Which Cinque Terre Village Is Best for You? (+ Our Honest Experience)

Cinque Terre surprised us…but in a good way.

I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot lately, but it’s true. Like Venice, Cinque Terre is one of those wildly popular destinations Lori and I approached with a healthy dose of skepticism.

We’ve of course seen the photos—colorful fishing villages clinging to cliffs above the Mediterranean, tiny harbors filled with Old World fishing boats, and spectacular coastal hiking trails.

We’d also seen photos of the crowds.

So when we finally visited Cinque Terre, we had no illusions about having the place to ourselves. We knew the famous five towns would be super busy, and we hoped that a little advance planning would make a bit of a difference.

What we didn’t expect was just how much we’d like our time here.

The weather was better than forecast, the hiking surpassed our expectations, and getting between the villages was surprisingly easy.

But what struck us most was how different each of the five Cinque Terre villages felt.

After spending considerable time exploring all five, we came away with some clear preferences.

Manarola might have been our overall favorite (but maybe not the best place to base ourselves in?). Monterosso left us a little underwhelmed (but might prove a good jumping-off point for many travelers). And Vernazza? Wonderful, but there are a few things we’d want to know before choosing it as a base.

Of course, what appeals to us might not appeal to you.

If you’re planning a visit and wondering which Cinque Terre village is best to visit or stay in based on your own tastes and preferences, then you’re in luck! This guide was made exactly for you!

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Which Cinque Terre Village Is Best for You?

The five villages are surprisingly different for places separated by just a couple of kilometers and a few minutes on the train.

Some are better suited to swimming and beach days. Others have spectacular viewpoints, a lively atmosphere, or quieter streets away from the busiest harbors.

Here’s our personal take and where we’d start.

If we were choosing which of the five villages to base ourselves on our next visit, Manarola would probably be a contender for the top spot.

But if we wanted to spend most of our time on the beach, we’d probably choose Monterosso. And for travelers hoping to escape the busiest waterfront areas, Corniglia deserves a closer look.

Though busy during the day, Vernazza is also worth serious consideration, particularly if you’re thinking of doing some serious hiking.

And Riomaggiore’s got an energy that the others can’t quite seem to match.

That’s why we wouldn’t rank the villages from best to worst. The right choice depends on the experience you’re looking for.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at each of the “Five Lands”, starting in the north and working our way south.

Of the five Cinque Terre villages, Monterosso al Mare was the one we found ourselves drawn to the least.

Not because there’s anything particularly wrong with it. We just didn’t find it as charming or atmospheric as the other four. It didn’t quite have that Cinque Terre vibe we came for.

Monterosso feels more like a conventional seaside resort, with a long beachfront, a broader layout, and considerably more room to move around.

Which, depending on what you’re looking for, could be a huge advantage.

For starters, Monterosso has the biggest and nicest beach of the five villages. If you’re planning a summer visit and want to spend your days swimming or lounging by the Mediterranean inside the Cinque Terre National Park, this is where we’d suggest looking first.

It’s also one of the easier villages to navigate.

Much of Monterosso is comparatively flat, particularly around the beachfront. That’s a welcome change from the steep stairways and hilly streets we encountered elsewhere.

If you’re traveling with small children, have mobility limitations, or simply don’t want to climb a hundred steps every time you head out, Monterosso has some practical advantages.

It also has a wider selection of hotels and restaurants than the smaller villages, making it a sensible base for a longer stay.

Another plus is its train station, which is served by some longer-distance Intercity trains in addition to the local regional services.

And for hikers, Monterosso is an excellent starting point for one of our favorite stretches of the Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail), heading south toward Vernazza.

The route involves plenty of climbing, but the views are fantastic.

In fact, we enjoyed that hike considerably more than our time wandering around Monterosso itself.

Where We’d Stay in Monterosso

If we were planning a beach-focused visit, these are two properties we’d look into:

✪ Mid-Range La Casa di Zuecca — Comfortable hotel in the old town, convenient for the beach and hiking trail.

