How to Get Around Cinque Terre-The Best Way to See All 5 Towns
Cinque Terre is a group of five seaside towns each of which is colorful and unique. The region is now a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Sight. In this post, we’ll go over how to get around Cinque Terre highlighting the best way to see all five towns.
Cinque Terre is made up of five coastal towns: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. Each seaside village has its own charm, and in Cinque Terre, you’ll find some of the best beaches, food, and scenery in Italy.
How to Get to Cinque Terre
The closest airport to Cinque Terre is the Pisa Airport. From the airport, you can take a train from the Pisa Centrale Railway Station to one of the towns in Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre can easily be added on to a multi-destination Italy trip, as you can travel via train from many different cities.
Read More: How to Spend 10 Days in Italy: The Dolomites, Cinque Terre, Florence, and Rome
Another way to get to Cinque Terre is by booking a day trip from Florence. There are several tour options when booking through Get Your Guide that you can find here. If you have enough time in your itinerary, we recommend staying in Cinque Terre for a night or two, so your time here doesn’t feel rushed.
Where to Stay
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore is one of the quieter towns to stay in. While it is an entry point for day visitors, the early mornings and evenings are quiet. When we visited Cinque Terre, we stayed in this spacious Airbnb. The location was very close to the train station, and the host was lovely.
Manarola
Manarola is a beautiful place to stay, however accommodations are on the pricier side.
Corniglia
Corniglia is the highest town in Cinque Terre. From the train station, you have to either walk up 377 stairs with your luggage or take the shuttle bus. The shuttle bus is free with the Cinque Terre Treno MS Card or Cinque Terre Trekking Card, but it can be very crowded especially in peak tourist season.
Vernazza
Vernazza is a great place to stay if you are looking for easy accessibility to the Blue Trail. We would recommend booking your hotel or Airbnb early, as they tend to fill up quickly.
Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso is the largest and most popular place to stay. There are several hotels with beach access or waterfront views.
How to Get Around Cinque Terre
The easiest and fastest way to get around Cinque Terre is by train. The Cinque Terre Express trains run every 15-20 minutes, making stops in each town. You can purchase train tickets on the Trenitalia app or at the ticket machines at each station. However, a better option might be to purchase a Cinque Terre Treno MS Card.
This card allows unlimited train travel to all five towns and also includes the regional trains between Levanto and La Spezia. This card can save you a lot of money, if you plan to travel to all of the villages. It also includes the use of shuttle buses within each town and includes access to the hiking trail that connects the towns. The Cinque Terre Treno MS Card can be purchased here; prices vary depending on when you visit.
This card only allows you to access the hiking trails or use the shuttle buses that travel within each town. While this is the most scenic way to get around Cinque Terre, it is strenuous and time consuming. The Cinque Terre Trekking Card can be purchased here.
While Cinque Terre is mostly car free, you can drive in some areas of Corniglia and Monterosso. You can also drive and park your car in lots outside of the villages, but this is quite expensive per day. Overall, the best way to get around Cinque Terre is by purchasing the Cinque Terre Treno MS Card and traveling by train.
We hope you found this post to be helpful in planning your trip to Cinque Terre! For more Italy travel information, check out our earlier posts here.
Read More: Everything You Need to Know Before Traveling to Italy
