Cinque Terre in 1 Day: all you need to know

Fortunately, many of the best things to do and see in Cinque Terre are activities that don't take up too many minutes of your day. This has to do with the fact that these towns are small and touring them is not too much of a hassle for those who have the energy for it. In fact, there are those who consider that more than 24 hours in this region is too much time knowing that the rest of the Ligurian coast is an equally interesting place to be explored.

So if you continue reading this post, you will find a tourist itinerary that I have planned for you. Which includes the main attractions of each of the five towns with the intention that at the end of the day you can head to your new destination knowing that you have seen a good part of the Cinque Terre National Park.

Starting your day at the La Spezia train station is the best thing to do when you are thinking about touring the Cinque Terre National Park. This has to do with the fact that this means of transportation is the only one that will allow you to explore most of this site making sure that you will manage to get to each of the villages on time and that you will be able to pay a favorable amount of money in the process.

The train ticket you should buy is the Cinque Terre Express Day Pass and this allows you to move freely between the 5 stations in the five villages for the modest fare of 15 euros, approximately. Although the truth is that you can get more convenient rates knowing that there are special prices for groups and families and that the fare from one village to another is only 4 euros in total.

This train station is also a place you usually have to go if you are going to make one of the best tours and excursions that depart from Cinque Terre. This is due to the fact that it is a public transport space that connects directly to major cities in northern Italy and at the same time is less than 10 minutes away from the nearest village of this national park.

You should also keep in mind that the idea of renting a car and parking it in each of the villages is totally inconvenient. Mainly, because the rates are excessively high and at the same time these spaces are very far from the tourist area of each village. The same goes for buses, as they tend to take much longer to travel between each town and will make the idea that you can get to know them all in less than 24 hours more difficult.

Riomaggiore is the first of the villages you will meet on your way north from La Spezia train station. It is characterized by its peculiar beauty as well as its small size compared to the other four towns that give its name to this national park. The historic center of the town is its main attraction as well as its beach which is hidden and a bit inaccessible to most tourists.

My recommendation is not to take too many detours along the town, as this will waste your time. Even more so knowing that most of the tourist attractions are along the main street which in itself is quite steep. In fact, you have to be prepared to climb up and down stairs throughout the visit of all these towns.

For convenience, in the high season most of the restaurants found throughout the town also usually offer breakfast options. This knowing that there are early arrivals to this site.

In parallel, don't forget that there is also the possibility of taking one of the best gastronomic tours of Cinque Terre. The problem with this option on such a short trip is that you will go through the religion in search of representative dishes and good restaurants and you will miss many of the houses, monuments and viewpoints that you are interested in knowing in order to be able to say that Cinque Terre is a place that has captivated you.

When you have finished your short visit to Riomaggiore it is important that you return quickly to the train station so that in less than 6 minutes you reach your next destination in Cinque Terre, Manarola. It is definitely a stop you can not miss on your trip, as it is the most photographed place in this national park.

The decisive factor that makes so many tourists choose this place to capture their photographic memories is the same landscape that characterizes the town. For the truth is that it is just as small as Riomaggiore, but in this case most of the place is on a hill that can be seen clearly from the cliff in front of it. In fact, the shape of the village resembles very much the shape of a natural amphitheater.

Another interesting aspect of this village is that from the train station to the village you will have to walk through a tunnel for 15 minutes. Which is not only fun for what the experience represents, but also because the place has a very peculiar architecture.

You have to know that one of the biggest attractions of Manarola is the possibility to jump from the rocky shores to the deep beaches to jump directly into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Actually, that plan is one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre in summer, although it is not a recommended idea for you because you would get wet and it would also make it complicated to continue touring the rest of the towns.

Before you leave Manarola, it is advisable that you walk to the Parco Giochi Paradiso knowing that it is the only playground that exists throughout this region. The idea is recommended for the simple reason that if you are traveling with children they can enjoy an activity that is fully focused on them to balance the trip and make the experience memorable and entertaining for everyone.

Moreover, getting to this place after walking through the streets of the houses clustered one on top of the other in Manarola is something that will take you less than 2 minutes. Everything is even more interesting knowing that Nessun Dorma, one of the best restaurants in the region, is located in this corner of the town. If you visit it you can't miss to order a dish that includes the traditional pesto.