✪ Treat Yourself Hotel Porto Roca — A clifftop hotel with sweeping sea views, a panoramic pool, and direct access to the Blue Trail. This is the sort of place we’d consider for a special couples’ getaway. Note that guests must be at least 14 years old, so it wouldn’t work for families with younger children.

Our Take Monterosso wouldn’t be our first choice for an atmospheric Cinque Terre stay. But for beach lovers, families wanting easier access, and travelers who prefer a more conventional seaside vacation, it could be the best of the five.

No doubt, Vernazza is a pretty darn beautiful place.

It’s also one of the villages where we felt the crowds most intensely.

The tiny harbor, colorful buildings, and waterfront piazza create one of the most recognizable scenes in Cinque Terre. And, it seemed everyone wanted a piece of it.

It doesn’t take many visitors to fill up a place this small.

But despite the crowds, Vernazza turned out to be one of our more memorable stops.

We got a kick out of watching the local fishermen move their boats on the planks down toward the harbor after a storm. It was a fascinating process, and a reminder that Vernazza is still a working fishing village, not merely a picturesque backdrop for tourists.

We found more evidence of this while wandering the narrow side streets. Real people still live here. Laundry hangs outside windows, everyday life carries on away from the waterfront, and not every building has been transformed into a boutique hotel or vacation rental.

We appreciated that, although we couldn’t help wondering what it must be like to live here with the crush of visitors arriving day after day.

Why Vernazza Is Such a Great Village for Hikers

One of Vernazza’s biggest draws, in our opinion, is its location along the coastal hiking trail.

The stretches between Monterosso and Vernazza, and between Vernazza and Corniglia, were among the highlights of our time in Cinque Terre.

Both offer superb coastal views, but the scenery overlooking Vernazza itself is particularly memorable.

You’ve probably seen the iconic photograph taken from high above the village, with its colorful buildings wrapped around the harbor. One of the best places to capture that scene is along the trail heading north from Vernazza toward Monterosso.

For the most beautiful light, we’d aim for the late afternoon, approaching sunset.

Just be aware that the viewpoint lies beyond a hiking ticket checkpoint, so you’ll need the appropriate ticket or pass when the controlled-access trail is open (or just settle for the vantage point just before the checkpoint).

Where to Eat in Vernazza

Compared with Manarola, we found fewer places to eat in Vernazza that particularly appealed to us. Most that looked interesting were tiny and always packed.

Fortunately, we discovered Il Pirata delle 5 Terre, which might be one of the better deals in town (if you’re willing to walk up the hill past the train station).

The food was delicious, the owner was exceptionally friendly, and there was rarely a wait during our visits.

In a destination where restaurants can be crowded and pricey, we were very pleased with our discovery and even returned a few times.

Where We’d Stay in Vernazza

If we wanted to stay somewhere with classic harbor views, these would be on our shortlist:

✪ Mid-Range Casa Catò — A small guesthouse above the village, with sea views and a location that looks convenient for exploring Vernazza without being right in the busiest waterfront area.

✪ Treat Yourself La Malà — A beautiful boutique guesthouse with a sea-facing terrace and rooms overlooking the coast. This is the sort of intimate property we’d be eyeing if we wanted to make the most of Vernazza’s setting.

Our Take Vernazza is one of the most worthwhile villages to visit for the classic Cinque Terre experience, especially if you enjoy hiking and the harbor vibe. We’d happily spend more time here, although the crowds would give us pause before booking an extended stay.

Corniglia is the odd one out among the five villages. And that might actually be its biggest selling point.

Unlike the others, Corniglia sits high above the Mediterranean rather than around a little waterfront harbor.

That makes for a different experience, starting with the journey from the train station.

To reach the village on foot, you’ll need to climb the Lardarina staircase, with more than 300 steps zigzagging up the hillside (or hike in from Vernazza).

