Cinque terre italy how long

Hope you have a great trip — I'm hearing that Italy is fairly quiet at the moment so you should hopefully get to see it without the usualy peak season crowds! I based myself in La Spezia and got the first train out to a village each morning and walked for a couple of hours, had coffee in a cafe, swam, had a fabulous seafood lunch and then got the train or boat back to La Spezia.

La Spezia is really interesting - had some art nouveau and art deco buildings, a fantastic museum - the Amedeo Lia collection and good restaurants and bars.

I stayed in the Hotel Venezia very close to the station - friendly, quiet and reasonably priced. Sounds lovely — and La Spezia is such a good option if you don't want to be right in among the madness of the Cinque Terre villages! My daughter and I are planning to visit Italy this September- starting in Rome for 3 days, then Verona for 2 days then Cinque Terre for 4 days.

Do you have any recommendations on how to get from Verona to Cinque Terre? Hi Paula, the journey by train takes around 5 hours — you will need to change trains in Milan and then transfer onto the Cinque Terre line trains in La Spezia, which connect all the villages.

The colourful streets of Riomaggiore How long should I spend there? On the beach in Monterosso At the other end of the Cinque Terre is Riomaggiore, another of the larger villages with a gorgeous setting and brightly coloured houses set around the harbour.

A cute apartment building in Riomaggiore How hard are the Cinque Terre hikes? On the coast path The Sentiero Azzurro or Blue Trail starts from Monterosso and takes around two hours to reach Vernazza and another two to carry on to Corniglia. Beautiful Vernazza Do I need a permit?

The Cinque Terre ferry What else is there to do? Walking through the vines What should I bring with me? Hilltop Corniglia Looking for somewhere to stay in the Cinque Terre?

Click here to cancel reply. Marina Saturday 9th of October Winter sees things wind down in the Cinque Terre. Hotels and many restaurants close, but there are apartment rentals for the adventurous and romantic. When is the best time to go to Italy? Allowing three to four days will give you enough time to visit all five Cinque Terre villages, get to know the intricate twists and turns of at least one village center, and enjoy a couple of half-day hikes.

The easiest way to reach the Cinque Terre and to travel between the villages is by train. The closest airports are in Genoa and Pisa. A train line that runs along Italy's west coast connects all five villages with Genoa, Pisa and Rome.

Between am and 10pm, one to three trains an hour trundle along the coast between Genoa and La Spezia, stopping at each of Cinque Terre's villages. Private vehicles are not allowed beyond village entrances and on high-traffic days, roads between villages can be closed.

In some villages, minibus shuttles depart from the parking lots. Check the park offices for seasonal schedules. There are secure parking facilities at the train station. Arriving to Cinque Terre by sea is also an option. If you want to make a glamorous entrance, you can even rent a yacht from one of those ports.

You might also like: You could get a huge fine if you don't wear the right shoes to Italy's Cinque Terre 9 stunning images of Cinque Terre that will have you booking your next trip Alternative Cinque Terre: five beautiful and unspoiled Italian Riviera villages. Be the architect of your own trip as you discover the best things to do in Italy through insider tips, suggested itineraries and handy maps. Donna Wheeler. Also if anyone has driven through various countries, i would love your option.

I know the trains are popular but i feel like having a car would be best for us. I just dont know about crossing borders. We are going to Switzerland, Germany and Austria afterwards. Hello Pamela. The best sections of the trail, in my opinion are between Corniglia and Vernazza, and Vernazza to Monterosso. Check the trail closures before you go and fill in the gaps with the train.

Check with your hotel for advice on where to park. Some hotels offer parking, for free or at an extra charge. There is no issue crossing borders for the countries on your list. No checkpoints, no passport control. It will be just like driving between Florida and Georgia. If you drive on a motorway highway in Switzerland, you will need a vignette, but they sell these at the border.

As for having a rental car in Switzerland, it really depends on where you are going. For places like Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and the Bernese Oberland, and Zermatt, no car is necessary…the trains are much more convenient. But having a car in Lugano or Luasanne is helpful for day trips. If you have any other questions, let us know. I love your comments! We are a family of 7 4 adults, 9,13,15 kids planning a 10 day trip to Italy in April We fly into Florence, and tentatively plan to stay in Lucca, then Venice then back to Florence.

I have researched tours and it is going to get pricey. Do you recommend any specific tours? It looks like trains are best for city to city travel. Any advice on how to best plan our trip? Hello Ronnie. We have some links on our Tuscany post. However, parking can be, particularly in cities and the small towns. If you have a big van, then it will be even more challenging. In Italy, we typically recommend traveling by train because it is cheap, easy to use, and you get dropped right in the city centers.

