Cinque Terre in 2 Days: everything you need to know

Cinque Terre is La Spezia's flagship and each of its five towns has so many attractions to offer that touring the Italian Riviera in just 2 days seems like an impossible mission. However, with the right itinerary you'll be able to visit all the region's major sites.

Some of the best things to see and do to experience Cinque Terre in 2 days include visiting the attractions of Monterosso al Mare on the first day and the rest of the villages on the second day, including a 12 kilometre hike through the heart of the Italian Riviera. Are you up for the challenge?

On the first day of your visit to Cinque Terre I suggest a visit to the main sites of Monterosso al Mare, which is the most famous and most visited of the Italian Riviera towns.

Visit the Church of St. John the Baptist

The first day's tour starts at the Church of St. John the Baptist, which is the largest and most renowned church in Cinque Terre and is also the seat of the Diocese of La Spezia. This church will attract your attention with its Baroque structure, its two-coloured façade with a marble rose window and its interior, which houses an 18th century fresco alluding to the Baptism of Christ.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in September, you can also take part in the patron saint festivities, as John the Baptist is the patron saint of Monterosso al Mare. The church is located in the centre of the village, very close to the Oratory and also to the craft stalls in the main square.

You can reach the Church of St. John the Baptist by the Cinque Terre Express train services or by car, although in the latter case you will have to walk several blocks as it is closed to vehicular traffic like most towns on the Italian Riviera.

Interesting details

• Price: You can visit the church for free.
• Hours: daily from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm.
• Where: Via Roma 12, Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre.

Meet the statue of the Giant

A few blocks from the church is the statue of The Giant, which is one of the town's main attractions and is often included in the tours of the best Cinque Terre tours. This statue dazzles visitors with its iron and reinforced concrete structure, despite the fact that World War II bombings removed much of the original sculpture.

Also, if you plan to visit Cinque Terre during the winter, you can fulfil one of the town's traditions, which states that if you manage to spot the statue of the Giant from the beach on a rainy day, you will have good luck, as did the ships of antiquity that spotted the cliffs and avoided accidents.

You can reach the statue after a 10-minute walk along Via Fegina or by bus on the Vettora P. Garibaldi line, although I recommend walking to see the town's coastline as well.

Stroll along Fegina beach and take a swim in summer

Fegina beach runs parallel to the town's main street of the same name, and although it is divided by a rocky outcrop that marks two different parts of the resort, it is actually the same beach, which is also the only completely sandy beach in Cinque Terre.

This beach is the main attraction of Cinque Terre during the summer and if you visit Monterosso al Mare during the summer season you can take a dip in the warm, crystal clear waters of the beach. If, on the other hand, you plan to travel at a different time of the year, you can walk along it to discover the beautiful horizon of the Ligurian Sea.

In the main section of the beach of Fegina, just a few metres from the statue of the Giant, you can rent umbrellas and have lunch in the restaurants of Monterosso al Mare.

Have lunch in a restaurant in Monterosso al Mare

Once you have finished your tour of Fegina beach, I recommend stopping for lunch, especially if you plan to visit Cinque Terre in summer when the heat can be sweltering.

The cuisine of the Italian Riviera is notable for its pasta, risotto, grilled anchovies, seafood and fish, all of which you can discover in the restaurants along Via Molinelli or in the harbour area. Among the best known are La Taverna di Monterosso, Ristorante Mistral and Beach Bar Stella Marina.

You can also opt for one of the best food tours in Cinque Terre, although in that case you'll have to allocate more time to the experience, which could take away from other tours.

Visit Villa Montale

Villa Montale, located 4 streets from the port, is the mansion occupied during his life in Cinque Terre by the poet Eugenio Montale, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1975. Today, the site houses his library, his furniture and is a museum open to literary activities.

You can tour the interior of the mansion and the exhibition during your trip and, if you plan to visit Cinque Terre in October, you can also take part in the conferences and activities organised every October 12th to commemorate the writer's birth.

Keep in mind that during the summer, Villa Montale is one of the most visited attractions in Monterosso al Mare, so you might be delayed in waiting for the entrance. Also, some of the rooms in the manor house are rented out to tourists and during the summer season it tends to sell out, so tours are limited.

Interesting details

• Price: Entrance to Villa Montale costs approximately 6 euros per person.
• Hours: usually open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
• Where: Via Privata Montale, Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre.

Visit the Convent of the Capuchin Friars

Monterosso al Mare is noted for its religious buildings and among them the Convent of the Capuchin Friars is one of the oldest. It is also one of the most mysterious, as it is still used as a convent, so a large part of the structure is not open to the public.

Among the rooms that can be visited in the convent and are worth a visit are the main rooms, which contain Renaissance frescoes and an outstanding art gallery. You can also access the building's terrace, which connects directly to the monument of Saint Francis of Assisi, another of the region's popular figures. From here you can enjoy some of the best views of Cinque Terre.

The Convent of the Capuchin Friars can be reached by a 10-minute walk along Via Fegina or by bus on the Vettora P. Garibaldi line.

Interesting details

• Price: entrance to the convent has an initial cost of approximately 5 euros per person.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 12 noon and from 3pm to 6pm.
• Where: Salita dei Cappuccini 20, Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre.

