Best Things to Do in Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre National Park is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the eastern part of northern Italy and at the same time it is a very representative area of the Italian Riviera. In fact, this place is a direct inspiration for many films based on the Italian coast and the five villages that make up this natural region are declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

So, to make your trip easier to organise and to ensure you can enjoy the best activities along the way, I bring you a list of the best things to do in Cinque Terre that you can enjoy no matter how short your visit to these picturesque villages located between rocks, cliffs and the Mediterranean Sea is.

One of the first things you can do when visiting Cinque Terre is to enjoy the kilometric coastline that stretches along the entire length of this national park with a kayaking session. This is a region full of cliffs where there are some perfect coves for those who want to enjoy the waters of the Ligurian Sea, which are characterised by their low swell, at least in this area of the Italian Riviera.

Kayaking trips usually last about 3 hours in total and you can enjoy the experience both in the morning and in the afternoon. It is even possible to do it during the sunset so that you can return to the village of Monterosso after dark.

The activity is characterised as one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during the summer. Mainly because it is an escape from the restaurants and the crowded beaches and at the same time it is a good sporting activity to enjoy the warm waters at a time when it is necessary to cool down because of the heat.

You should also know that it is an activity recommended for the whole family and that it is even possible that a wine tasting is offered together with fresh and typical food of the gastronomy of these villages.

Details of interest:

• Prices: this type of kayak tour usually costs around 100 euros per person and is an activity available for several members of the same family.

Another of the best things to do in the Cinque Terre National Park is to enjoy the trails that run the length of the park. In fact, for several centuries, this network of paths through the mountains and along the cliffs was the only way for the inhabitants to move between each of the villages.

So taking part in a private excursion along these paths is an excellent idea. Especially because some of them are only reserved for those who pay a private entrance fee and, at the same time, because their extension is significant, exceeding 120 kilometres in total, which means that choosing the most appropriate ones is important if you don't want to get too tired to continue enjoying other activities in this area.

You should also know that an afternoon or a morning hiking through these mountain paths is one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during the month of December. This is due to the fact that it is a time of year when the beaches may not be appealing so focusing on the beauty of the mountains in the area is more advisable. In fact, it is also part of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during the month of November or during the month of January, this knowing that these are times when cold weather characterises the constant climate.

Details of interest:

• Price: the price of a tour like this is usually around 150 to 170 euros per person.
• Duration: These types of excursions through the mountains of the region usually last between 5 to 8 hours in total.

Another of Cinque Terre's great attractions is sunbathing on the rocky shores of the five villages that make up the national park. Vernazza and Monterosso are the preferred alternatives due to the size of both villages, although Riomaggiore is another good option.

There are several benefits associated with this activity and one of them is the fact that sitting on one of the rocks on the cliffs sunbathing and swimming in the water on the beach is completely free of charge. The biggest drawback might be having to deal with other groups of tourists, which can be quite abundant during the high summer season.

So this is a good plan all spring and all summer long, but it is definitely one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during April or May. This is because these months are less crowded with tourists, so you can hit the beaches with complete peace of mind knowing that there will always be a rock available for you.

Each of the villages that make up the Cinque Terre at some point in its history had a castle. Today many of them are in ruins or are serving a new purpose as part of a commercial structure or as a restaurant. In the case of Vernazza, you have the opportunity to see the ruins of one of these constructions in the castello Doria.

This was built in the mid 10th century and many specialists in this region consider it to be one of the must-see sites on a short or long visit. This is due to the fact that it is a viewpoint that allows you to enjoy a panoramic perspective of the city in which it is located. Something that is sometimes complicated by the mountainous terrain full of cliffs that define all these towns.

So it can be said that climbing the steep stairs to the Castello Doria is one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during a multi-day trip, as well as a must-do for those who will only be in the area for 24 hours. Even more so knowing that it is located in Vernazza, the second most visited town for both its commercial diversity and size.

If there is one thing that characterises Cinque Terre, it is the wide gastronomic offer despite the fact that it is made up of five relatively small towns. For this reason, you should not miss the opportunity to explore the flavours that characterize the culinary world of these towns, which is distinguished by the large amount of fresh products that come from the local fishing industry.

NessunDorma, in Manarolo, is one of those restaurants that you should visit and is known within Cinque Terre for its privileged views of the sea. Also for its menu which is mainly composed of excellent cuts of meat and a pesto recipe that is part of the tradition of this place.

RistoranteBelforte is the ideal place if you are looking to explore the flavours that define the local recipes with products of the catch of the day. This is due to the fact that it is a restaurant that focuses mainly on recipes with fresh fish, seafood and octopus. All while you also have the opportunity to get to know its mythical wine cellar.

Likewise, participating in some of the best gastronomic tours in Cinque Terre is something you should seriously consider to enjoy this culinary world with the accompaniment of a guide. This is because they will not let you go home without having learned everything you need to know about the most characteristic dishes of this place.