The next stop in the sequence of villages from south to north in Cinque Terre would be Corniglia. I leave this alternative itinerary as optional because it is the only town in the entire national park that does not have a direct access to the coast. In fact, it is located on a fairly high point of the mountains that cross the entire terrain and therefore it is necessary to climb stairs with more than 400 steps to reach the village from the train station.

In any case, for many specialists this is the most authentic and worth visiting village of the five that make up this national park. In addition, the fact that many tourists do not visit it because they have to climb all those stairs makes it a place that has a smaller influx of people throughout the year. This makes lodging in this town cheaper than in other places and at the same time the commercial offer is less demanded.

It is up to you to choose if walking the streets and enjoying the privileged views from the top of a mountain is something you want to do in your 24 hours in this national park. Still, it remains one of the must-see places to visit on a 3-day trip along the Cinque Terre and it would be a shame to miss out on a real gem of this Italian region because of laziness.

Corniglia can be an ideal place to have lunch

Another reason why you should not give up the idea of visiting Corniglia on your passage through Cinque Terre is the fact that this can be an ideal place to have lunch. Especially because if there is a smaller tourist influx the waiting times in the 5 restaurants that are located in the village will be less significant.

That's in addition to the fact that the next stop you will have on your trip is a much larger town that receives a larger number of visitors and this means that dealing with your appetite will be much more complex there.

Getting from Corniglia to Vernazza is something that will take you no more than 5 minutes and by this time of the trip it is likely to be 3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon. This town stands out for being a bit bigger than all the others you have known up to this point of the trip, as well as for being the favorite of almost all the tourists who come to this national park. The fact that it is located in front of the coast also makes it stand out, since it has the opportunity to receive a larger number of boats directly.

It has a central square as well as a striking church and along all its narrow streets you will find the typical and colorful houses that characterize the architecture of this section of Liguria.

Getting here to sunbathe on its rocky beaches is usually a recommended activity, but the fact that there are so many shops throughout the village also makes it one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre in winter. In fact, it is one of the most recommended villages to visit in this region if your trip has to take place at this time of the year.

You cannot miss the castello Doria located at the southern end of the village. This is because it offers one of the best views in all of Vernazza as it stands as the best preserved ruins of the ancient residences maintained by the ruling class throughout these towns. The town's cemetery is another recommended viewpoint, although reaching it requires more physical effort.

Finally, when you have seen everything you want to see in Vernazza, you should take the train for one last trip, which will take you to Monterosso al Mare, the largest town in the entire national park. This place is distinguished for being the flattest town in Cinque Terre as well as the one with the largest sandy coastline of all.

It is usually the gateway for those arriving to Cinque Terre from the north and at the same time it is a must-see no matter how short or long the trip is. In fact, it is a good place for those who have a two-day trip to Cinque Terre, since it offers good accommodation alternatives and the possibility to spend the summer on its beaches without too many complications.

There is also the fact that together with Vernazza it is one of the two favorite places from where the best boat excursions in Cinque Terre depart. This is due to the fact that both sites have natural harbors that allow the arrival of several boats simultaneously. Moreover, at the same time they are located at the edge of the national park, which allows sailing in a southerly direction so that people can observe all the villages of the region.

Of the beaches in this town you have to know that they are large enough to impress knowing that in general in Liguria there are not usually long stretches of coastline that are not interrupted by rocky cliffs. One of the best beaches is the one right in front of the train station, although the other two are accessible via a walk of less than 3 minutes.

It is worth knowing that some of the best things to do in Cinque Terre at night are among the restaurants and bars in this town. This means that you can perfectly enjoy a beautiful sunset before deciding to close your tour with some good drinks in some of the streets of the town.

Although if the idea of sitting on the beach to watch the sunset does not convince you, then going to the Convento dei Frati Cappuccini Monterosso al Mare is an excellent decision. And it is a place that also offers a very nice view of the coast and the whole town and you can enjoy talking with your companions as the evening begins and then dine on fresh seafood and fish in the best style of Cinque Terre.

Stay in this town if you see the need

As well as Corniglia offers you very convenient accommodation prices, Monterosso distinguishes itself by offering you the largest number of hotels and small lodging places among the 5 existing towns.

So it may be a good idea to stay overnight in this town before continuing your trip to your next destination in northern Italy, as you will most likely get a room more easily. This is as long as you go outside the peak summer season.

In fact, such an impulsive decision is one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre in September considering that this is a time when tourist demand has dropped drastically because summer is over and, as a result, local hotels are looking to fill their rooms to maximize their profits. This means that they will still stay open and rooms could be very conveniently discounted.