There are shuttle buses connecting the station with town, thankfully, but it’s something to consider if you’re arriving with luggage or aren’t particularly keen on stairs.

We suspect the extra effort helps discourage at least some visitors.

Corniglia certainly wasn’t deserted during our visit, but it didn’t have the same crush of people at midday as we encountered during our time in Vernazza and Riomaggiore.

The village itself is pleasant, with narrow lanes, small shops, and a modest selection of places to eat and stay.

But there’s no classic harbor filled with fishing boats.

For some travelers, that alone might be reason enough to prioritize one of the other villages. For others, we’d imagine, it might just be what makes Corniglia appealing.

We could see it working well for someone who wants a relatively quiet place to return to after exploring the rest of Cinque Terre.

There are trade-offs, of course. The limited selection of restaurants and accommodations, along with the station access, could get old during a longer stay.

Where We’d Stay in Corniglia

Corniglia has fewer choices than the other villages, particularly at the higher end. But these two caught our attention:

✪ Mid-Range Cecio 5 Terre Rooms — A guesthouse worth investigating for travelers who prefer an intimate property with coastal views rather than a conventional hotel.

✪ Treat Yourself Corte del Gallo — A small guesthouse with individually styled rooms and a peaceful garden setting. It’s more of a charming upgrade than a luxury hotel, which seems appropriate for Corniglia’s quieter character.

Our Take We wouldn’t choose Corniglia for waterfront scenery or convenience. But for travelers seeking a quieter, tucked-away hilltop atmosphere, it might be just the right fit.

If Lori and I could choose just one Cinque Terre village to stay in next time, it would probably be Manarola.

We liked just about everything about it.

The colorful buildings, narrow streets, iconic sea-cliff setting, and top-notch places to eat. Manarola seemed to offer the best combination of everything we’d come to Cinque Terre to experience.

The harbor was particularly interesting here. Like Vernazza, Manarola still has a working fishing harbor. But they do things in Manarola just a bit differently, using a simple crane system to raise and lower boats from town into the water below.

Sure, Manarola is popular with visitors. And there’s no escaping the fact that much of the local economy revolves around tourism.

But we found it to an excellent balance of everything we’d be looking for in a Cinque Terre stay.

Our Favorite Viewpoint in Cinque Terre

Manarola also has one of the most spectacular—and accessible—viewpoints in the region.

From the harbor, follow the lower coastal path toward Nessun Dorma, the popular restaurant overlooking the village.

Just below the restaurant, the public walkway offers the famous view back toward Manarola, with colorful buildings rising above the rocky coastline.

In our opinion, this is one of the best photography spots in all of Cinque Terre. And you don’t need to pay for a restaurant table to enjoy it.

We recommend visiting during the golden hour, when the late-afternoon light illuminates the buildings and coastline.

It’s a popular time to visit, of course, but the view is worth sharing.

Why We’d Consider Staying in Manarola

What nudged Manarola to the top of our list wasn’t just the scenery. It was the overall experience.

We found its selection of restaurants and eateries particularly enticing. And while we didn’t come close to trying them all, it struck us as somewhere we’d enjoy spending our evenings.

We think that’s an important consideration when choosing somewhere to stay rather than simply visit for an hour.

After the day-trippers leave, we’d want somewhere atmospheric to wander, with good places to eat and a beautiful setting to enjoy without rushing for the next train.

Manarola ticks those boxes for us. But the biggest question would be accommodation.

Traveling with two boys means we’d need somewhere comfortable for four people, ideally without spending a fortune, which isn’t easy to find in Cinque Terre, of course.

Where We’d Stay in Manarola

If we returned, these are two places we’d be particularly interested in:

✪ Mid-Range Cà de Gianchi — A small property offering rooms and an apartment with two double bedrooms. The apartment would be especially appealing for our family, assuming it was available and reasonably priced.

✪ Treat Yourself La Torretta Lodge — A charming boutique property with terraces and views over the village and sea. This would be high on our list for a special stay, particularly if Lori and I were visiting without the kids.