Taking part in a sunset boat ride is another of the best things to do in Cinque Terre. Especially for the fact that no matter what time of the year you decide to visit this place, it will always be a fun and enjoyable plan for all kinds of people.

You have to know that sometimes it is a shared tour for a significantly large group of people while other times it is completely exclusive for a small family group. The private excursions are more recommended for the fact that they usually offer you a wine tasting as well as the possibility of having dinner on board the boat.

Riomaggiore is usually the town from which these boat trips depart, although it is also possible that they take place from the ports of other Cinque Terre towns such as Vernazza.

Interesting details

• Price: when it is a private excursion the price of the trip is usually around 600 € which is divided between the number of participants. The maximum number of passengers is usually 8 people in the same family group.
• Duration: this type of sea tour usually lasts a maximum of 2 hours.

Wine is one of the most characteristic elements of several Italian regions and Cinque Terre is no exception to this reality. In fact, Sciacchetrà is the name of the wine that is locally produced within the national park and, therefore, taking part in a wine tasting in the town of Manarola is one of the best things you could do on a visit to this Italian region.

This is an activity that is reserved for adults only and is an excellent option when the weather is not too good for touring the natural areas of Cinque Terre and is therefore one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during the month of October.

Actually, it can also be considered as one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during September, as it is a good alternative for entertainment when the tourist influx is still very high. This knowing that the season with the highest flow of visitors goes from early spring to early autumn.

Besides, there is the fact that these wine tastings are usually quite cheap. Therefore, they can be the ideal complement to extend a good evening that you have started enjoying some of the best restaurants in any of the towns in the region.

Details of interest:

• Price: these types of wine tastings usually cost around €65 for each participant. This includes the tasting of wines from about 3 different wineries.
• Duration: The maximum duration of an activity like this is usually an hour and a half.

Portovenere is a town located at the southern end of this national park. In fact, it is a place that is not officially part of Cinque Terre, but without a doubt it is usually visited by all the people who try to get to know this area to the maximum.

The place is characterised by having the same type of houses that are found in the five towns that make up this national park, but in this case you can find a defensive fortification next to a much more extensive coastline.

So this site is usually one of the best day trips from Cinque Terre. Especially since the whole tour won't take more than a couple of hours and the journey from any of the villages in the national park to Portovenere is not too difficult. The best way to live the experience is with a guided tour, even more knowing that thanks to the guide you won't miss any important detail about this place.

In fact, it is ideal that you go to this place during the afternoon so that after having visited its beaches and marvelled at its architectural style, you can return to enjoy some of the best things to do in Cinque Terre at night, which are readjusted according to the time of the year when you are visiting this region.

The train system that runs along the Cinque Terre is one of the things that most impresses visitors to this national park. This is due to the fact that it is a mountainous area that is crossed in its entirety by these railways that connect these towns to the city of La Spezia as well as to Levanto and Genoa.

At different parts of the route the tracks pass through bridges that have been created over the cliffs and this allows passengers to have incredible views where it seems as if the train is on the water. So enjoying this mode of transport as your way of getting between the different towns in the region is a must.

This is mainly due to the fact that these trains themselves are a tourist entertainment activity and at the same time allow you to enjoy a marvel of engineering, which at the time was totally innovative to facilitate the movement of people through this peculiar region.

Another of the best things to see and do in Cinque Terre is the idea of taking half of one of your afternoons to head to the neighbouring town of La Spezia for a shopping spree. This place is a very important place for tourism within this National Park and it has a cruise terminal as well as a train station that allows many people arriving to the Ligurian coast to go without inconveniences to the towns of Cinque Terre.

The place is characterised by being a relatively modern and quite small town that has a large enough diversity of shops that can help you get everything you need to continue enjoying your time in Cinque Terre. Also, going at certain times of the year is highly recommended because of the discounts you might find.

This is one of those plans that are part of the best things to do in Cinque Terre during the winter or during the rainy days, because instead of staying cooped up in your hotel without being able to enjoy any outdoor activities, you could take the train to this city to make the most of your time by visiting some of its museums or those restaurants.

You've already seen all there is to do in this wonderful northern Italian destination. If you don't know how many days to spend in Cinque Terre, I'll tell you that it depends on your interests and your way of travelling. That is, it depends on whether you are one of those who have enough to see the main attractions of a destination or if, on the contrary, you prefer to enjoy with time everything that a place like this can offer.

In any case, and as there are opinions of all kinds, to help you in your choice, I leave you these itineraries in which you will see condensed the best plans in 1, 2 and 3 days:

• What to see and do in Cinque Terre in 1 day
• What to see and do in Cinque Terre in 2 days
• What to see and do in Cinque Terre in 3 days