Summer is calling out for discovering new travel destinations. I am happy to recommend you visit Cinque Terre in Italy. Last year before winter, we went to Italy for 3 days, and I am so happy that we decided to stop at this popular destination.
Cinque Terre is a coastal area that connects five villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. Each village is quite unique and has its own charm. I never flew with Ryanair before, and that in itself was quite an adventure. You may know why it can end up adventurous, but thankfully, we had no major setbacks and made to Pisa safely. We had the option to take a train from Germany and travel all the way to Cinque Terre, or fly to Pisa and take a train. If you don't have enough time, I would definitely advise you to fly and then take a train.
As soon as we landed at Pisa airport, we needed to figure out how to take the train and get to La Specia Centrale station, which was easy to follow by the signs. The ticket price was 2.70 euro per person. After arriving at La Specia Centrale, we took a regional train to Riomaggiore. The best decision of the trip was booking a room in a guest house that I found via booking.com. And btw, you can get $20 off on your next stay with booking if you use my referral link (link here). We loved how close the guest house was at the train station and the coziness of our room with a balcony. We had a lovely breakfast each morning. If that sounds lovely to you, I would definitely advise you to book Guest House Dreaming Rooms (Declaimer: it is not paid, I mention this guest house because we truly enjoyed our stay there).
TIP: You have to remember that traveling between villages is easy and quick. You may ask why should I buy a ticket if it takes only 1-3 minutes on the train. Well, while we were on the train, we saw how a few tourists thought they were smart and ended up paying 50 euro fees for not having tickets. If your ticket wasn't checked on the train, they will check your ticket as soon you will get off the train.
After we checked to our guest house, we started to explore Riomaggiore. It is quite a beautiful fishing village that had plenty of restaurants with lovely and delicious offerings. But remember, it is quite hard to walk around. This is not the best place to bring baby strollers or walk in heels. You have to wear sneakers and be in decent physical condition. If you do have a child, you should stay in Monterosso. There are a few things you should see in Riomaggiore: Castello di Riomaggiore, Church of San Giovanni Battista, Oratorio di San Rocco. Where to eat in Riomaggiore: Bar e Vini an Ie de Ma (has a lovely view),
The next morning, we decided that we should explore Manarola and Corniglia, leaving Vernazza and Monterosso for the last day. Luckily, the walking pass was closed and my husband couldn't force me to walk to Manarola. Manarola is popular for having the best scenic viewpoint to capture all charming colorful houses along the coast. We didn't spend so much time there, because it was so easy to explore. It is a quite small village. You have to check out Chiesa di San Lorenzo and try to get dinner at Nessun Dorma. We were not lucky because it was closed. We even came back in the evening and it was still closed.
Later, we went to Corniglia without realizing how small it was too. Corniglia compares to Manarola and Riomaggiore, but has no access to the sea. After you arrive at the train station, you have two options: to walk 380 stairs or take a bus. We were so glad that we decided to save our energy and took a bus despite how full it was and how dangerous the driver drove. After we arrived to the drop off point, we walked around searching for a place I read about on a blog post about honey ice cream. Having found this local delicacy, I completely agree that it was the most delicious ice cream I ever ate in my life. Actually, when we ran out of things to do, we came even back to Corniglia to eat this ice cream again, because you can not find it anywhere else.
Also, if you still want to get to the seaside, there is a way how to get there. We saw some locals go there for fishing, swimming and just hanging out. The best part of Corniglia is that it is not so touristy compared to other villages. And don't forget to stop at Chiesa Di San Pietro.
Since we were still full of energy, we thought that we should continue to Vernazza and explore it, but to our surprise, it wasn't so small as Corniglia and we needed to come back the next day to complete the list. In the evening, we just walked around Porto di Vernazza. It was truly charming. It had plenty of restaurants and shops. We ended up buying a beautiful locally-made vase that decorates our living room. What can you see in Vernazza: Vernazza Beach. If you are lucky enough and go through the cave; Doria Castle; Santa Margherita di Antochia Church and a few viewpoints. One was from the gate towards the next village and another one we found while walking in the city. Also, Vernazza was a fantastic place to enjoy the sunset.
