There are so many reasons to visit Cinque Terre! Whether you love culture, photography, history, or food, Cinque Terre is perfect!
The first time I went to Cinque Terre I couldn’t believe how amazing this coastal area is. I already visited many beautiful places in Italy, but Cinque Terre still surprised me.
It was amazing to discover the little villages. I already knew I’d love Cinque Terre because of all photos I saw. But it was even better than I imagined! Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare have so much to offer.
I found there are many more reasons why you should visit Cinque Terre than I already knew.
If you’re wondering if you should travel to Cinque Terre, I can promise, you will love it! Here are the most important reasons why you should visit Cinque Terre.
1. Cinque Terre is the most beautiful place ever
One of the most important reasons why you should visit Cinque Terre is the beauty of the area. There are wonderful colorful houses everywhere!
Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare are right next to the water. This is so magical! The villages look wonderful and the sea view makes it even better. Corniglia is the only town that isn't adjacent to the water.
The houses in Cinque Terre look exactly like what you expect to see if you're going to a typical Italian town. They look as if they're from a movie or a fairy tale.
Besides that, some of the towns have ports with lovely boats. Walking through the villages is so much fun, as you'll keep stumbling upon pretty spots! You can actually live your own Italian fairy tale in Cinque Terre.
Furthermore, there are some wonderful things to see in Cinque Terre. One of these beautiful things is Scoglio di Monterosso. This is a large rock in Monterosso al Mare. You can find it in the water at the beach and it looks so wonderful. This is also one of the reasons to visit Cinque Terre.
2. Hiking in Cinque Terre is amazing
If you love hiking, you will definitely love Cinque Terre. That's because you can hike between the villages! This is also one of the most popular activities in the coastal area. And it's a very unique experience. That's another one of the reasons to visit Cinque Terre.
There are so many hiking trails. If you want to hike in Cinque Terre, you have to buy a Cinque Terre Card. If you have this card, you have access to the hiking trails.
You can choose between two cards. One of the cards only gives you access to the hiking trails. The other card gives you access to both the hiking trails and the trains.
It's most convenient to buy a card that also allows you to get on the train. If you do that, you can also get to La Spezia which is a city near Cinque Terre. And the train is very fast, so it's convenient if you want to be able to get to the villages faster.
If you want to hike in Cinque Terre, make sure to bring good shoes with you. Furthermore, it can get very hot in summer, so it can be more convenient to hike in spring or fall. But if you go hiking in summer, don't forget to bring sunscreen with you!
Also, there are water fountains in the villages where you can refill your water bottle.
3. The food is very good
There is amazing food which is also why you should visit Cinque Terre. For example, Riomaggiore has a main street with lots of lovely places to eat.
As Cinque Terre is in Italy, you can have the most delicious dishes from the Italian cuisine there! Pasta, pizza, you will find it all in Cinque Terre!
Furthermore, you can get some food at a restaurant to take away. This is even a better experience than having dinner at a restaurant. That's because you can get to a beautiful viewpoint and have dinner there! It's definitely one of the most romantic things to do in Cinque Terre.
One day I ordered a pizza in Cinque Terre and I ate it in Riomaggiore. And it was definitely the best dinner ever. It felt so good to be at the sea, admire the wonderful architecture, and have pizza!
So if you love having food with a beautiful view, this is one of the most important reasons to visit Cinque Terre!
4. Swimming in Cinque Terre is magical
Another one of the reasons to visit Cinque Terre is that there are several beaches.
The largest beach is in Monterosso al Mare. There's a long sandy beach. It's amazing to be there and there are colorful sunbeds that look great. There you can also find the Scoglio di Monterosso that I mentioned before.
Monterosso al Mare is definitely perfect for a beach day. There are also great places where you can have something to drink. And you can hire a sunbed which is great. You can also go to the free area without sunbeds. But the smaller beaches are even more magical!
For example, there's a lovely beach in Vernazza. From that beach, you have a stunning view of the colorful houses. Swimming there is definitely one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre. The water is always very blue. If you love swimming, this is why you should visit Cinque Terre.
Another wonderful place to swim in Cinque Terre is in Manarola. There isn't a real beach, but you can definitely swim there. That's because there are rocks and there's a ladder. Some people jump from the rocks. Furthermore, there's even a shower which is so convenient!
Another nice beach is a little beach in Riomaggiore. It's small, but that actually makes it very charming.
5. It is very easy to get there
Another important reason why you should visit Cinque Terre is that it's easy to get there. Every village of Cinque Terre has a train station. It's so convenient!
One of the ways to get to Cinque Terre is to go to Pisa first. Pisa has an airport. From there, you can take a train to La Spezia. La Spezia is a very lovely Italian town that you should definitely see as well! There are many shops and restaurants.
From La Spezia, you can take a train to Cinque Terre.
Furthermore, it's only about ten minutes from La Spezia to Riomaggiore by train.
