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Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre's five villages — Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore — are genuinely beautiful. The terraced vineyards and coloured fishing houses stacked on steep cliffs above the Ligurian sea are not a cliché, they are the real thing. The problem is that peak summer now brings visitor numbers that the tiny medieval villages are fundamentally unable to accommodate. The coastal trail is damaged and partially closed. The main streets at midday in July are difficult to move through. The season has shifted so that May and October are now the appropriate times to visit, and even then advance accommodation booking is essential.
Crowd pressure
The coastal trail between villages is so congested that portions have been closed repeatedly for damage control. Cruise ships contribute thousands of day visitors. Manarola and Vernazza are mobbed in summer.
Why visit
The coloured houses stacked on the cliffs above the Ligurian sea are genuinely beautiful. The pesto is excellent. The views from the higher paths are spectacular.
Best window
May or late September-early October
Getting there
Train from La Spezia or Genova. The villages are connected by the Cinque Terre Express train. Most village centres are car-free.
The honest version
In summer it is essentially a crowd navigation exercise. The villages are tiny and not designed to absorb thousands of visitors a day. Prices are high.
Instead of Cinque Terre
Instead of
Cinque Terre
Italy
Try
Camogli
Italy
Camogli delivers the Ligurian coloured-harbour-buildings experience that draws people to Cinque Terre, on a working scale that hasn't been overwhelmed. The harbour is spectacular. The seafood is excellent. The boat trip to San Fruttuoso adds something Cinque Terre cannot match.
Instead of
Cinque Terre
Italy
Try
Levanto
Italy
Levanto is the practical alternative for Cinque Terre — one train stop away, with a real beach, lower prices, and accommodation that actually makes sense. You can visit all five villages by train from Levanto and return to somewhere functional each evening.
Layers
Region
At a glance
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Liguria
- Heat Score
- 93/100
- Cost level
- $$$
- Alternatives
- 2