The colorful villages of the Cinque Terre is a must visit place in Italy. Located in Italy’s Liguria region, this stretch of land is known for its simple way of living. With hiking trails, vineyards, regional specialties and incredible views, you will definitely be captivated by the Cinque Terre’s natural beauty. This post covers how to spend 2 days in Cinque Terre
Table of Contents
The 5 Villages at a Glance
Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso al Mare (Monterosso for short) is the largest of the 5 villages and the first one located from the north. This village is more town like and has an Old Town and a New Town. The Old Town is more like the other 4 villages while the New Town is very modern and more resort like. Monterosso has the largest stretch of beach and is perhaps known for beach days. This village also has some amazing places to eat and the most hotel accommodation of the 5 villages.
Vernazza
Vernazza is considered the crown jewel of the Cinque Terre. This village in my opinion has some of the most incredible views. You can stroll through its colorful village center, lay out on its beach or climb higher for the views.
Corniglia
Corniglia is the only village that is not at sea-level. You actually need to climb 300+ steps from the train station to reach Corniglia but don’t skip it as it does have its own charm and beauty. If you want to go to its very small harbor front, then you need to climb down. You won’t see a lot of crowds at this harbor so if you are looking to lay out in the sun without the crowds, then the harbor or Corniglia maybe your cup of tea.
Manarola
Manarola was my favorite village to photograph! Its façade is truly beautiful and the pastel colored houses glisten like vibrant jewels in the sunshine.
Riomaggiore
At first glace, Riomaggiore looks small. Its colorful harbor is definitely the villages’ center point. However, there’s more to this village than the harbor. Climb a little higher up to the castle (free with a Cinque Terre pass) for incredible views of the pastel colored houses and the sea.
The harbor does have a rocky area that people go swimming in. Most boat tours leave from Riomaggiore.
Riomaggiore is also one of the best places to witness the sunset each evening.
Notes on this Itinerary for 2 Days in Cinque Terre
You need a minimum of 2 days if you are going to hike and I am assuming that you are going to hike. If you are not going to hike, you can enjoy Cinque Terre at your leisure even adding time on the beach.
If you want to hike AND have beach time, then I recommend that you spend more than 2 days in Cinque Terre .
How to Spend 2 Days in Cinque Terre
Day 1
Day 1 is mainly focus on hiking and exploring the villages via the trails. The best part of hiking in the Cinque Terre is that you don’t have to hike continuously. You can explore the villages in between.
Corniglia
Start your day exploring Corniglia. You will have to climb some steps to get to Corniglia but consider it your warm up for what’s to come! I tried to make this itinerary to be as efficient as possible so that you don’t waste time going back and forth via train. You could technically start from Monterosso but I don’t recommend it. The stairs from Monterosso to Vernazza are a lot worse than the wide but somewhat shallow steps leading up to Corniglia.
Corniglia is relatively small. Spend about an hour or so exploring the village and then head to the trail towards Vernazza.
Vernazza
The hike towards Vernazza is considered a moderate one. You will have some ups and downs but the views will be worth it!
Right before Vernazza is a restaurant called Ristorante la Torre . If you are hungry, you can stop here for a bite. If not, continue towards Vernazza. The best view points of Vernazza are from this restaurant, from the harbor looking back at the village and from the castle. The village center itself is relatively small. You can explore Vernazza in about 2 hours or so.
Before you head out, have gelato at Gelateria Vernazza . It’s one of the best gelato shops in the CInque Terre and it was absolutely divine.
I know I listed some of the best view points of Vernazza above but the best view point is actually on the trail between Vernazza and Monterosso. You cannot miss it on your way to Monterosso, It’s actually closer to Vernazza and a little past the check point in Vernazza.
Monterosso
You will first get to the Old Town part of Monterosso from the trail. My recommendation is to walk around Old Town for a bit and then have dinner in the New Town area. Celebrate your day of hiking by having some pre-dinner drinks at Enoteca Da Eliseo. I loved this place so much that I visited 3 times! If you have time, check out Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, and Oratorio dei Neri. The 13th century tower, Torre Aurora is also worth exploring.
Read more about Hiking the Blue Trail in Cinque Terre HERE.
Day 2
Day 2 of these 2 days in Cinque Terre is dedicated to experiences. You may wonder why I am going back and forth between Riomaggiore and Manarola today but that is because of the timing of these experiences and the one way nature of the walk between the two villages (more below)
Start your day in Riomaggiore. Depending on how early you start your day, you can explore the harbor front of Riomaggiore now or you can come back later. From Riomaggiore make your way to Manarola by walking the via dell’Amore. It should take you about 30-40 minutes maximum for this walk. It’s all flat and super easy. However, you do need to buy a ticket in advance, so make you reserve a time ahead. Read more about this in the Cinque Terre Hiking Guide.
