Which Cinque Terre village should you stay in?
It comes down to one thing: how you want to spend your days. Monterosso for the beach and no stairs. Vernazza for the postcard harbour, if you don't mind walking. Corniglia for silence, if 382 steps don't frighten you. Manarola for photography and wine. Riomaggiore if you arrive late by train or leave early.
The five villages compared
| Village | Beach | Effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterosso | sandy, with sunbeds | low | families, heavy luggage, swimming |
| Vernazza | small, pebbles | medium | the postcard village, the evenings |
| Corniglia | none, it is up high | high — 382 steps | anyone after quiet |
| Manarola | none, swimming rocks | medium | photography, wine, diving in |
| Riomaggiore | small, rocky | medium | arriving and leaving by train |
The thing that really decides it: the stairs
In the Cinque Terre the difference between a restful holiday and an exhausting one is not the village: it is the climbs and your luggage. These are vertical villages built on slopes, and almost no apartment can be reached by car.
Anyone travelling with small children, with elderly parents or with large suitcases should start here and only then look at the photographs. It is the advice we give most often, and the one most often ignored.
Monterosso al Mare — the easy one
It is the largest and the flattest of the five, and the only one with a proper sandy beach with sunbeds. It comes in two halves: the old village, and Fegina, the newer part by the station, where the hotels are and where you arrive without climbing.
It is the right choice for families with children, for anyone with serious luggage, and for anyone who wants to sit on a beach without mounting an expedition. In exchange it is the least characteristic of the five, and in August also the most crowded.
Vernazza — the postcard
Vernazza's little harbour is the image almost everyone has in mind when they think of the Cinque Terre: the small square on the water, the church with its apse over the sea, the Doria castle above the houses. It is small, closed to cars, and walked on foot.
It is the right place if you want to wake up inside the postcard and don't mind a few flights of steps. People who sleep here discover what day visitors never see: at eight in the evening, once the trains have taken everyone away, it goes back to being a fishing village.
Corniglia — silence, at the price of 382 steps
It is the only one of the five that is not on the water: it sits on a promontory about a hundred metres up. From the station you climb the Lardarina, a staircase of 382 steps, or take the shuttle bus when it is running.
That is exactly why it is the quietest and the least walked by groups. If you are looking for the Cinque Terre of thirty years ago, it is here. If you have a twenty-kilo suitcase, think twice.
Manarola — photography and wine
Manarola is the village of coloured houses dropping straight into the water, the one in the sunset photograph taken from the Punta Bonfiglio walk. It has no beach, but it has a swimming rock that beats a good many beaches.
It is the heart of Sciacchetrà country, the sweet wine of the Cinque Terre, and the best base for visiting the cellars and the terraced vineyards.
Riomaggiore — the practical one for trains
It is the first village you reach coming from La Spezia, and the best connected for anyone arriving late or leaving early. The main street runs down to the harbour between tall narrow houses, and the evenings are livelier than elsewhere.
A good choice if you use the Cinque Terre as a base for moving around, rather than as a place to be still.
And if you cannot decide
The practical advice: sleep in one and visit the others. The five villages are linked by trains every fifteen or twenty minutes and the ride between them takes a few minutes. There is no sense in moving your suitcases three times in one week.
Three nights is the minimum to actually get to know them: the first is for arriving, the last for leaving, and the one in the middle is the holiday.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cinque Terre village is best for families with children?
- Monterosso al Mare. It is the flattest, it has the only sandy beach with sunbeds, and it is the only one where you can go from your apartment to the sea without facing a staircase.
- Which Cinque Terre village is the most beautiful?
- Vernazza is the one in almost every photograph, thanks to the harbour and the square on the water. But “beautiful” depends on what you are after: Manarola wins at sunset, Corniglia wins on silence.
- Can you visit the Cinque Terre in one day?
- You can cross them, not know them. In a day you see two or three villages in a hurry, along with every other day visitor. With three nights you also get the early morning and the evening, which is when these villages are truly themselves.
- Do you need a car in the Cinque Terre?
- No, and it is better not to have one. The villages are closed to traffic, parking is scarce and expensive, and the five are linked by frequent trains. It is better to arrive by private transfer and leave the driving to us.
- How many nights do you need in the Cinque Terre?
- Three at least. In two nights you arrive and you leave; the third is the first real full day.
Private transfers with a licensed driver, a fixed price agreed before you travel, nothing upfront. And the whole itinerary too, if you want it.