On the following day, we finally head to our final destination - Monterosso. It is the biggest village of Cinque Terre. Compared to other villages, Monterosso has its own beach. So if you are looking for a vacation by the beach, I definitely advise you to stay in Monterosso. It also convenient if you have a child because you can walk with a stroller. Btw, I have to warn you, don't buy any blankets that you will see on the beach. There are plenty of people who will try to sell them to you. You can actually get a fine if the police will see you. The other thing I don't understand is why police don't stop them from selling to silly tourists. Things to see in Monterosso: Torre Aurora, Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, Townhall of Monterosso and of course, the beach. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this post and consideri booking your next trip to Cinque Terre!
Cinque Terre is a coastal area that connects five villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. Each village is quite unique and has its own charm. I never flew with Ryanair before, and that in itself was quite an adventure. You may know why it can end up adventurous, but thankfully, we had no major setbacks and made to Pisa safely. We had the option to take a train from Germany and travel all the way to Cinque Terre, or fly to Pisa and take a train. If you don't have enough time, I would definitely advise you to fly and then take a train.
As soon as we landed at Pisa airport, we needed to figure out how to take the train and get to La Specia Centrale station, which was easy to follow by the signs. The ticket price was 2.70 euro per person. After arriving at La Specia Centrale, we took a regional train to Riomaggiore. The best decision of the trip was booking a room in a guest house that I found via booking.com. And btw, you can get $20 off on your next stay with booking if you use my referral link (link here). We loved how close the guest house was at the train station and the coziness of our room with a balcony. We had a lovely breakfast each morning. If that sounds lovely to you, I would definitely advise you to book Guest House Dreaming Rooms (Declaimer: it is not paid, I mention this guest house because we truly enjoyed our stay there).
TIP: You have to remember that traveling between villages is easy and quick. You may ask why should I buy a ticket if it takes only 1-3 minutes on the train. Well, while we were on the train, we saw how a few tourists thought they were smart and ended up paying 50 euro fees for not having tickets. If your ticket wasn't checked on the train, they will check your ticket as soon you will get off the train.
After we checked to our guest house, we started to explore Riomaggiore. It is quite a beautiful fishing village that had plenty of restaurants with lovely and delicious offerings. But remember, it is quite hard to walk around. This is not the best place to bring baby strollers or walk in heels. You have to wear sneakers and be in decent physical condition. If you do have a child, you should stay in Monterosso. There are a few things you should see in Riomaggiore: Castello di Riomaggiore, Church of San Giovanni Battista, Oratorio di San Rocco. Where to eat in Riomaggiore: Bar e Vini an Ie de Ma (has a lovely view),
The next morning, we decided that we should explore Manarola and Corniglia, leaving Vernazza and Monterosso for the last day. Luckily, the walking pass was closed and my husband couldn't force me to walk to Manarola. Manarola is popular for having the best scenic viewpoint to capture all charming colorful houses along the coast. We didn't spend so much time there, because it was so easy to explore. It is a quite small village. You have to check out Chiesa di San Lorenzo and try to get dinner at Nessun Dorma. We were not lucky because it was closed. We even came back in the evening and it was still closed.
Later, we went to Corniglia without realizing how small it was too. Corniglia compares to Manarola and Riomaggiore, but has no access to the sea. After you arrive at the train station, you have two options: to walk 380 stairs or take a bus. We were so glad that we decided to save our energy and took a bus despite how full it was and how dangerous the driver drove. After we arrived to the drop off point, we walked around searching for a place I read about on a blog post about honey ice cream. Having found this local delicacy, I completely agree that it was the most delicious ice cream I ever ate in my life. Actually, when we ran out of things to do, we came even back to Corniglia to eat this ice cream again, because you can not find it anywhere else.
Also, if you still want to get to the seaside, there is a way how to get there. We saw some locals go there for fishing, swimming and just hanging out. The best part of Corniglia is that it is not so touristy compared to other villages. And don't forget to stop at Chiesa Di San Pietro.
Since we were still full of energy, we thought that we should continue to Vernazza and explore it, but to our surprise, it wasn't so small as Corniglia and we needed to come back the next day to complete the list. In the evening, we just walked around Porto di Vernazza. It was truly charming. It had plenty of restaurants and shops. We ended up buying a beautiful locally-made vase that decorates our living room. What can you see in Vernazza: Vernazza Beach. If you are lucky enough and go through the cave; Doria Castle; Santa Margherita di Antochia Church and a few viewpoints. One was from the gate towards the next village and another one we found while walking in the city. Also, Vernazza was a fantastic place to enjoy the sunset.
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