TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO CINQUE TERRE

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The area of Cinque Terre, in the Liguria region, it is one of the most beautiful in Italy: colorful villages bordering some cliffs that rush into the sea ... absolutely amazing! After having visited it and still with an open mouth, we have written this article with all the tips for traveling to Cinque Terre and help you plan your trip for free.

The 5 villages Cinque Terre are: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso

MONTEROSSO. It is the largest, most lively and westernmost town of Cinque Terre. It has stony beaches and a historic town that seems out of a story. Essential: the Aurora Tower, the viewpoint from the Statue of San Francisco de Asis, the San Giovanni Battista Church, or the statue of the Giant (Neptune).

VERNAZZA. It is of a bewitching beauty: the waves that beat in the harbor, the houses that cling to the mountains, silent corners and tourists looking for the best photos.

CORNIGLIA. To reach the smallest town of Cinque Terre, you have to climb 370 steps that connect you to the station, although there is also an easy option: the bus. In Corniglia do not miss the San Pedro Church and the viewpoint in the upper part of the town.

MANAROLA. It has the most beautiful port of Cinque Terre. Here, fishermen's boats are crowded together on a small ramp from where the town is born towards the hills. It is best to head towards the path that winds along the side of the mountain to have the best views.

RIOMAGGIORE. It is the last of the villages and where to enjoy an incredible sunset. In addition, the streets are full of picturesque corners, such as Piazza Vignaioli, the church of San Giovanni Battista or the Castle. But without a doubt it is best to go down to the port and see it from several viewpoints.

You can see more detailed information in our article The five villages of Cinque Terre.

Apart from visiting each of the villages, Cinque Terre is very famous travel one of its many trails. The road that passes along the coast and unites all the villages is known as The Blue Path (I feel Azzurro), with a total of 12 km. And of this, the most popular and simple section is the so-calledThe Way of Love, which connects Riomaggiore with Manarola, although it is closed and its opening is not planned until 2021.

It is quite common that the trails are closed. The reason? Heavy rains that cause landslides in the mountains and destroy part of the walk. The best thing is that before going you inform yourself about which ones are open and closed on this website. Or better, download the Pn5t plus app.

Surely you've already read somewhere that to enter the trails you have to pay a ticket. This only applies to the trails that go along the part near the coast (basically the Blue Trail), all the others that pass through the interior of the mountains are free. Admission is € 7.50, and is included in the pass Cinque Terre Card (€ 16 for 1 day). You can buy both one and the other at the tourist information offices in the train station of each town.

If you decide to do some trekking, dress comfortably, carry a backpack with Water and some energy bars or a fruit. You will not be as fashion as with a steamy dress, but surely you will squeeze your trip to Cinque Terre more. There is public sources in all the villages, where you can refill your drum. Be careful because the trails are not exactly a short walk through the countryside.

Here we tell you what they are the 5 most beautiful sewers of Cinque Terre (soon).

If you want to take the typical postcard photo, with the villages, the cliffs and the sea, don't worry: you won't need to do any trekking. Each town has spectacular viewpoints!

To arrive and to get around Cinque Terre we recommend the train. If you arrive by car you can leave it in La Spezia where there are some free parkings and discover the villages with the railway line that connects them. Here we tell you more about the transport in Cinque Terre.

Why do not go by car? Roads are bad, parking lots are scarce and cars are directly prohibited in the villages.

That you will not forget validate ('convalidare' in Italian) the train ticket: if you do not do it in the machines to validate them and the reviewer catches you ... fine assured, even if you have the ticket!

The price of train tickets It changes depending on the time. In winter time it is a maximum of € 2.20 (to go for example from La Spezia to Monterosso), while in summer time it is when the Cinque Terre Express and the price is € 4 fixed for any section.

You can check the train schedules on the Trenitalia website, so you don't have to wait too long at the stations. Although it is good to know that in winter time there is at least one train every hour, and in summer it increases to 3 trains every hour.

As we have told you before, there is a pass that allows you access to paid trails, unlimited use of transport (both trains and buses) in the Cinque Terre area, from Levanto to La Spezia, and other benefits such as WiFi In public areas. Is named Cinque Terre Card and it costs € 16 for 1 day, € 29 for 2 days and € 41 for three days. It is convenient whenever you visit during summer time. More information about the pass.

It is a personal card, but if it is a family trip there is the Cinque Terre Card family, for 2 adults and 2 children (between 2 and 12 years old) that can be profitable. The price is 42€ for 1 day duration.

For stay we recommend you La Spezia for one reason only: the price! Obviously if you find a good offer in any of the other villages it will be a thought, but La Spezia has a lot of accommodation, many restaurants and is not an ugly town. In case you want to sleep in one of the five villages, perhaps we would stay with Monterosso, it has more atmosphere and also has a beach prepared for swimming.

If you feel like (and time!) To continue exploring the area, get to the nearby Porto Venere, one of the small cities that form the so-called "Bay of Poets" (because many poets of the caliber of Byron or Shelley frequented - and were inspired - here).

There is not Cinque Terre airport, so the best (and cheapest) way to get from Spain is to fly to Milan or to Pisa. From both cities you will get in about 2-3 hours to La Spezia by train.

These are the recommended tour in Cinque Terre:

Which is the best time to visit Cinque Terre? For us, no doubt, spring and autumn. And better if you manage to hurry winter time to save a little on transportation. If, like us, you don't enjoy the places full of tourists, never visit Cinque Terre in July and August.

And already put ... it is better to visit Cinque Terre during the week. We were Saturday, Sunday and Monday in March and we found much more tourism on the weekend. Basically to domestic tourism, many Italians take the opportunity to make an escape to this wonderful area of their country, and obviously, they do it on the days they don't work.

A different experience to contemplate Cinque Terre from another point of view is to do it from the sea. The bad thing is that boats These tours are only operational from the end of March until the beginning of November. The price for a daily pass is € 33 and includes the stop in Porto Venere, in addition to the other villages. More information.

If you are not in good shape, keep in mind that one of the five villages, Corniglia, is located on top of a mountain and to get there you have to climb more than 370 steps. But there is an alternative:bus. You will be waiting at the exit of the station and if you want to catch it, it is best to get out of the train quickly to take place (it is a minibus). The ticket is included in the Cinque Terre Card, if you don't have it the price is € 1.50 if you buy it at the station or € 2.50 if you buy it on the bus itself.

Did you know that the pesto sauce Was he born here in the Liguria region? So you know: do not leave Cinque Terre without eating a good plate of trofie (pasta type) with pesto. And better if it is accompanied by a White wine from the area

Hopefully these tips for traveling to Cinque Terre They can help you plan your trip for free to this beautiful area of Italy. As always, if you need more info, here we are.