These colourful fishermen villages are located on the north-east coast of Italy, just a little more than a 2h train ride from Florence. Truth be told, these five little towns deserve a separate trip on their own. We would probably need a good week to explore them carefully. Since we only had a day trip to spare, we could barely skim the surfaces of this culturally rich and equally scenic region of the Italian coast.

First, Cinque Terre is a hiker’s paradise. Other than the famous trail that links the five towns, many other routes bring you through olive farms and cliffside vineyards. Hiking would be the best way to explore the region up-close, but if you’re short on time or if you forgot your hiking boots, frequent trains and ferries also connect the villages.

Due to our tight schedule, and also due to the untimely closure of some hiking trails, we decided to mix a little bit of the different modes of transportation. We took an early train out of Florence to La Spezia, the first station on the Cinque Terre train route. There, we purchased our Cinque Terre day pass which allows unlimited access to the hiking trails in the Cinque Terre Park as well as all train rides for the day.

From west to east, the five villages are as follows: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corneglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. Having heard that Vernazza is one of the most picturesque town, we decided to hike the easternmost section of Cinque Terre and explore the rest by train.

Vernazza is arguably the prettiest of the five towns as well as the most popular one amongst tourists because of it being completely car traffic free. It is also the starting point of our hike from Vernazza towards Monterosso, a small section of the popular Azure trail. We were glad we did it this way since the slope descends quite steeply as you arrive in Monterosso.The length of the trail is about 3.3 km and took us about 1.5h to complete. Although not particularly challenging, I would recommend good hiking shoes since the terrain involves some steep stairs and can be muddy after rainfall.

Update: This trail is currently under maintenance and its access is set to re-open this April 2020.

Monterosso al mare is the largest of the five towns and is the only one that offers an extensive beachfront. Although at the time of visit, the windy weather didn’t allow for safe swimming. After a quick lunch, we headed to the train station to get to Manarola.

I’ve probably seen the above picture a dozen times: on travel pamphlets, computer screensavers, vacation websites and of course, Instagram posts. I’m very happy to finally be able to take my very own photograph of this gorgeous place.

Manarola, in my opinion, is the cutest of the five towns we visited. Its small size, location on the rocky seashore and romantic vibe made it one of the most memorable place we’ve visited.

Attractions not to be missed include the Church of San Lorenzo and a visit to the vineyards and fragrant lemon plantations.

Next is Riomaggiore. Whether because it is the first village from the south or because its railway station is located a little further from town, it seemed to us that Riomaggiore had a more laid-back feel than the rest. People were simply strolling around the piazzas sampling local delicacies or enjoying a quick break from exploring with refreshing gelatos and incredibly aromatic coffees your nose will catch from a mile away.

Unfortunately, it started pouring as we were making our way to the last stop: Corniglia. Which means we will have to come back soon! As I mentioned before, Cinque Terre really deserves to be a separate itinerary on its own and a day trip is in no way sufficient time to explore all the region has to offer. For any of you who travel for nature, photography, architecture or gastronomy…or all of the above, this place is truly a GEM!

For more practical info on hiking in Cinque Terre, I’ve found these websites extremely useful: Icinqueterre and WalksofItaly