How to “Do” Cinque Terre In 3 Days: Guide & Itinerary

Planning a trip to the Italian Riviera? Looking for the best things to do in Cinque Terre on a 3-day itinerary? We’ve got you covered.

Arguably Italy’s most charming stretch of coastline, Cinque Terre is a postcard-perfect collection of 5 fishing villages nestled in the mountains along the Ligurian Sea. This place is worldwide famous for a lot of reasons,  but one of its most significant claims to fame is its beauty. If you’re planning on visiting Italy, Cinque Terre definitely deserves a spot on your itinerary. 

This is not the sort of place to race around with a checklist of sites and “must-do” activities, so this won’t be that type of travel guide. Instead, I’d highly encourage you to spend some quality time in this area to appreciate its true essence. 

to help you plan your trip, I’ll lay out some tips on how to get there, how to get around, where to stay, what to see, and a sample 3-day Cinque Terre itinerary to help you plan your visit. 

What are the five towns of Cinque Terre?

The term “Cinque Terre” is used to describe an area that includes 5 towns, not one place, so if you search for train schedules for the Cinque Terre you won’t find one. The Italian term can be translated as “five lands,” and refers to the 5 beautiful villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare.

As you can see from the map below, the 5 towns are really close to each other, so it’s easy to visit the whole area in just 3 days if you plan your itinerary right. I mean, I’d totally spend a month here if I could, and let’s be honest, you want way more than 3 days in Cinque Terre, but if you’re pushed for time, you can easily cover a tour of all the must-see sights over a weekend.

How To Get To Cinque Terre

The closest airports to Cinque Terre are Pisa, Genova, Milan, and Florence. You can reach the Cinque Terre from any of these cities by train or car, but no doubt, Cinque Terre is best reached by train.

• The closest airport is Pisa and it’s about a 1.5-hour train ride.
• Milan Malpensa is the largest airport in Northern Italy, and direct trains travel between Milan Central station and Monterosso several times per day, with a travel time of approximately 3 hours.
• Traveling from Rome, you would take the train to La Spezia Centrale, a town close to Cinque Terre.

You can check Trenitalia.com and book the combination that is more convenient for your travel plans.

If you are arriving by car, I’d highly suggest staying in the neighboring towns of the Cinque Terre region, such as Levanto or La Spezia, as you will have a much easier time finding parking.

How To Get Around in Cinque Terre

There are basically three ways to move from one village to another: you either walk, take the train or the boat.

• The walking trail is 12 kilometers and runs along the coast through all five villages, from Monterosso in the north to Riomaggiore in the south. Even if you’ve never hiked before, it’d be sacrilege to skip the walking trails that wind their way along this gorgeous coastline.
• The train is a very easy and convenient way to get from village to village and runs approximately three times an hour. Each of the five villages has small train stations that you can use, and you will be able to purchase your train tickets from the train station easily. The cost of the single train ticket is 4€.
• The boat runs less frequently, but I highly recommend taking it at least once, as the view from the sea gives you the possibility to appreciate the colorful buildings against the neutral backdrop of the hills.

A good option is the Cinque Terre Card, which bundles the price of the trains between the five villages (but not ferries) and a hiking day-pass. A 1-day pass is 16 € and a 2-day pass is 29 €. If you are thinking about whether you should get the card or not, ask yourself: will you be hiking? And will you be taking the train at least three times in a day? If so, buy the Card.

Where To Stay

Don’t get overly caught up in the process of choosing which village to stay in – they are all wonderful and they are close, really close. Like, BFF close.

If you want that postcard-pretty view, then I’d suggest staying in Manarola, Riomaggiore or Vernazza. If you’re looking forward to spending some time on the beach, then Monterosso will be the best one for you. Corniglia is very pretty but getting there requires taking a “little” hike of 365 steps upon exiting the train station before you reach the town.

Alternatives include staying in Levanto (which comes with an equally gorgeous beach) and La Spezia – significantly cheaper and crowd-free without all the crazy hiking stuff of Corniglia. The only hassle is the train frequency – there are mostly only two trains every hour.

