Visiting Cinque Terre in 2 Days (Sample Itinerary)
Cinque Terre Holiday: Tips on How to Spend Two Days in Cinque Terre.
One day is not enough for visiting Cinque Terre, two days are sufficient to explore the main attractions, and three days is ideal! On this page, we'll share our itinerary for exploring Cinque Terre in one and a half days.
Where to Choose a Hotel in Cinque Terre?
We arrived in Cinque Terre by car. However, because traveling by car is inconvenient and costly, we decided to leave it in a parking lot in La Spezia. Hotels in La Spezia are also much more affordable, so we rented an apartment near La Spezia train station for one night.
We were lucky; they allowed us to check in at 12 PM. So, after leaving our belongings at the hotel, we headed straight to the train station. Trains to Cinque Terre run every 20-30 minutes. Since we had a half day, buying the Cinque Terre Card wasn't cost-effective. We purchased a regular ticket to Riomaggiore for 5-10 euros (the cost varies depending on when you travel), and within 7 minutes, we were already at the Riomaggiore station.
Visit Riomaggiore
First, we visited the harbor because at noon, it offers the best view, with the sun illuminating the beautiful colorful houses, making for picture-perfect photos!
After taking photos at the Riomaggiore harbor and strolling to the beach, we headed to the train station through the hilltop. We followed the recommendations described on the “Riomaggiore” page on this website. We weren't in a hurry, so we spent 4 hours in Riomaggiore, including lunch. Unfortunately, Via dell'Amore trail was closed (it's the most famous trail in the park), so we took the train to Manarola.
Visiting Manarola
Since we had half a day, we decided to explore only two villages, and we chose Manarola as the second one, as it's the perfect place to watch the sunset. There's a bar with a stunning panoramic view on the waterfront (marked on the map), and you'll find this view on almost every postcard of Cinque Terre. We strolled through the village using the map from the “Manarola” page.
Evening in La Spezia
After sunset, we returned to La Spezia. While trains run until midnight, there isn't much to do in the villages in the evening. However, La Spezia is bustling with people and has plenty to offer! The city center is right by the train station, where we had dinner and took a stroll along the waterfront. For more details, you can read on the “La Spezia - www.bestofcinqueterre.com” page.
The next morning, we checked out of our apartment early, left all our belongings in the car, and parked it in a free parking lot just 10 minutes from the train station. We wanted to save money and avoid leaving the car at the parking lot under La Spezia station. For more details about parking, you can visit the following website:
Visiting by car - www.bestofcinqueterre.com.
Visit Corniglia
On this day, we purchased the Cinque Terre Card for 19.50 euros (price changes based on the period of the season) at La Spezia train station as we planned to hike and visit 3 villages. After arriving at Corniglia train station in about 15 minutes, we decided to conserve our energy and take the bus to the village, which is included in the Cinque Terre Card (Corniglia is the only village in Cinque Terre that doesn't have its train station near the center). After exploring all the attractions described on the Corniglia page, we walked back to the train station. The walk wasn't too tiring, but we had to descend 382 steps. However, the breathtaking panoramic views made it worthwhile. At the train station, we boarded a train to Monterosso. We checked the train schedule using the Trenitalia app on our phone.
Using the restroom at the train station costs 1 euros, but with the Cinque Terre Card, it's free.
Visit Monterosso
In this village, we had lunch, took a short break by the sea, strolled around the center of Monterosso, and then decided to walk to Vernazza.
The Monterosso - Vernazza trail can be a bit challenging at the beginning as you have to climb some stairs, but we managed it, and within an hour of walking, we caught our first glimpse of Vernazza! Along the trail, you'll find numerous spots where you can take stunning photos of Vernazza, just like these. The trail is not free, but it's included with the Cinque Terre Card!
Visiting Vernazza
Using the map from the “Vernazza” page, we explored many fascinating spots in this charming village. There were quite a few hidden gems to discover. To capture some beautiful photos, we decided to hike up the trail leading to Corniglia, which offered breathtaking panoramic views from the other side of the village!
After enjoying the sunset, we returned to La Spezia by train, concluding our wonderful journey through Cinque Terre.
What We Didn't Have Time to Explore
Over the course of one and a half days, we managed to visit all 5 villages, but due to our limited time, we couldn't fully experience the local bars and restaurants or relax by the sea. Additionally, it would have been fascinating to hike along some of the hiking trails and explore Portovenere! You can easily reach Portovenere by boat in just 30 minutes! The perfect option is to explore Cinque Terre in 3 days!