Manarola
Once in Manarola, you can explore the village for a bit and then make your way to Nessun Dorma for their pesto class. They have two classes and the first one starts at 10:30 am while the second starts at 1:30 pm. Based on the timing of the other activity for the day, I recommend attending the first class at 10:30. The class takes around 2:5 hours and you learn to make pesto from scratch. It’s such a fun class with music, dancing, food and drinks. I really recommend this experience. Learn more HERE.
Once you are done with the class make your way back to Riomaggiore but you can only do this via train as via dell’Amore is one way only.
Riomaggiore
Once in Riomaggiore, you can take a boat ride to see Cinque Terre from the water. I also highly recommend this experience. Not only do you get to see all 5 villages from the coast, you also get to jump into the water to swim and snorkel. Depending on your preference, you can either take the afternoon tour or the sunset tour. I took the afternoon tour and loved it because we got to see the villages in good lighting. If you take the afternoon tour, you can explore the village after you get back or if you are taking the sunset tour, then you have plenty of time to explore the village before.
You should definitely try a seafood cone from Tutti Fritti and climb up to via Colombo to see a very different view of Riomaggiore. The castle is free if you have a Cinque Terre Train or Trekking pass and offers very nice views of the colorful village and sea.
With More Time
- Have a beach day in Monterosso or any of the other villages
- Explore Chiesa di San Francesco and the Capuchin monastery in Monterosso
- Take things even slower
How to Get Around
Trains
The best way to get around Cinque Terre is by train. There is a train station at each of the 5 villages and they run very frequently during peak season.
Boats
Ferry type boats also run on the regular during peak season (March to October), however they do not stop in Corniglia.
Hiking
Hiking is another way to get from one village to another, especially the villages of Monterosso – Vernazza and Corniglia. But all villages are connected via different trails. Some are higher up in the mountains. See my hiking guide for more!
Cars
It is not recommended to drive in Cinque Terre. For one, the villages are pedestrian only and you will have to park outside the village and lug your suitcase down. Another is that parking can be expensive.
Buses/Shuttles
ATC buses connect the villages to their parking lot (i.e., the shuttle bus in Corniglia connects the train station and the village center/parking lot), and various points in the hills but not to the 5 villages themselves.
Passes
There are 2 passes that you could get while in Cinque Terre. One gives you access to trekking and transport, while the other gives you access to transport at a reduced rate that what you would have spent on individual tickets had you bought them day-of.
I covered this in depth in my post on hiking. See it HERE!
Where to Stay
Where to stay kind of depends on personal preference. Monterosso is popular and has a lot more options than the other villages. It also has more hotel options if that is what you are looking for. The accommodation types in the other villages are mostly rentals and airBNBs. Monterosso also has a train station that connects to other places in the region and outside. For example, I was able to travel from Monterosso to Pisa. While the other villages do have train stations, not all trains stop at each village. If you are staying in Monterosso, try and stay in the Old Town so that you can have a similar experience to staying in one of the other villages. Manarola, Riomaggiore and Vernazza are also popular outside of Monterosso. I don’t recommend staying in Corniglia as the stairs to get to the village from the train station will be painful after a while!
Where I Stayed
I stayed at Hotel Margherita in Monterosso and they were good! The room was decent, the breakfast in the morning was good and the hotel is in a great location! HERE is the link to book them.
Where to Eat
Cinque Terre has some good restaurants with incredible views. I recommend making reservations, especially during peak season, if you want to get a table without waiting.
Here are some places I ate at that were really good!
- Da Miky – Located on the seafront in Monterosso, Miky is known for its seafood dishes and is on the Michelin Guide.
- L’Ancora Della Tortuga – Another restaurant in Monterosso with nice views of the sea. Great for a romantic night out.
- Ristorante la Torre – Located in Vernazza, this restaurant is a bit of a trek to get up to from the village center but don’t let that deter you. The views and the food are fully worth it!
Here were my favorite gelato places in each village:
- Monterosso – Gelateria Golosone
- Vernazza – Gelateria Vernazza
- Corniglia – Alberto Gelateria
- Manarola – Gelateria Sorbetteria 5 Terre
List of What to Do
If you are looking for a list of things to do in a more easy to digest format, check out my 10 best things to do in Cinque Terre post HERE.
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