Cinque Terre in 3 days: Best Things To Do

In my Cinque Terre 3-day itinerary, you’ll be staying in Monterosso, but this is only a suggestion, purely meant to offer a good idea of how much you can fit into the time you have. It can be totally redesigned, starting and ending in any of the towns in the Cinque Terre. So, from the stunning beaches of Monterosso to the hidden coves of Riomaggiore, here’s how to “do” the Cinque Terre in 3 days:

Day 1: Monterosso

Benvenuto alle Cinque Terre! You’ll likely be arriving tired, probably hungry, so let’s not plan too much for today. I’d suggest finding a place on the promenade and watching the sunset with a glass of Prosecco. Or you could just laze on the beach all day. Sound more like you? Yep, me too.

Monterosso is definitely the biggest kid in the family. Her structure isn’t as vertical as her other sisters’ and is made up of an old town, a new town, lots of sandy beaches, some larger hotels, and a long seaside promenade.

In warmer weather, your first afternoon in the Cinque Terre is the perfect excuse to slip into your swimsuit and wash off all the travel stress with a dip in the sea. The beach in Monterosso is the largest and most “typical” looking, but there are smaller and rockier beaches in the other towns.

For the most part, I’d recommend spending whatever time you have on your first day just enjoying the view, exploring the town you’ll be based in, soaking in the atmosphere, and figuring out where you’ll eat dinner that night. It’s also good to sort out the necessary Cinque Terre Card for the following days.

Day 2 / Morning: Vernazza

Dedicate the first part of your second day to Vernazza, the coast’s most picturesque destination. Fuel up with a quick breakfast – aka cornetto and cappuccino – then spend the morning exploring the pretty town.

To get to Vernazza you can either start the hiking trail from Monterosso (it’ll take one hour and a half) or simply hop on the train from Monterosso (it’ll take 1 minute, easy-breezy).

Vernazza is a one-street town with a church built on the water. The wide main street is filled with shops, restaurants, and tourists! Must-see are the castle, the remains of the old wall that protected against pirates, a gorgeous waterfront piazza, and a natural harbor with a super tiny beach.

Day 2 / Afternoon: Corniglia

Dedicate the afternoon to Corniglia, the only village without a harbor. To get there you can either start the hiking trail from Vernazza (one hour and 15 minutes) or simply hop on the train.

Lacking a harbor and therefore crowds of tourists, the village feels well preserved in some sort of dreamy Italian time capsule. The Baroque-styled Church of San Pietro and the ruins of a fortification located on the cliff are the sights not to be missed. Corniglia was built far above the ocean and it is much calmer than the other villages, so if you need a moment away from the crowds, get there asap. It is indeed a long walk up, so you can totally give yourself a double-scoop gelato treat when once you’ve reached the main square! And yes, Gelato in Italy really is that good.

Day 3 / Morning: Manarola

Start your third and last day in Manarola! A gorgeous little harbour below and beautiful wine vineyards above, Manarola is by far my favourite town. A darling street cuts right through the village, with rainbow coloured homes sitting on a cliff above crystal clear waters where you’ll swim for hours. And once you dry off, there are plenty of historic churches to visit, as well as an ancient bastion.

Finally, don’t you dare leave Manarola without a big fat slice of pesto focaccia, one of the specialities of this area. Remember, if you haven’t had five minutes alone with a square of Ligurian focaccia, you haven’t experienced bread nirvana.

Day 3 / Afternoon: Riomaggiore

Say Arrivederci to Manarola and head to Riomaggiore! This is perhaps the most authentic village. To get there from Manarola, you can either take the train or walk through “Via Dell’Amore”, which translates to the “street of love.” The path is flat and paved, and will only take about 30 minutes.

A bit rougher around the edges, Riomaggiore is the largest village and sprawls along the steep hillsides. It has one main street, a harbor, a rocky beach, a castle, and a church. The village is famous for its restaurants, which offer some of the freshest seafood in the area. From the small rocky beach of Riomaggiore, you’ll be also able to witness spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea, and the most instagrammable sunset in Cinque Terre

….and there you go! An itinerary for 3 days in Cinque Terre that will have you smiling for a long, long time.

My final travel tips at this point are simple: get lost and eat everything in sight, literally. Also wine it up, because they make their own and it’s divine. Finally, mingle with the locals, it’s the best way to get a sense of a place. No matter what happens, I can guarantee you won’t leave this place without a big smile on your face (and a few extra pounds!).

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