Cinque Terre is gorgeous. These scenic villages tucked away on the Ligurian coast, wow. Still, I don't plan to ever visit again. I think I need to explain.

I have visited Cinque Terre twice. On my first visit, years ago I hiked from Corniglio to Monterosso and continued on to Genoa in the evening. In 2022; I revisited, as a friend wanted to see the place. My friend is more of a slow, thorough traveller (at least in comparison to me), so we spent two days in Cinque Terre, staying for the night in Riomaggiore. The first day was spent in Portovenere and on the biggest island. The second day was spent doing the full hike from Monterosso to Riomaggiore. As such, I would say I have seen most of the area by now, potentially missing some inland villages up in the mountains.

I prefer Cinque Terre over Portovenere and the Islands. I think what makes this WHS special is the stretch from Riomaggiore to Monterosso. My most loved town is Corniglio, but others prefer Vernazza or Manarola. Riomaggiore had the best hotel offers and we were rewarded with the great view in the picture. Monterosso meanwhile is the least traditional of the five. However, it has a beach, so it could also be a valid option.

Now, on to why I won't revisit. Cinque Terre are probably the prettiest villages/towns located in Italy. But they aren't the prettiest Italian villages/towns. Due to international tourism they have lost what makes a village in Italy great: the good (and affordable) food, the relaxed mood, the aperitivo ... The streets are crowded, every shop is a tourist shop, it's hard to find a decent and normal priced restaurant. And that was my impression in pre season, not sure how bad it gets when the cruises are back.

Getting There

Cinque Terre has two access points: Genoa from the North and La Spezia from the South. The Cinque Terre villages are connected via a regional train line. Faster trains between La Spezia and Genoa skip some/all stops. Driving is discouraged. The area is very hilly and parking in short supply, so train is really recommended. In season, the train runs every 30min. In off season you can still catch a train at least once an hour.

Technically, you need to be a buy a Cinque Terre Pass. They come in two flavors: for tracking only and combined with a train pass. The train pass requires you to take several trips in a day and may not save you any money. The tracking bit is only required if you hike the most prominent trail (Corniglio, Vernazza). In off season, nobody checks, so you can save yourself this ticket, too.

For Portovenere, you can take a bus from La Spezia. Bus tickets are sold at Tabacchis (2.5€) in La Spezia. In Portovenere, there is a vending machine at the bus stop. The boat for Spezzino leaves roughly every two hours. Schedule is posted on the boat in the port.

In season, there are also ships connecting La Spezia to Monterosso. We came one day too early to profit from this connection.

Getting Around

The trains are an easy way to hop from one coastal town to the other. There are also some buses, I believe.

The true Cinque Terre experience is hiking along the coast. On my first, visit I hiked from Corniglio to Monterosso. On my second visit, we hiked the full track from Monterosso to Riomaggiore. Having now seen the full track, I found these two bits most stressful:

• from Corniglio to Manarola where the track takes you inland and up.
• from Manarola to Riomaggiore where you have to cross a big mountain starting at sea level without getting rewarding views; Riomaggiore faces South, i.e. away from you.

If you have limited time, hiking from Corniglio to Vernazza is the best option.