Day itineraries
There and back in a day
PisaMover to the station and train to La Spezia
There are direct flights to Pisa airport (PSA) from Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Girona, Tenerife South, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. From the airport, the PisaMover drops you at Pisa Centrale station, and from there the train leaves for La Spezia, the city that closes the Cinque Terre line in the south and where there is more accommodation. Allow an hour and a quarter from Pisa. With the flight, it is half a day's journey: arrive the day before and sleep in La Spezia or in one of the villages, because the two plans that leave from Pisa start early on the coast.
A car is no use there. The villages are pedestrian and there is almost no parking; if you hire one at the airport, leave it in La Spezia or Levanto and continue by train. Between villages, the regional takes a few minutes: Riomaggiore is about ten from La Spezia and Monterosso, the last to the north, about 25. The day's Cinque Terre Treno Card gives unlimited journeys, access to the paid trails and the minibuses of each village. The line 02 boat links four of the villages and Portovenere, but does not stop at Corniglia and does not sail in a rough sea; then you go back to the train.
Five villages hanging over the sea
They are five villages hanging over the sea, from south to north Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, linked by a railway, a boat and coastal trails. Between Riomaggiore and Manarola runs the Via dell'Amore, the park's easiest walk: half an hour above the cliff, with a booked time slot. Between Monterosso and Vernazza, the Sentiero Azzurro takes about two hours with steps. Above Manarola, the park minibus goes up to Groppo, among vine terraces, where the cooperative winery lets you try the Cinque Terre DOC and the Sciacchetrà, the sweet wine of dried grapes.
Mild heat and dry trails in spring and September
The best weeks are April, May, June, September and October, with mild heat and dry trails. In July and August there are many people and heat on the shadeless paths: set out even earlier. In autumn and winter rain alerts close trails, and the restaurant in the Vernazza tower closes in winter. The Sentiero Azzurro day runs from April to October, Thursday to Sunday; the Via dell'Amore and pesto one, from March to October, any day except Tuesday.
The Sentiero Azzurro or Manarola pesto
- Walking along the coast: Sentiero Azzurro to Vernazza and boat to Manarola. Train to Monterosso at 7:45, the trail before the groups arrive, anchovies on the harbour square at Trattoria Gianni Franzi, which closes on Wednesdays, a boat to Manarola and an aperitivo at Nessun Dorma, on Punta Bonfiglio.
- Eating and drinking: Via dell'Amore, pesto workshop and dinner in Vernazza. The walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola first thing, a pesto class with a mortar and lunch included, a tasting at Groppo from €30 and dinner at Ristorante Belforte, in the tower over the sea. Check the time of the last train to La Spezia before you sit down.
With two nights on the coast both fit. How to get around, what to book and where to sleep is on the Cinque Terre page.