Dinner in a restaurant in Vernazza

To close the tour of the first day I suggest you to have dinner in one of the restaurants in Vernazza, which stands out for its terraces with open views of the Ligurian Sea, especially during the summer, when the sky is clear. In these restaurants you can try seafood, anchovies, antipasti and pasta a la marinara.

There are many places to visit in Vernazza but one of the most recommended for dinner is Nessun Dorma, which is known for its charcuterie and cheese boards and bruschettas, as well as serving regional wines such as Bianco DOC and Sciacchetra, a popular sweet red wine from the Italian Riviera.

After dinner you can also try the gelato at Gelateria Vernazza, one of La Spezia's most famous gelaterias, which is known for its artisanal style.

After visiting Monterosso al Mare on the first day, for the second day I suggest an intensive itinerary along the Blue Path, which crosses the five villages, a visit to a famous wild beach, a pleasant walk along the coast to get to know the Italian Riviera from a different perspective, and to see the sunsets in Manarola, which many tourists say are the most beautiful in Cinque Terre.

Walk the four stretches of the Blue Trail

Almost as famous as its beaches, Cinque Terre's trails are as striking for the beauty of their landscapes and for the meandering nature trails they offer along the cliff tops. One of the most famous trails is the Blue Trail, which has a total length of 12 kilometres divided into four sections that pass through all the villages of the Italian Riviera.

The first section, called Via dell'Amore, is the best known and links Riomaggiore to Manarola. The second runs through Manarola and Corniglia, which is the only one of the Cinque Terre villages that does not have a direct exit to the sea. The third runs from Corniglia to Vernazza, and the fourth, which at 4 km is the longest and most challenging, goes as far as Monterosso al Mare.

Some sections of the Blue Trail can be a bit strenuous, especially during the heat of summer, but the entire walk, which can take between 4 and 5 hours, will allow you to pass through all the villages and see some of the best scenery.

Visit the wild beach of Guvano

If you want to visit one of the most famous beaches in Cinque Terre, you cannot miss Guvano, in Vernazza, which is one of the few beaches in the region that is located in a wild, wooded area surrounded by vegetation. This beach can be reached by a single stone path that divides Vernazza from Corniglia.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in summer, you will discover a beach with calm waters and far from the hustle and bustle of other more crowded beaches, such as Fegina and Neptuno, although you should bear in mind that it has a nudist area. If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in April or spring, you can also discover the vegetation and the colours of the surrounding trees.

The access to Guvano, which is very close to the beginning of the third section of the Blue Trail, is one of the most complicated in Cinque Terre, similar to the pedestrian entrance to the village of Corniglia, which is reached by the Landarina steps. This will guarantee you a peaceful visit, even during the peak summer months when the region receives the most visitors.

Take a boat trip on the Italian Riviera

One of the best and most popular tours you can take in Cinque Terre is an excursion that includes a boat trip to see a different side of the region, from the beauty of the Ligurian Sea to the cliffs and colourful buildings for which the Italian Riviera is famous.

The traditional boat tour itinerary includes a trip from Monterosso al Mare to Riomaggiore and passes along the coasts of the five towns, but you can also opt for alternatives that set sail from La Spezia or Porto Venere, at the southern tip of the Italian Riviera. Some operators also offer night tours, which is one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre at night.

Boat tours are also useful for getting around the various villages of Cinque Terre, although they tend to be a less effective option than the Express Train, which will drop you off directly in the centre of each village rather than in the coastal areas of Cinque Terre.

Interesting details

• Price: boat tours have an initial cost of approximately 18 euros per person.
• Duration: the journey from Monterosso al Mare to Riomaggiore takes approximately 1 hour.

Watch the sunset in Manarola

During the boat trip I suggest you use the stop at Manarola to take a break and have a bite to eat and then watch the sunset from the promenade that surrounds the sea and winds along the cliffs at an average height of 200 metres above sea level. From there, especially in summer, you can discover one of the best sunsets in Cinque Terre.

Manarola is a very popular destination during Christmas, as if you visit Cinque Terre in December, you can see the giant crib of the Cerro delle Tre Croce, which consists of a nativity scene of more than 300 figures, some of them over 3 metres high, which is illuminated at night forming a spectacle not to be missed.

Other places in Cinque Terre where you can watch magical sunsets are Vernazza and the Doria Castle and Corniglia, which has some of the highest trails in the region.

Bid farewell to Cinque Terre with a toast of limoncello

Gastronomy is a deep-rooted tradition in La Spezia, but so is drinking, so you can tour wineries and vineyards to sample local wines and also discover limoncello, which is a traditional liqueur made from lemon peel and known for its distinctive fresh, citrusy flavour.

The production of limoncello in Cinque Terre is almost as important as that of wine, so as well as tasting the drink, you can also pay homage to its artisanal production, which preserves techniques and recipes handed down from generation to generation.

Depending on the Cinque Terre town you visit, you can try different ways of consuming the drink, since while in Vernazza it is served in crystal glasses with ice, in Monterosso al Mare it is served in ceramic cups and in Corniglia it is consumed with fresh water, but in all cases it is used to toast and make wishes for the future, so if you enjoyed the intensive tour of Cinque Terre you can ask for a return visit to see the rest of the Italian Riviera.