As Cinque Terre is central, you can get there very fast from many other places in Italy as well. For example, it's easy to get from Florence to Cinque Terre. So that's another reason why you should definitely go there. Especially if you're already in Italy, you should not miss Cinque Terre!
6. Cinque Terre is close to other wonderful places in Italy
As I mentioned before, it's easy to get to Cinque Terre from many places in Italy. But that also works the other way around. If you're planning on traveling to Cinque Terre, you can see many other places in Italy during the same trip! That's another one of the reasons to visit Cinque Terre.
For example, you can first go to Cinque Terre and after that, you can visit Pisa. Go to the leaning tower of Pisa and take a picture of you holding the tower!
Or you go to Florence for 2 days and see the Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo. But you can also visit Portofino and explore even more gorgeous colorful houses!
Or you can visit La Spezia and go shopping in this very nice Italian town.
There are so many other places you can go to from Cinque Terre, making it hard to choose where to go. You can explore so many places in Italy, as it's a gorgeous country.
7. You can have a hotel room with a wonderful view
Are you considering going to Cinque Terre because of the beautiful views? Then I have one of the best reasons why you should travel to Cinque Terre. There are hotels in the villages that offer rooms with a gorgeous view.
For example, Hotel Marina Piccola in Manarola. There, you can have a room with a beautiful view of Manarola. Moreover, there's even a terrace with a pretty view!
There are also hotels with a wonderful view of the sea.
But that's not all. There are also amazing accommodations on Airbnb in Cinque Terre with beautiful views. For example, there's an Airbnb in Riomaggiore with a wonderful view of the town. It even has a beautiful private terrace!
For those who love views and luxurious accommodations, Cinque Terre is a dream.
8. It can be very affordable to visit Cinque Terre
There are many ways to visit Cinque Terre on a budget! For example, if you're staying in La Spezia, you'll save a lot of money. Even though the hotels in Cinque Terre are great, those in La Spezia are amazing as well.
For example, this was the view of my accommodation in La Spezia. I loved it and it!
Furthermore, you can get to Cinque Terre from La Spezia with the Cinque Terre Card. And buying the card is convenient anyway, as it allows you to travel between the villages.
Moreover, there are many supermarkets in La Spezia where you can buy food. This will save a lot of money, as you don't have to go to a restaurant.
Also, many low-cost airlines go to Pisa. So your flight doesn't have to be very expensive. This is especially the case if you're already in Europe.
And if you're already in Europe, you can also get to Italy by bus. This can save you even more money.
Furthermore, if you want to go to the beach, there are free areas. You have to pay for the colorful sunbeds in Monterosso al Mare. But if you go to another part of the beach, you don't have to pay at all!
9. The history is interesting
Even though Cinque Terre is famous for its beauty, its history is also great. There are several places where you can learn about the history of the small towns.
One of the most interesting places in Cinque Terre is Doria Castle. You can find this castle in Vernazza. This is a place where you can have a beautiful view. But the best part about this place is the history. Hundreds of years ago, the people in Vernazza built it to protect the town from pirates!
It's fascinating to realize what happened so long ago and seeing the remains of it.
Another very interesting story is about Corniglia. People know that there was a castle very long ago. They know that because they found documents from the 13th century.
The interesting thing about this is that nobody ever found remains of the castle, so we have no idea where it was.
10. You can see 5 villages in one day
I'd recommend spending 2 days in Cinque Terre. But it is definitely possible to see all five villages in one day! As there's a great train connection, you can travel between the villages very fast.
This makes it possible to tick off 5 destinations on your bucket list in one day! Doing so is a lot of fun.
So if you have a lot of wanderlust, Cinque Terre is perfect for you. Have breakfast in Riomaggiore, swim in Monterosso al Mare, and have lunch in Manarola.
After that, you can relax at the port of Vernazza and enjoy the evening in Corniglia! It will definitely be an exciting day!
11. You can take great photos in Cinque Terre
As it's one of the most photogenic places in Italy, there are many photo spots in Cinque Terre. For that reason, you can take great photos here!
Need photos for Instagram? Or do you want to have some romantic shots with your partner? Or do you need new photos with your bestie? Then go to Cinque Terre!
You will find photo spots in all beautiful villages. For example, there's a beautiful viewpoint in Vernazza. You can stand on a platform and have a view of the town from above. This is the perfect location for photography!
Whether you want a selfie or you're into photographing beautiful places, it's perfect.
12. Even waiting for the train is fun in Cinque Terre
Waiting for the train is not my favorite thing to do. And I'd never thought I'd say this. But I loved waiting for the train in Cinque Terre!
The train stations in the villages are so magical! Especially the train station of Manarola is stunning. From there, you have a wonderful view of the sea.
So if you want to have a wonderful wait for the train, you have to go to Cinque Terre!
These were the 12 reasons to visit Cinque Terre. I'm sure you'll have a great time if you decide to travel to this wonderful place in Italy.
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