Neither is somewhere we’ve stayed personally, but both fit the sort of experience we’d be looking for on a return visit.

Worth Considering: A Cooking Class in Manarola

Another reason we’d love to return to Manarola is its food scene. Lori’s brother took a Pesto-making class here and strongly recommended it.

If you’re interested in doing something similar, we’d look into this hands-on pesto-making class in Manarola. It focuses on traditional Ligurian pesto prepared with a mortar and pestle, served with local focaccia and wine afterward.

It’s the sort of experience we’d consider if we had an extra afternoon, especially after a couple of days of hiking and sightseeing.

Walking the Via dell’Amore to Manarola

Manarola also has another advantage: it’s connected to neighboring Riomaggiore by the famous Via dell’Amore (Lover’s Lane).

This recently restored coastal walkway is roughly a kilometer long, paved, and among the easiest scenic walks in Cinque Terre.

Unlike the demanding hiking trails farther north, it requires relatively little climbing. And the scenery is wonderful, particularly around sunset.

Don’t go expecting to get the iconic cliff-village view. Rather than village panoramas, the appeal here is the dramatic coastline itself, with the walkway tracing the cliffs above the sea.

During our big hiking day, we took the train from Corniglia to Riomaggiore, then walked the Via dell’Amore back toward Manarola.

It was a fantastic way to finish the day.

✪ Traveler Tip The Via dell’Amore requires a reservation for a specific time slot and a ticket that covers this route. The standard visitor route runs one way from Riomaggiore toward Manarola. Check the official Via dell’Amore website for current ticketing and access arrangements.

Our Take Manarola was our favorite for its atmosphere, harbor activity, places to eat, and incredible views. If we could find suitable accommodation at the right price, it’s where we’d choose to stay next time.

Riomaggiore is the southernmost of the five Cinque Terre villages. It’s also where we experienced some of the most intense crowds.

Arriving by train, visitors are funneled through a narrow pedestrian tunnel connecting the station with the main part of town.

From there, seemingly everyone heads toward the harbor. And since Riomaggiore’s harbor is tiny, it can become a bit of a squeeze (and not exactly the peaceful fishing village vibe we imagined from photos).

Most visitors seemed content to stay around the harbor and lower main street.

And if you want to swim, Riomaggiore has a nice little surprise. Just beyond the harbor, a narrow footpath leads to Fossola Beach, a small pebble-and-rock beach tucked around the southeastern side of town.

It’s pretty easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there. Even in mid-October, the water felt pretty darn enticing on a sunny day, and we were glad we’d peeled off from the crowd and made the detour.

Riomaggiore’s proximity to La Spezia and access to the Via dell’Amore also make it a convenient base for exploring the southern end of Cinque Terre.

Where We’d Stay in Riomaggiore

If we were staying in Riomaggiore, we’d look for somewhere that makes the most of its dramatic coastal setting.

✪ Mid-Range Scorci di Mare — Rooms and apartments in the historic harbor area, including options with sea views. We’d look closely at the room locations and access before booking, particularly with luggage.

✪ Treat Yourself The Sunset Line — A more upscale, romantic option with sea-facing accommodations and private relaxation features. This looks particularly appealing for couples wanting a quiet retreat after a busy day exploring.

Our Take Riomaggiore didn’t make the strongest first impression on us. But we’d encourage visitors to explore beyond the crowded harbor and lower main street before making up their minds. Its upper streets and hidden beach made it more enjoyable than we’d initially expected.

Having explored all five villages, we’d probably choose Manarola for our next stay.

But there’s certainly an argument to be made for staying outside Cinque Terre, particularly if accommodations inside the villages are expensive or don’t meet your needs.

On our first stay in the area (a total of two weeks), we based ourselves in nearby La Spezia, which gave us plenty of opportunities to explore the villages repeatedly by train.

