Twelve Do's and Don'ts in Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre has a lot to love.
I mean, who wouldn’t fall for five sunset-hued fishing villages perched between terraced vineyards and azure waters? Add to that how easy it is to get from one village to another for a change of pace and it’s no wonder that tourists, walkers, and sun-worshippers adore Cinque Terre.
I first visited thirty years ago as a young backpacker and came home gushing about the colors and the sea and the cheap hot meals (as it turns out, this is what backpackers care about). More recently I visited again with my family and saw that Cinque Terre is so much more than what I saw through my adolescent eyes.
It’s also so much more than most tourists see as they blow in for a day trip from Florence or Pisa. You can read my post on our four days in Cinque Terre here, but I also wanted to give you some quick tips on how to give yourself the opportunity to experience what makes Cinque Terre magic.
Because you see, nowadays it can be tricky to connect with Cinque Terre. This UNESCO world heritage site is like Venice in that you have to be able to look past the crowds, to find hidden corners, to experience what it’s like without tourists intent on their “must sees” shoving you out of their way. Luckily, I had no trouble getting beyond a tourist-driven Venice, and I had no trouble in Cinque Terre either. Rather, I loved every moment.
Yes, my task was made easier because my recent visit coincided with the tail end (speriamo, hopefully) of the pandemic, so the crowds were almost exclusively Italians taking it in for the weekend. Still, I kept my eye out for how to help you, my dear readers, soak up the beauty of Cinque Terre.
Here are my do’s and don’ts…please add yours in the comments!
Do’s and Don’ts for Experiencing the Magic of Cinque Terre
Do go off-season. A local told me that he works in two shops in Vernazza and in high season, it takes 10 minutes to walk the 100 meters between them. Let me put that in context. During my visit, I could stroll between the train station and the harbor in about three minutes. And that’s with pausing to check out the focaccia display at the bakery. Those aforementioned two shops are both between the rail station and the harbor, and it takes him ten minutes. Cesare at NordEst Boat Tours told me that his favorite time in Cinque Terre is late September and April—when the water is warmed (usually, our visit was cold all over Italy, so June still found the water chilly), the days are pleasant, and the tourists are low. I love the idea of a winter visit myself, but things do close by the end of October, so be aware.
Don’t day trip into Cinque Terre. Another local told me that most people “do” all five villages in one day. First of all, don’t get me started on the word “do” in this context—it doesn’t make sense and it sounds vaguely predatory. Second of all, what the what? How can anyone get any sense of the fragile beauty of Cinque Terre if they steamroll from one main street to another? You need to wander the alleys lined with seashells, you need to stop and close your eyes while inhaling the scent of jasmine and sea breezes and smoke and clams opening in garlic. You need to gasp at the sight of the little trains in the vineyards making their way up up up.
And this is all besides the fact that when your view is marred by baseball caps you can’t really “see” anything. But, here’s the good news. All the people who don’t know this secret, they only come for the day, leaving the evening quiet. The villages soften as the tourists board those trains, and they stay in that gentle state until about mid-morning.
You need to give yourself the chance to appreciate the soul of Cinque Terre. So do stay. Don’t deprive yourself of the beauty of sipping your morning coffee or walking home from dinner in the quiet, as local chat with each other and the shop cats settles in for a snooze.
Do check which paths are open—it changes. If you’ll be trekking between villages, buy your trekking ticket at the train station for the day you need it (or you can try to buy it on-line and select the day). We bought our ticket the day before and the agent dated it without our knowing. We had to go back to the train station the next day and beg to swap out the tickets for new ones with a new date.
Do go off the beaten path, literally. There are loads of walking trails that don’t require a trekking card and they aren’t packed with tourists. Free and beautiful trails in Cinque Terre, scented with wild fennel and with constant sight of the sea below…why not? Look into the trails between each village and the sanctuary above them. I also recommend going way off the beaten path and booking a boat trip. It’s wonderful to watch the villages glide by, relaxing with a glass of bubbly. You get a real sense of how the villages retain their individual character, yet how they connect, when you see them from the water.
Do remember you can buy train tickets on-line with the TrenItalia app. This means you don’t have to validate your tickets, and removes a bit of ambiguity as to timing and lines. You can be wrapping up lunch and see when the next train leaves, buy your tickets, and you’ll know how long to linger over your limoncino (Cinqe Terre’s answer to limoncello). If you’ve followed my directions and aren’t daytripping into Cinque Terre, it’s doubtful you’ll need the “unlimited” train card, but certainly add up how many trips you’ll do and if it makes financial sense. It didn’t for us.
Do pack sensibly. Bring sturdy walking shoes and lots of layers (it cools down in the evening, especially if you are dining with a view of the sea). Hats are a wise choice.
Do bring your swimsuit in your purse. You may think, “Oh, I’m not in the mood to swim, I’ll just walk around Manarola”, but then arrive to find the crystalline waters way too tempting. Having the suit just in case means you’ll save yourself a trip back to your accommodations to grab your gear.
Do try the local foods: Focaccia, pesto, any fish of the day (I had a lovely orata), lemoncino, sciacchetrà (the local passito, fun in a spritz but beautiful after dinner, on its own or drizzled on cake), local wines, and anchovies. Oh, I grew addicted to anchovies and I’m already cross that when I head back to the states I won’t be able to find fresh ones anymore. In Cinque Terre, I relished them marinated, salted, and fried. So good! In fact, we’ve been back from Vernazza for less than two days and for lunch today I’m making Umbrian pappa al pomodoro (cold tomato-y bread, somewhere between a salad and soup) with burrata and the anchovies I bought in Vernazza.
Don’t ask for cheese with your shellfish pasta. With a sinking heart, I watched a jovial water turn sour when an American woman at the next table asked where the cheese was. “This is Italy,” he said, “No cheese on fish.” It’s true (with the exception of oil-packed anchovies with butter or a creamy soft cheese, as mentioned above). I get that Americans think parmesan is like salt, it just goes on everything Italian, but it just doesn’t work with delicate sea flavors. You don’t have to believe me, just go with it.
Do make reservations for your meals. I’m not sure why foreigners resist making reservations—it’s such a great feeling knowing that the promise of a delicious meal lies just ahead. I think maybe it’s scary for people to make reservations in Italian. But it’s not hard, really. Nobody on the other end of the line will try to get your opinion on your favorite Fellini flick. The script is fixed. If you’re really stressed, you can ask if the person on the other end of the phone speaks English, but I also wrote up how to manage making reservations in my restaurant manual.
Don’t try driving in Cinque Terre. It’s a huge and expensive hassle. Plus it takes more time. The trains between villages run several times an hour and are much faster. Consider that it takes twenty minutes to train from the two furthest villages—Riomaggiore in the south to Monterosso the northernmost village. That same distance takes over an hour of winding, tenuous road to drive. Not to mention, these roads are pretty tough on folks with any tendency to motion sickness.
Don’t stress about finding the perfect village. They are all lovely, with their own character. Like anywhere, upsides and downsides are flip sides of the same coin. For example, Vernazza and Manarola are generally considered the most picturesque, but that also means they can be the most crowded. Just pick something (I recommend where we stayed in Vernazza if you need a lead) and soak up the upsides without worrying about what you’re missing. If you like another village better, you can visit all you like with no problem.