Visiting Cinque Terre: travel tips, the most beautiful villages & practical information
- May 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 15
Cinque Terre, literally meaning "Five Lands", is made up of five colourful seaside villages perched along the Italian Riviera. Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare are all located on the Ligurian coast, just outside La Spezia.
Since the villages are difficult to reach by car, travelling by train is by far the easiest way to explore them. Together, they have been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and attract more than two million visitors every year. It's easy to see why, each village has its own charm, colourful houses, dramatic cliffs, and stunning sea views.
In this guide, you'll find everything you need to know before visiting Cinque Terre, including transport tips, accommodation advice, costs, and how many days you should plan for your trip.
How to get to Cinque Terre
Although driving directly into the villages isn't practical, visiting all five villages is surprisingly easy. The best base is La Spezia, located just 16 kilometres from the first village, Riomaggiore. You can also stay in Levanto, which lies on the opposite side of Cinque Terre and is another popular starting point. From La Spezia Centrale, the train reaches Riomaggiore in just 8 to 10 minutes, and from there it's easy to continue to the other villages. Travelling between neighbouring villages takes only about five minutes, while a direct train from La Spezia to Monterosso al Mare takes around 27 minutes.
The easiest way to travel between the villages is on the Cinque Terre Express. From March to November, trains run approximately every 20 minutes. During the winter months, services are less frequent but still operate once or twice every hour. You can purchase individual train tickets, but if you're planning to visit multiple villages, a Cinque Terre Train Card offers much better value. The pass is available for one, two, or three days, with prices ranging from approximately €22 for one day during the low season to around €81 for three days during the high season. You can find more information about the costs here.
You can buy the pass at any train station within Cinque Terre, at La Spezia, or online before your trip.
Before visiting Cinque Terre, you'll first need to travel to La Spezia. The city is easy to reach by car but doesn't have its own airport. The closest airport is Pisa International Airport, located around 80 kilometres away. You can also fly into Genoa or Florence, both of which have train connections to La Spezia. If you're planning to explore more of Tuscany or northern Italy, renting a car is also a great option. Just keep in mind that you'll want to leave it in La Spezia before continuing to Cinque Terre by train.
Where to stay in Cinque Terre
When choosing accommodation, you essentially have two options. Stay in one of the five villages or stay in La Spezia or Levanto. Both have their advantages.
If you stay in one of the villages, you'll have the biggest advantage of all: you can experience Cinque Terre before the day-trippers arrive and after they leave. You'll also have complete freedom to explore without worrying about train schedules. The downside is that accommodation is generally much more expensive. Large hotel chains are almost non-existent, so you'll mostly find locally owned guesthouses, apartments, and small boutique hotels. While they can sometimes be fairly simple, they're often full of character—and many come with spectacular sea views.
If you don't mind taking the train into Cinque Terre each day, La Spezia or Levanto are excellent alternatives. Accommodation is generally more affordable, you'll have a wider range of hotels to choose from, and restaurants are usually cheaper as well. For many travellers, staying outside the villages offers the best balance between comfort, convenience, and budget.
How many days do you need in Cinque Terre?
Although the villages themselves are relatively small, each one has its own atmosphere and is well worth visiting. Besides wandering through the colourful streets, you can relax on the beach during summer or hike the famous coastal trails that connect several of the villages while enjoying breathtaking views over the Ligurian Sea.
If your schedule allows, I'd recommend visiting all five villages. To do this comfortably, you'll need at least two full days. If you'd also like to go hiking, spend time at the beach, or simply enjoy long lunches with sea views, three to four days is even better.
If you only have one day, visiting all five villages can feel rushed, and you'll spend a significant part of your day travelling by train. Instead, I'd recommend focusing on two or three villages. Vernazza is often considered the most beautiful and is usually the busiest, while Manarola and Riomaggiore are equally popular thanks to their colourful harbours and iconic viewpoints. Ultimately, it depends on what kind of experience you're looking for.