I think that most people can visit Italy just fine without joining a packaged tour. We have tons of info to help you budget your time, learn the best things to do, and book your tickets in advance. You can start with our Italy Travel Guide , but more specifically, our articles on Venice and Florence should help you out a lot. Take a look at these and let me know if you have more questions. Would you mind sharing what time of year you were in Cinque Terre? I saw your update, with the first part of the trail closed is it still worth a visit?

Should we still just take the trains and see those first few towns and then do the hiking trail starting at corniglia ending at monterosso? Thanks for your advice. Hello Natalie. Yes, all of the towns are worth it. They are each slightly different and so much fun to walk through. For us, it was nice getting those panoramic views from the higher trail that connects Riomaggiore and Manarola, but it was very strenuous. If you want a leisurely experience, take the trains to skip over the closed main trails.

If you like the idea of leaving the crowds behind and getting unique views that many people miss, consider hiking section of a higher trail between 2 towns. Hi Julie — we are at the Cinque-Terre now staying at Riomaggiore and have just finnished a days hiking. We enjoyed your post and i have read some more of your Italy posts as we are also doing Capris and the Amalfi coast in coming weeks.

FYI — The coastal paths between Riomaggiore and Corniglia are both permanently closed until for major repair works. It was beautiful weather today, but due to rain earlier all of the coastal traks were closed today.

So we caught the train to Manarola and then hiked the inland route to Cornigula. The first bit was steep but the views were spectacular and were really worth the effort. Only took us an hour and 45 minutes so emboldened by that we had a coffee and a bite to eat and then hiked the inland route to Vernazza.

This was a bit harder as the route was not as well marked as the first section, and there were hardly any other people walking this section to ask directions.

But we managed to find our way and got some even better views of the coastline. The last bit of the track down to Vernazza is particularly steep, but with a bit of care we got down safely.

So not sure if he has closed up shop or just moved towns? We found another shop so we still got our Gelato fix! Tomorrow we will train it back to Cornigula and hike the Coastal paths to Monterosso as they should be officialy open then.

Thanks again for your great blogs and I hope you and your family enjoy many more great holidays! Hello Andrew. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. And thanks for the update on the trail closures. I hope you have a wonderful time for the rest of your stay in Italy.

I remembered that I enjoyed your Scotland post so I took a quick look before heading to bed and appreciate your review and honesty about the hikes! I will post about the experience when we get back! Hello Winnie. The cover photo for this post was taken at Manarola. Here is a link to a Cinque Terre website that has a bunch of different maps. This link is for online maps.

If you want a paper map, you can buy one on Amazon. Hi Julie, Going to Cinque Terre in about 2 weeks. We are planning our packing and the goal is to keep is light. My question is, can we hike the Cinque Terre in a good pair of sneakers or do we need hiking boots?

We often hike in the White Mountains of NH so we are fairly experienced. We are not going to the Dolomites or any other place during our stay that would require the hiking boots. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated! Thanks, Candi. Yes, you can get by with a good pair of sneakers. There are no technical sections to this hike. It will be a dirt trail, rocky in some places, but not too bad. Have fun in Italy! Just wondering if you could throw out some suggestions or thoughts about our upcoming April Italy trip.

We were thinking of doing three days in the Bernese Oberland, but not sure now because of the time of year? Enjoy a walk around the village and lunch at a patio table overlooking the sea. There's also the option to expand your Portofino excursion with trips to Milan and Turin, which you can do on this day trip. There will even be time for a boat tour to the village of Rapallo. Perched on a hill above this coastal village is Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montallegro , a Marian church and famous pilgrimage site that was built in and which features an incredible marble facade.

Also here is the historic Castello di Rapallo , a defensive fortress dating to the 16th century. After Portofino you can continue a few minutes further up the coast to Genoa, where you'll overnight. Day five you'll discover Genoa on a three-hour tour. This ancient seaport metropolis was for centuries a hub of global trade, which turned Genoa into a superpower during the Middle Ages. You can see much evidence of this legacy in its well-preserved historic center. On the tour, you'll walk the labyrinthine streets of La Superba and pass historic churches like the Romanesque Church of San Donato and the Gothic Sant'Agostino , which was built in You'll also stroll the famous Piazza De Ferrari , a grand plaza where you'll find the famous Teatro Carlo Felice , the city's opera house, which was inaugurated in The tour continues through the historic streets, visiting areas like the old harbor and stopping at public parks like Villa Durazzo Pallavicin i, a green space and botanical garden done in the English-romantic style.

Speaking of which, there's no better way to cap your Genoa excursion than with a visit to Parchi di Nervi.