And we were pleasantly surprised by how straightforward the connections were (but not so pleasantly surprised by the train ticket price).

La Spezia is particularly practical if you’re arriving from elsewhere in Italy, want a larger selection of restaurants and accommodations, plan to take additional day trips in the region, or just want to stay in a living, breathing Italian city that doesn’t just cater to tourists day in and day out.

Levanto, just north of Monterosso, is another good option worth considering. It offers a beach-town atmosphere and convenient rail access without requiring you to stay inside one of the five villages.

For travelers trying to balance cost, comfort, and convenience, both are worth a look.

Where We’d Stay in La Spezia

✪ Mid-Range Hotel Firenze e Continentale — This would be one of our first places to look for a practical, comfortable stay. Its location near La Spezia Centrale is particularly appealing if you plan to use the train every day.

✪ Treat Yourself Porto Lotti Suite Hotel — An upscale marina-side property with suites, a pool, and wellness facilities. We’d consider this for a more relaxing stay, though its location is less convenient for frequent train journeys.

Where We’d Stay in Levanto

✪ Mid-Range Hotel Palazzo Vannoni — A characterful hotel in the historic center, convenient for both the beach and train station. We’d check the room location and stair access before booking, since there’s no elevator.

✪ Treat Yourself Park Hotel Argento — A hillside hotel with a pool and spa facilities, offering more of a resort-style experience. The trade-off is being farther from the station and town center.

For us, the decision would come down to the length of our stay.

If Cinque Terre itself were the main event, we’d try to stay in one of the villages.

But if we were planning to explore more of Liguria and the surrounding region, we’d be perfectly happy using La Spezia as a base again, or even Levanto.

Our Biggest Tip for Visiting Cinque Terre: Check Cruise Ship Schedules

If we could offer just one piece of advice for visiting Cinque Terre, it would be this:

Try to plan your visit for a day when no large cruise ships are scheduled to dock in nearby La Spezia.

Seriously.

Cinque Terre is popular enough without thousands of additional day-trippers arriving from cruise ships.

During our stay, Lori and I used sites like CruiseMapper and CruiseDig to check scheduled arrivals in La Spezia.

We then used that information to help decide when to explore the villages. And we’re glad we did.

We visited some villages on days when a ship was in port, and the crowds felt noticeably different.

By contrast, our big day exploring all five villages by hiking and train coincided with a day when no cruise ships were scheduled in La Spezia.

We also visited Vernazza on a Saturday without cruise arrivals.

It was busy with regional tourists and other visitors, but not nearly as overwhelming as we’d expected for a weekend.

Now, we can’t say for certain how much of that difference was attributable to cruise passengers alone.

Weather, organized tours, and countless other factors influence how busy the villages feel.

But having experienced Cinque Terre under different conditions, we’d absolutely plan around cruise arrivals again.

Before choosing your sightseeing days, check the cruise calendar for La Spezia and look at how many ships are scheduled, their passenger capacity (CruiseDig is particularly helpful for that), and when they’ll be in port.

A day without cruise ships doesn’t guarantee quiet streets. But if you have some flexibility, it’s one of the simplest planning steps we’d recommend.

Getting Around Cinque Terre: Easy, But Not Cheap

Before visiting, we’d wondered whether traveling between the villages would be a hassle. We quickly learned it’s super convenient (maybe a little too convenient).

Frequent Regionale (regional trains) connect all five villages with Levanto to the north and La Spezia to the south, as well as points farther afield like Genoa, Pisa, and even Florence. Traveling between neighboring villages generally takes just a few minutes.

The trains themselves are nothing special. Many services use double-decker regional trains without reserved seating or much in the way of amenities (think of a commuter train with toilet onboard).

And you should expect them to be crowded for much of the day. We regularly found ourselves sharing packed carriages with tourists and locals (and frequently standing). But they get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Is the Cinque Terre Train Card Worth It?

One thing that definitely caught us off guard was the cost of individual train tickets.

