Cinque Terre - The Best of the Riviera

Cinque Terre

The jewel of the Italian Riviera, Cinque Terre are five ancient fishing villages north of the world-famous city of Pisa. Endowed with the dignity of history, bedecked in bright colours and flanked with small family shops and restaurants, the cobbled streets of these wonderful places all lead to some spectacular sea views.

The most dramatic vistas are obtained by taking a short walk out of town, particularly Vernazza, just before sunset and watching on in awe as Golden Hour changes the hues in front of you.

Seeing Cinque Terre is an unforgettably unique bucket list experience. Quintessentially Italian, effortlessly stylish and just so beautiful, these are places that have to be seen to be believed.

How to get there

Cinque Terre

Although there are longer distance trains from Rome directly to the villages of Cinque Terre, to maximise your time it's far easier to fly into Pisa and take the train either from there or from the nearby town of La Spezia. There are buses between the villages, but the fastest and most efficient way is to use the train as most train stations are a short walking distance from the best views.

Accommodation is available in Cinque Terre, but is expensive, and becomes more expensive during the peak season.

Timing your visit is really important. While boat tours are not available during the spring shoulder season, Cinque Terre is a lot less crowded outside the main summer tourist season. This is as much a safety issue as anything else as the bigger crowds are known to attract pickpockets. It also makes it a lot harder to get the pictures you’ll want due to the crowds.

Cinque Terre

How we did it

We flew into Pisa and split our stay between a hotel in the centre of Pisa and an apartment in La Spezia, a short walk from the train station. Being a lot closer to Cinque Terre meant that we could be there earlier in the morning and start our sightseeing sooner. It also meant that we could head back to our accommodation later. This was a much more economical choice, even with the train tickets.

Our Top Tips

Cinque Terre

• Spring time (around Easter) is the sweet spot to avoid the summer overcrowding and still get decent weather. However, make sure you take a jacket with you as good temperatures are not guaranteed and it could be windy.

• The Cinque Terre Treno card is great value and allows you to see multiple villages on the same day. It also allows you access to the hiking trail. This is also cheaper outside of peak season.

• This is a place where adequate footwear is necessary, both for the trails and for the cobbled streets.