How to Spend 3 Days in Cinque Terre, Italy

Cinque Terre is packed with beautiful landscapes and colorful houses. Everywhere you turn, there is a stunning view!

Free 15 Day Italy Itinerary at the bottom of this post!

‘Cinque Terre’ means 5 lands. There are 5 villages that make up Cinque Terre (starting from the north):

• Monterosso – the largest village, has a long sandy beach
• Vernazza – has a charming piazza right on the harbor lined with restaurants and bars
• Corniglia – least amount of tourists, village does not sit right on the water
• Manarola – my favorite, but I’m partial because this is the town we stayed in and loved it!
• Riomaggiore – has a rocky/pebble beach

For more info on each of the villages visit this Cinque Terre Tourist Information Center Website. I would recommend visiting them all!

Things to Do

1. Hike – a lot!

There are tons of hiking trails here connecting each of the villages. One day we took a train to Monterosso (we were staying Manarola) and hiked all the way back to Manarola.

We stopped and walked through each of the villages on the way through!

By the end of this hike we clocked 34,000 steps. When we got into Manarola, we headed straight to Nessun Dorma for an aperitivo (drinks and snacks) with more gorgeous views!

It was cool to hike right next to the grape vines! Be sure not to stray from the trail as it is private property and they farm much of these hillsides.

The trails were easy to follow and there were some signs along the way which was helpful!

So many steps! It’s easy to get your exercise in here!

2. Explore the local shops

Each town has a bunch of cute shops to visit. And more gelato shops than you can count!

3. Sip on Wine (or Limoncello) with Stunning Views

We enjoyed sipping on wine and limoncello at A Pié De Ma in Riomaggiore!

We hiked here from Manarola. This was a nice stop before heading in to visit the main part of town.

Above is a picture of A Pié De Ma from a distance (it’s that pink/coral building). What a view to sit and drink wine!

4. Take a Ferry Ride

You can buy tickets for a ferry ride from one village to another. The views from the water are stunning!

And if you don’t want to travel back via ferry, you can hike or take the train.

5. Relax on the Beach

Monterosso has a nice long sandy beach (pictured above) if you are looking for somewhere to lay out.

Riomaggiore also has a beach area, but it is a rocky beach. There were some people laying out. Find a nice smooth rock to sit or lay on!

6. Eat Dinner while watching the Sunset

We enjoyed this sunset dinner at Trattoria Dal Billy in Manarola. Be sure to make reservations near sunset time (and specify that you would like to be outside)!

Where to Eat

Below are some of our favorite food stops in Cinque Terre. Most of these are in Manarola since this is the village we stayed in.

• Aristide Café (in Manarola) – Great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! They have the BEST chocolate croissants.

• Nessun Dorma (in Manarola) – We stopped here for wine, beer, & snacks/appetizers. The view from this place is simply stunning. We also got to try some fresh olives here!

• A Pié De Ma (in Riomaggiore) – Great place for drinks and appetizers! And great views of the coast!

• Trattoria Dal Billy (in Manarola) – This is where we had dinner with a sunset view! Be sure to make reservations. We had some delicious pesto pasta and pasta with red sauce here.

• Il Porticciolo (in Manarola) – Yummy seafood and pasta dishes. I ate a lot of pasta with pesto in this region because that is what they are known for!

• Focaccerias– Be sure to stop into a Focacceria and try some Focaccia Di Recco (cheese) and Focaccia Farinata (made from chickpeas) which are both common in this area.

Where to Stay

We stayed at this cute little Airbnb in Manarola. I might be partial since we stayed here, but Manarola was my favorite village!

If you are looking to spend more time exploring Italy, check out my 15 Day Itinerary below!

Free 15 Day Italy Itinerary:

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• How to Spend 2 Days in Genoa, Italy
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• How to Spend 3 Days in Florence, Italy
• How to Spend 3 Days in Rome, Italy
• The Ultimate 15 Day Italy Itinerary

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