On the special Cinque Terre Express services, traveling a single stop costs as much as traveling several stops within the designated route, as you pay the same price for a single-journey ticket each time (the price of which fluctuates with the seasons).

That added up to €48 for a day outing to hop on up to the next village (round trip).

For our big hiking day, we purchased a Cinque Terre Treno MS Card family pass, which covered eligible train journeys and access to the paid sections of the coastal hiking trail.

On other days, when we didn’t expect to make multiple journeys, we bought individual tickets. That arrangement worked well for us.

Would we suggest everyone buy a pass? Not necessarily.

If you’re traveling between only two villages, individual tickets are usually the better value.

But if you’re exploring several villages in one day, particularly with hiking thrown in, we’d definitely compare the available passes.

You can find current options and prices on the official Cinque Terre National Park website.

✪ Traveler Tip If you’re visiting all five villages, try to group your train-heavy sightseeing into one or two days. That’s where a pass is most likely to make financial sense. Remember that access to the Via dell’Amore has its own reservation and ticketing requirements.

Hiking Between the Cinque Terre Villages: Our Experience

Of everything we did in Cinque Terre, hiking the coastal trails was one of our favorite experiences.

During our big five-village day, Lori and I set out with our boys to hike the Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail), starting in Monterosso and heading south toward Vernazza.

This first stretch involves substantial climbing, with more elevation gain than the following section between Vernazza and Corniglia.

It’s a proper hike, with steep sections and plenty of stone steps. But we loved it! There are some wonderfully shaded stretches, and the coastal views are exceptional.

After a stop for lunch in Vernazza (at our favorite place), we continued on to Corniglia.

This section felt noticeably more exposed to the sun, although the scenery was no less impressive.

One of our favorite surprises was a little collection of cliffside eateries around the halfway point, with incredible views over the coast.

Not a bad place to stop for a break. We ordered a couple of fruit slushies and enjoyed the sea views.

At the time of our visit, the lower coastal trail between Corniglia and Manarola was closed. It doesn’t appear to be opening any time soon, by the sound of it.

With that said, there’s a higher alternative route via Volastra, but we’ve heard it’s considerably more demanding than what we were looking for.

Instead, we took the train from Corniglia to Riomaggiore, explored the village, and finished by walking the Via dell’Amore back toward Manarola just before sunset.

In hindsight, we wouldn’t change a thing. We got to experience some of the best stretches of the Blue Trail and finish with an easy scenic walk along the cliffs.

Is the Cinque Terre Blue Trail Suitable for Kids?

Our boys were 8 and 10 at the time and handled the hiking well. But they’re also strong hikers accustomed to long days on the trail.

We did see families with considerably younger children, too, so it’s certainly possible.

There are a few exposed or potentially tricky spots where you’ll want to watch younger children carefully.

But for most families, we imagine the bigger challenge will be the sustained climbing and overall distance. Depending on your route, you could easily end up walking 8–10 miles over the course of the day.

That’s a lot for kids who aren’t accustomed to hiking.

We packed plenty of water, snacks, and sunscreen. You can refill water in the villages, but don’t count on finding services along every stretch of trail.

Is a Guided Cinque Terre Hike Worth It?

If you like hiking and get lucky with the weather, then we’d definitely recommend it! We enjoyed hiking independently, and we’d happily recommend doing the same to confident hikers when the trails are open.

But a local guide could add another dimension to the experience.

Cinque Terre isn’t just about the views. The terraced vineyards, dry-stone walls, agricultural traditions, and network of old footpaths are also a big part of what makes the landscape so remarkable.

A guided hike could be worthwhile if you’re interested in learning more about that side of the region, particularly on routes beyond the busiest coastal trails.

If we were looking for an organized option, we’d start by comparing guided Cinque Terre hiking experiences and choose one based on the route, group size, and current trail conditions rather than simply the number of villages included.

