WHERE TO STAY IN CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

I was hesitant to draft this post simply because there are so many like it in the blogosphere. Everyone has an opinion on which of the five villages to stay in during a visit to Cinque Terre. And more often than not, you can find a blog post {or hundreds} stating the pros and cons of each. With that in mind, I decided to keep it short and quick.

I’ve drafted a summary of each of the villages from my own personal perspective after spending five days in Cinque Terre. I then rate each village using a numerical value between one {being my least favorite} and five {being the best of the best} so you can see where they stand in my mind. The rest of this post will consist of me trying to persuade you to stay in my personal favorite of the villages.

Monterosso

Let’s start from the top {literally} shall we? At the northern most point of Cinque Terre you’ll find Monterosso al Mare. This is the most visited of the five villages because of it’s sandy beaches, variety of restaurants, and ample accommodation {mostly in the form of Air Bnb’s and guesthouses}. Monterosso is the largest of the villages, and the flattest, which makes it easy to transport baggage and allows those less inclined to incline {ha} avoid steep hills.

My experience in Monterosso was that of laying on the beach, sipping a corona, and splashing in the crystal clear water. I took my ‘chill’ day in Monterosso and found it lived up to all of my expectations. It was also the starting point of my 3-4 hour hike to Vernazza one afternoon, of which I highly, highly recommend.

Rachel’s Rating: 3

Vernazza

Speaking of Vernazza, some claim this to be the most beautiful of all five villages. While I see the charm, I still don’t think it outshines some of the others. Vernazza also tends to be over-crowded a majority of the time. While there is more to do {more specifically, eat} in Vernazza than Manarola and Riomagiorre, it felt like it was lacking something when I visited.

Let’s be real, it could have been due to the fact I had just hiked nearly four hours before arriving… but still, I simply wasn’t blown away after having spent time in a few other villages. I think the order in which you visit each of the villages makes a huge difference. Of course they are all breathtaking, but it’s hard to beat the feeling when you lay eyes on the cliff-side villages for the first time. Each village you see thereafter will simply not be able to live up to the first.

There is a tiny sand ‘beach’ {or what some call a beach}, and a rocky {actual} beach on the opposite side of the town. I went to the rocky one, but still think you are better of in Monterosso if beach bumming is what you are looking for.

Rachel’s Rating: 2

Corniglia

Ah, the baby of the family. But not actually because Corniglia is the oldest of five villages. It is also, however, the smallest. This was the only village I neglected to visit, but did manage to get a peek of it a few times during my stay in Cinque Terre. The reason being train travel between the villages is esssspensive. It cost about €6.00 one way, and there are no return ticketing options. While this might not seem like a lot at first, let me tell you, that shit adds up.

And to be completely transparent, I wasn’t drawn to the smallest village on the rocks as much as the rest. There are 370 stairs to get from the train station to the top of the Corniglia, however there is an alternative bus route that will take those less keen to walk. And there aren’t really any decent beaches, nor are there safe areas to adventure out onto from the land like Manarola and Riomagiorre.

Rachel’s Rating: 1 {simply because I didn’t visit so I have no valid opinion about the village itself}

Manarola

Next, we have Manarola. Manarola is the most photographed of the five villages in Cinque Terre, and it’s not hard to see why. This stunning cliff-side village stretches just far enough into the sea to create an amazing backdrop. There are plenty of vantage points where you can see Manarola in all of her glory, and they are easily accessible — meaning if you wanted to, you could do it in heels {#forthegram}.

I visited Manarola twice over five days, but only dined in once. Cinque Terre is known for creating delicious pesto recipes, and I can confidently say it’s the {second} best pesto I’ve ever had {the first being my Dad’s homemade pesto using fresh basil from our backyard in California}. There is no beach in Manarola, however I saw plenty of people sun bathing and jumping from rocks into the sea. The village was never over-crowded, it had a relaxed vibe, and the beauty of it took my breath away.

Rachel’s Rating: 4

Riomagiorre

That’s right, Riomagiorre was my hands-down favorite of the five villages. Choosing a base during my five days in Cinque Terre proved to be a lot harder than I anticipated. I weighed all the pros and cons I had researched online, and eventually I settled on Riomagiorre. It quickly became my favorite location in Cinque Terre, and Italy in general.

That being said, I can see how Riomagiorre wouldn’t be for everyone. Therefore, I understand if this village isn’t necessarily at the top of your list. Riomagiorre was the first glimpse of Cinque Terre that I received. Therefore, you can imagine the love-at-first-sight emotions that flooded every inch of my body upon arrival. At that point, it was slightly unfair to expect any other village to impact me in the same way.

First of all, Riomagiorre is exceptionally photogenic. It’s hard to take a bad picture of the village on the cliff. And it’s the best village to catch a sunset because of its positioning against the sea. Secondly, Riomagiorre has the best pizza in the world. Yes, the world. And a blog post is being drafted as we speak to spill all the details.

Finally, Riomagiorre is one of the more affordable villages in Cinque Terre. Accomodation is reasonable and dining out is standard pricing for Italy {which is still essspensive}. I travelled through Europe on a shoestring budget, and while Cinque Terre was one of my pricier destinations, Riomagiorre provided me with a base that didn’t completely break the bank.

This is one of those places that I still can’t get out of my head. I shared some of my fondest memories of Europe in Riomagiorre. From jumping off the rocks into the ocean, to watching the sun go down with a bottle of wine; I could have stayed for months. I plan to return to Cinque Terre, and when I do I will most definitely stay in Riomagiorre.

Rachel’s Rating: 5