We had planned to stay in the Cinque Terre region for two nights. To say we were excited to explore the beautiful views of the region would be an understatement.
Originally we had our sights set on spending a full day in Cinque Terre hiking the trail. After the intense walking in Rome and subsequent beating our feet had endured, we decided to make a change to our itinerary on the fly. The fact that we were deviating from the busy plan speaks volumes to the discomfort we were experiencing.
Our bookings had us staying for two nights in Riomaggiore
This gave us one full day in Cinque Terre. The 11 km hike is very popular and connects the five towns along the coast. It would take roughly 5 hours of walking to make the trek, not accounting for stops along the way. The Blue trail begins in Riomaggiore and takes you through Manarola, Corniglia and Vernazza, before ending in the lovely beach town of Monterosso.
Hiking trails in Cinque Terre
Currently, the footpaths between Riomaggiore and Corniglia are closed due to a landslide and will reopen in 2024. There is an alternate path to take, but the hike is more difficult and longer than the Blue trail.
The original plan for the day was to hike the trail starting in Corniglia. Passing through Vernazza to Monterosso and taking the train back to Riomaggiore. Instead of spending the day hiking, we chose to take the train from Riomaggiore to Monterosso. We spent the day at the beach. The other four towns in the region have swimming areas, but none are as large or sandy as Monterosso.
We purchased the Cinque Terre Train Card. This card gives you unlimited access to the trains running from La Spezia in the south, through the five towns, to Levanto in the north. This card also gives you access to the chargeable hiking trails connecting Monterosso to Corniglia. It was the best way to get around on our day in Cinque Terre.
The train runs every 15 minutes, which makes it possible to just hitch a ride to the next town whenever it suits you. It was nice to turn up at the station when we were ready to move on, instead of having to plan around pre-booked tickets. We did decide to make the most of our day in Cinque Terre by getting up. Claiming our spot on the beach early was the top priority. By 9:00 we had rented two beach chairs at Beach Bar Stella Marina and applied our first layer of sunscreen. The lotion was absolutely necessary thanks to the cloudless sky and low 30s°C temperature. It wasn’t humid, but it was hot enough to make the sand a bit spicy to walk on.
We spent the morning laying in the sun and swimming.
We spent our time applauding our decision to spend the day in Cinque Terre relaxing. There was a young couple from Chicago on the loungers next to us with whom we struck up a conversation (I know, not like us to befriend complete strangers!). They are both well-travelled and enjoy sharing stories about travelling and living abroad (they both attended university in Europe). The conversation continued as we walked through the winding streets of Monterosso to have lunch together at Pizzeria La Smorfia (I changed it up and ordered a calzone).
After lunch, we returned to our chairs and parted ways with our new friends. Hayley and I were still craving some beach time before heading back toward Riomaggiore with stops at the other towns along the way. The next few hours were spent laying in the sun and floating in the sea. We talked a lot about what this year has been for us and how much we have appreciated the opportunity to see a bit of the world! These conversations keep us motivated to continue with this new adventure that we started just about a year ago as of this writing.
We packed up our things and decided to get moving.
There were a couple of stops to make to see the other towns on the way back to our hotel. The train showed up shortly after we arrived at the appropriate platform and in a few minutes we were in Vernazza. There is an excellent spot to take photos of Vernazza from the hiking trail. Keen to hone my photography skills, we found our way through the passageways of Vernazza and up to the trail.
After just a few minutes, we were happy with our decision to not spend the entire day in Cinque Terre hiking. The sun, combined with the physical activity of hiking even a short portion of the trail had us uncomfortably hot. We noticed that the others on the trail were also feeling the effects of the heat.
I think I took about fifty photos from that spot.
I wanted to make sure I did not repeat my missed opportunity at the Keyhole of the Order of Malta in Rome. Indeed, my photography skills were improving every day. Learning how to use the camera on the fly made me nervous that I wouldn’t be able to catch the scene as best as possible. I did my absolute best to capture the character of these beautiful little coastal towns with my limited skills.
Once satisfied with our photo shoot, we made our way back down the path. We grabbed a couple of cold beverages from the shop near the station and proceeded to the station platform. I cannot stress how easy it is to commute between the towns using the Cinque Terre Train Card.
It was now getting later in the afternoon.
We decided to cruise through Corniglia and stop in Manarola for more photos and some drinks. The streets were busy as we made the short walk from the station to the water’s edge where we followed a path up to a great vantage point. More photos were taken and we enjoyed just looking out over Manarola and appreciating the vibrant colours of the town.
These moments seem just unbelievable to me, being able to be present to the feelings that travelling can bring.
One more round of Aperol Spritz’.
Before returning to the station for the train back to Riomaggiore, we stopped for a round of Aperol Spritz’. This was quickly becoming our favourite drink of the trip, it really does hit the spot on a hot day. Quite a few of the restaurants and bars will give you a basket of snacks on the house when you order drinks, which is great if you are feeling a little peckish but not ready for a meal.
While enjoying our beverages, we chatted with a couple from London who were seated at the table next to us. We once again enjoyed the conversation with new faces and we ended up having another round or two before heading to the station.
It had been a long day.
After arriving back in Riomaggiore we decided to skip dinner in a restaurant and just grabbed some to-go food and drinks to enjoy on the patio outside our room. It had been a long day in the sun and we thought it best to end our day in Cinque Terre early and prepare for the next day. Our change in plan to spend the day hanging out at the beach had paid off!
It was the perfect setup for the next leg of our Italy trip and we had a great day in Cinque Terre. Next was a stop in Pisa to see a famous tower, then on to Florence.
Have you visited the Cinque Terre region? Share your experiences in the comment section below!