Hiking and a Day at the Beach in Cinque Terre, Italy

In the stunning and rugged terrain of the five coastal towns that make up Cinque Terre, there’s so much to see and experience. The best way to explore this unique region is by hiking between the towns, which offers breathtaking views and a true connection to the landscape. The entire coastal area of Cinque Terre is a National Park and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 . On our recent trip, we were determined to truly experience the five towns, so we laced up our hiking shoes and set off on the trail.

The town pictured below is Vernazza, the fourth town heading from south to north. We took the train from Riomaggiore to Vernazza and began our hike back south. It was a perfect, clear day—ideal for exploring and soaking in the incredible views along the way. If you’d like to see our time in the other four towns of Cinque Terre click: HERE

After checking out the town of Vernazza a bit it was time to start the hike. To get started you have to first hike out of town to gain access to the trail.

There are water faucets all over the five towns. Use them! The water is delicious and we were going to need it for the hike.

The hike starts with climbing the stairs. Wind your way up to the trail hiking through town up a series of stairs. Living here you would sure get your steps in every day, as there is no car traffic inside the town.

Making up from the beach looking back down into Vernazza.

A picturesque view of Vernazza and Monterosso, the fifth town, in the background. The round tower at the point in the background is the Doria Tower. This tower was used as a lookout point to protect the tiny village. It was built in the 15th century.

The boats out on the water are actually water taxis that run between the towns. They also run to La Spezia, Portofino and other locations along this part of the coast. There are essentially three ways to get between the towns, trains, hiking or a boat. Cars are not allowed in the towns themselves.

Along this hike there were spots where there were stairs, and more stairs. Taking the hike from north to south is definitely more challenging.

We made it!!! Not really. At about the halfway point between Vernazza and Corniglia, there is literally an oasis.

A shop that sells lemon slushies called Bar Il Gabbiano if you’re on this hike you should definitely make a stop.

They have other items too but their big seller was this delicious refreshing slushy drink. On this day there were crates and crates outside the small shop loaded with fresh lemons. In that moment it was the most wonderful refreshing drink I’d ever had!

Back to hiking. The town is in sight now. We can see Corniglia off in the distance but it was over a mile to still hike.

At last the trail comes to an end! This is the sign at the end of the trail. Now it’s time to head into town.

After all that hiking it was time for lunch. We stopped at a little cafe in Corniglia. After a lot of water we had a glass of wine with the specialty of the area, anchovies! They were in a lemon and light olive oil dressing. They were delicious, I promise! (and then we had a pizza!)

We hiked Vernazza to Corniglia, north to south. This was exceptionally difficult due to the 300 ft elevation gain. The total hike was a little over 2 miles. It was all dirt paths, some very narrow and a lot of stairs.

These paths do close frequently, so check out the conditions before planning your hike.

(Map credit: Cinque Terre EU.com)

After a day of hiking we decided to spend the next day as a beach day at the fifth town of Monterosso. We took the train from Riomaggiore traveling through all five towns in less than 20 minutes. The best way to get around this part of Italy is to purchase the Cinque Terre Card. For a daily fee, you have unlimited use of the trains, hiking trails (that are open) and the small busses in some of the cities. They can be purchased at the local train stations.

We arrived early on a day in June before the tourist season really got going. There are private clubs and beaches associated with resorts, but there are also plenty of public beaches. If you’d like two chairs and an umbrella it does cost about 30 euros, which we thought was not too bad for the entire day.

The Monterosso Giant. This sculpture of Neptune hangs over the edge of the sea, seemingly to guard the land. It is made of iron and cement sculpted in the early 20th century.

Ahhhhh…..A beautiful calm day at the beach. The nice thing about these public beaches is that you can bring your own food and beverages. We bought a couple of beers and some waters from a little shop across the street. Then, when it was lunch time, we walked to a little cafe nearby and returned to our saved chairs.

Another look at the beautiful beach in Monterosso al Mare.

After a lot of hiking and walking it was great just to relax on the beach for a day.

The water was beautiful but a little chilly.

All too soon, it was time to get back on the train and head four towns south where our Airbnb was located. We loved our day at the beach in Monterosso al Mare.

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

This was the last night of our 3 night stay in Cinque Terre. We spent time in all five towns, enjoying the uniqueness of each one. It is so different than the beaches in Southern Italy in that it feels almost a little like stepping back in time. We found Cinque Terre to be so quaint, so welcoming and so incredibly picturesque. I am so glad we finally got to have an adventure in this part of Italy and we hope this inspires a trek for you too!

Come see our time spent in the other four towns in the post: HERE