Cinque Terre, Liguria

Description

The Cinque Terre (Five Lands) towns in Liguria, are each just a few minutes apart by train or boat. Here among olive groves and vineyards, nestled amonst steep rocky cliffs, lie the five villages of Corniglia, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and the larger town of Monterosso.

There’s no checklist of palaces or museums to see; just hiking trails, the towns, and your fondest vacation desires. The majority of accommodation in Cinque Terre is affittacamere or room rental in small B&B’s. The choices of accommodation are quite limited due to the size of the small villages and the number of tourists now visiting the area so requiring early booking at least six months ahead.

Cinque Terre is one of the loveliest coastal areas in Italy with stunning views. Each village fills its ravine with a lazy hive of human activity: salty locals, sunburned travellers.

While the place is now well-discovered, Cinque Terre is the place to relax. As cars and other traffic are almost completely forbidden, the best way to arrive is by train and to walk along the blue path between the villages to explore the spirit of the Cinque Terre. The entire hike can be done in about four hours, but allow five for dawdling. In summer the paths can get quite crowded so May and September is best.

Now that the Cinque Terre is a national park and heritage listed, park entrance fees are charged to hike between the towns (fees are used to maintain the trails). Ask us about the Cinque Terre Card….

Over the next decade, Italy has plans to protect the beauty and tranquility of the area: A new train line will be built inland for the fast noisy trains, leaving the Cinque Terre tracks for just the pokey milk-run trains.

In Cinque Terre We Recommend…

Go for a romantic walk down Lover’s Lane between Manarola and Riomaggiore.It is about 1 km long with lovely stone benches embedded in the hillside with views to die for. Piece together the perfect day – hiking, swimming, lying on the beach and a boat ride out on the bay to explore the other villages.

Accommodation in this area is now very overpriced for the quality due to the number of tourists flooding in and the villages are tiny so book early. Most Hotels open in April and are closed in winter.

Contact us to help you find  quality hotels at reasonable prices.

What To See In Cinque Terre

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