  • Note: as of early 2022 the Riomaggiore side of the Manarola-Riomaggiore Via dell'Amore section is closed and not scheduled to re-open until 2024 (!)

  • ...if this flat part (the main Via dell'Amore or "Way of Love") is closed, sometimes the Beccara Trail (#531, a much more strenuous hike with lots of stairs, but with gorgeous views) is open

Riomaggiore

second-largest town, like Manarola is mostly in a valley, apparently popular with Germans

• ? Rio Bistrot - rec'd New York Times, Michelin, Lonely Planet, looks very nice

• Dau Cila - rec'd Michelin, Lonely Planet, Rick Steves (who likes the bruschetta)

• Il Pescato Cucinato - rec'd Frommers, Lonely Planet, NY Times, has inexpensive fried takeout

• A Piè de Mà - winery rec'd New York Times

• Ripa del Sole - rec'd by Slow Food Osterie d'Italia 2018

• Ristorante-Enoteca Dau Cila - rec'd Frommers

• La Lanterna - rec'd Frommers

• La Lampara - rec'd Lonely Planet

• La Cantina del Macellaio - more of a meat (versus seafood) place, Lonely Planet rec's including their "heavenly crème brûlée sprinkled with crushed hazelnuts"

• Colle del Telegrafo - rec'd Lonely Planet (south of town, nice view, popular with hikers)

Which footpaths are open?

• • For the latest status, check out the Official 5 Terre Park Website's map (closed parts are in black; as of early 2022, almost the entire coastal section was closed except Vernazza to Corniglia...some websites claim that the Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza section is open, but the official sites show them as closed...?)

    • This blog has a nice description of what it's like to hike the full 5 towns despite the trail closures

• • Hiking maps are here

    • This Google Map shows a number of the trails in the area

    • Cinque Terre Insider is a great blog/website written by Amy Inman, an American expat who lives in Riomaggiore with her local husband and two kids; she has advice on a number of topics such as Cinque Terre with kids

    • Italian Fix has a nice introduction to Cinque Terre

    • New York Times has a 2017 "36 Hours in Cinque Terre" article that has some good tips (including getting out of the main towns to eat in Portovenere and Levanto)