24 Hours in Cinque Terre, Italy!
Last summer, a year ago from today, I spent about 24 hours in the magical region of Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera! There are 5 (cinque) villages (terre) that make up this area – Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. These fishing villages are known for their stunning colorful houses that are stacked along the cliffside! My 24 hour Cinque Terre Itinerary consists of a sunset boat tour, local dinner, morning hike from Riomaggiore, and a pesto class with a gorgeous view of Manarola!
How to get there:
We landed in Genoa, Italy, and walked to the closest train station from the airport. It’s about a two hour train ride to Riomaggiore from the Genoa airport. I like to use the Trainline app to figure out train times and purchase tickets.
24 Hour Itinerary for Riomaggiore and Manarola:
While this may seem like a short trip, it is a perfect weekend trip to add on to your european vacation. We booked an airbnb in Riomaggiore, it seems like the most popular town of the 5. We got there in the afternoon, and did a sunset boat tour with Cinque Terre del Mare Boat Tours. The tour is 2 hours and you get to see all 5 villages from the water. The sunset was gorgeous and they had plenty of wine and focaccia on board to enjoy with the stunning views. There was even some time to jump in to the Mediterranean Sea for a quick swim! After words we got pizzas and wine at a local restaurant!
The next morning we hiked from Riomaggiore to Manarola. While the trains go from one village to the next, there are also walking paths that connect all 5 villages. The views from the trail were stunning.
In Manarola, we took the viral Pesto experience at Nessun Dorma. Be sure to arrive early to be seated with a view of the colorful coastline! This was the best pesto I’ve ever had in my life! The class ended with a large charcuterie board with fresh focaccia.
After the Pesto experience, we explored Manarola for a bit before taking the train back to Riomaggiore and then back to Genoa.
This itinerary is a suggested guideline to see the most of Cinque Terre in a short amount of time based off my experience. For specific questions, please comment below and I will try to help. Happy travels! 🙂