Cinque Terre…in one day.

So this wasn’t originally in my plans for a week in Italy but when I realised it was kind of on my route I realised I had to check it out. It was a bit rushed but well worth it!

Riomaggiore was the first one of the five villages. It oozed with character and I felt like I was in a film set. It was also the busiest place i’d been to during my week exploring Italy. It was impossible to socially distance on some paths.

Second stop, I reached by train was Manarola. This village was also picture perfect. The sea was crystal blue.

The third one was Corniglia. To reach this one you had to walk up a big stair case from the train station. The view of the coastline was stunning.

I stopped for a quick drink in the town. I thought it was the least impressive of the five. It was the only one of the 5 that were not located on the sea.

Moving on to number four. Varnazza, which was my personal favourite. Walking from the station there was a little hole in the cliff which lead to a little beach.

Then walking around to the front there was another beach in the harbour surrounded by more colourful buildings and a church.

The last one Monterosso felt alot bigger with a long stretch of beach with colourful parasols and restaurants.

There is an option to hike between the 5 towns however most of the paths are actually closed for refurbishment. It is also pretty hilly so I’d recommend giving this a go in spring or autumn not in the height of summer. I’d definitely like to return to Cinque Terre but I can imagine that it gets very busy when travellers return from the rest of the world.