✪ Heads Up Trail access changes with weather, landslides, and maintenance. Always check the official park trail updates before setting off. Some Blue Trail sections have been subject to significant closures, so don’t rely on an older itinerary—or an activity listing—as confirmation that a route is open.

Other Cinque Terre Experiences We’d Consider

If we returned to Cinque Terre, there are a couple of experiences we’d be particularly interested in trying.

Neither involves being shuttled between all five villages on an organized sightseeing tour.

With the train connections being so straightforward, we think independent travelers can generally handle that part themselves.

Instead, we’d focus on activities that offer an experience that you can’t as easily navigate on your own.

Take a Small-Group Sunset Boat Tour

One experience we’d seriously consider is seeing Cinque Terre from the water.

We loved the coastal views from the hiking trails, but getting out on a small boat would offer a completely different perspective.

From offshore, you can appreciate just how dramatically the villages are positioned along the rugged coastline.

And doing it around sunset would be even better.

This small-group Cinque Terre sunset boat tour departs from Manarola and travels along the coastline, with commentary from a local captain and the possibility of swimming when conditions permit.

It’s the sort of splurge we might consider for a special afternoon or evening, especially if we weren’t already planning to spend the day hiking.

Explore the Vineyards Above Riomaggiore

Another experience that caught our attention is a guided visit to the vineyards above Riomaggiore.

The steep agricultural terraces are such a defining part of Cinque Terre’s landscape, yet it’s easy to overlook them when moving between harbors and viewpoints.

This Cinque Terre vineyard walk and wine tasting combines a walk through the wine-growing landscape with an introduction to the region’s wines.

For travelers who enjoy wine and want to learn more about the area beyond its famous fishing villages, it looks like a worthwhile alternative to a conventional sightseeing tour.

Is October a Good Time to Visit Cinque Terre?

We visited in October, hoping to avoid some of the worst summer crowds.

And while we enjoyed our visit, we wouldn’t describe October as a traditional shoulder season.

Not by a long shot.

There were still plenty of tourists, cruise passengers, and hikers. The trains could be packed, and famous viewpoints were busy.

But the biggest uncertainty was the weather.

Leading up to our visit, the forecasts weren’t particularly encouraging. And we’ve learned during our travels that the major forecasting apps don’t always get things right, particularly in mountainous coastal regions.

Fortunately, we lucked out.

We enjoyed far more sunshine than expected, with comfortable hiking conditions and even some pleasant swimming weather in mid-October.

Would we visit again at this time of year?

Absolutely.

We’d just keep our plans flexible, particularly for hiking, and avoid assuming that October means having the villages to ourselves.

What We’d Do Differently Next Time

Looking back, there isn’t much we’d change about how we explored Cinque Terre.

We think our planning paid off, particularly when it came to checking cruise schedules and grouping our hiking and train journeys into one day.

And we got lucky with the weather.

But if we were planning another visit, we’d try to stay in Manarola, provided we could find suitable accommodation for our family at a reasonable price.

We’d also allow more time to linger in the villages.

It’s possible to see all five Cinque Terre villages in one long day, as we did during our hiking and train excursion.

But that doesn’t mean we’d recommend rushing through them.

Some of our favorite moments were watching fishermen move their boats, exploring quiet residential backstreets, and enjoying the amazing views without feeling obligated to catch the next train.

Is Cinque Terre Worth Visiting?

For us it definitely was.

Cinque Terre has a reputation for being overcrowded, expensive, and a little too popular for its own good. After our time here, Lori and I think there’s definitely some truth to that.

But we also found beautiful villages, spectacular hiking, great food, and enough glimpses of everyday local life to remind us there’s more here than a collection of famous Instagram viewpoints.

The key, we think, is knowing what to expect and planning accordingly.

If we returned, we’d probably stay in Manarola. But we’d still want to visit the other four villages, because each one offers something different.

That’s why we wouldn’t get too hung up on finding the single best Cinque Terre village. The better question is which one best fits the kind of trip you want to have.

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