Cinque Terre is located in Liguria on Italy's Mediterranean coast. There are five villages
(hence the name Cinque Terre) along 18 km of rugged and terraced coastline. One of the most popular
reasons to visit Cinque Terre is to walk between the towns for spectacular views.
The five towns are listed below from north to south:- Monterosso al Mare
- Vernazza
- Corniglia
- Manarola
- Riomaggiore
There are pathways covering the entire area and one can hike the entire stretch in a good day.
The hikes though are not for the casual hiker. Some
points of the walk are steep and the paths very narrow. There are also harrowing points where there is not much between the narrow path and hundred
foot drops to the beach. It is advisable when planning to make the hikes that proper footwear and clothing is worn and the weather is checked before
departure. It is not necessary to hike the entire 5 town journey in one day. My recommendation would be to take it easy and make one hike per day.
Then stop in town find out when the next train departs, poke around that town for a while and then move on. If you feel up to it, make another hike
that day, but inquire about the estimated walking time and difficulty before setting out. Cinque Terre is a lovely place for hiking and certainly worth
2 or 3 days for the average visitor.
Reaching Cinque Terre
Getting to Cinque Terre is easy and best done by train. For the most part the roads are narrow
and dangerous and parking is practically non-existent. Besides getting around by train is simple and cheap. Cinque Terre is on the Genova - La Spezia
line and trains run frequently during the time visitors would want to be there. Arriving from outside the area train into Genova and then look for
trains heading to LaSpezia. There are many towns which dot the coastline so make sure the town where you want to stop is on the board for that run.
From Genova, the train ride should take between 1 and 2 hours depending how many stops are made. From the south, do the same from LaSpezia. Cinque
Terre is very close to LaSpezia so the ride is not very long at all. Timetables can be found at TrenItalia.com
Staying in Cinque Terre
One has to remember these five towns are very small and the infrastructure was not built with
tourism in mind. Therefore, there are generally not large luxurious hotels. If you want luxury, it's better to stay in places like Rapallo, Santa
Margherita, Portovenere, Lerici or other neighboring towns. Inside Cinque Terre you can find some decent accommodation in Monterosso or Riomaggiore
but be warned these book-end towns have grown and have become less Cinque Terre -like than the three middle towns.
Finding accommodation in Cinque Terre can be challenging since the supply far exceeds the demand.
One must book early and be prepared for simple 'mom and pop' type arrangements. For most that is fine (after all you are there to hike). Often you
have to book directly and pay cash on the spot. There are also apartments and rooms for rent too. My recommendation would be to stay in towns
mentioned above and train in for the day. There is not much going on in the towns after the tourists leave and part of visiting the Italian Riviera
(Cinque Terre is part of the Italian Riviera) is experiencing the nightlife.
Researching Cinque Terre
There is little information published in English about Cinque Terre in comparison with other
destinations such as Tuscany or the main cities of Rome, Florence and Venice. To the right you will find links to the available information at
Amazon.com as well as some links for maps of the Cinque Terre area and an excellent tourist map of the immediate area from TrekTools.com. | | |
| | Accommodation
Hotels
in the Cinque Terre area
Hotels in
Monterosso al Mare
Hotels in
Riomaggiore
Hotels in
Rapallo (app. 45 km/28 miles) - more choices but a bit further away
Hotels in
La Spezia (app. 7 km/4.5 miles) - more choices, closer but less character
Hotels in
Portovenere (app. 8 km/5 miles) - fewer choices, more character but access a bit more difficult
Hotels in
Lerici (app. 14 km/9 miles) - fewer choices, more character but access a bit more difficult |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
