The Italian Riviera: Our Cinque Terre experience
- Andrea
- Dec 13, 2025
- 12 min read
Updated: Jan 7
The Second Great Girls' Adventure series
This post is number 4 in the series on the Second Great Girls' Adventure with my daughter, referred to throughout my posts as E. Our adventure included Amsterdam, Paris, Nice, Cinque Terre and Milan [in that order]. Each place in this incredible list has its own post. I had been to Amsterdam and Paris previously, but not to Cinque Terre. I'd seen so many beautiful images of the five villages on social media, so I was excited to visit for myself. We chose Cinque Terre for its iconic beauty, but also after we had identified Nice and Milan as a places we wanted to visit. Cinque Terre was possible for us to get to by train on our journey in between.
A little bit of background📝
Our first Great Girls' Adventure took place in 2015, when E was turning 15 and just about to embark on her final two years of schooling. We were fortunate to experience Türkiye, Greece and Romania on that trip. This time, our Great Girls' Adventure was a belated celebration for our two milestone birthdays [21 and 50] that came and went during the pandemic. Our second Great Girls' Adventure saw us in Europe for three weeks in October 2022, flying into Amsterdam and out of Milan with Qatar Airways. There is a bit more background to our trip in the Amsterdam post.
This second adventure was special as E was an adult this time [almost 22 by the time we embarked on our journey]. We shared the planning and expenses, travelling as companions and enjoying each other's company and the wonders of the places we visited. This trip was also a bit less stressful for me as I didn't feel solely responsible for everything. E navigated us around like a boss! Looking back now as I write this post in 2025, we had an incredible experience and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to travel again with my daughter.
The Italian Riviera at Cinque Terre was our fourth destination on our Great Girls' Adventure. Links are given above to the posts on the other four experiences. We only had one full day to explore the five villages at Cinque Terre on our way to Milan, but what a day it was! Read on to see why...
Travel from Nice to Cinque Terre🚆
Another day, another train trip, and another country! And it was going to be a long day! We were travelling from Nice to the furthest of the five Cinque Terre villages - Riomaggiore - on the northern Italian coast. Our tickets took us all the way through to our final destination, but we first had to journey an hour to Ventimiglia, just across the Italian border, stop for a bit there, then take the train to Genoa [a two-and-a-half-hour journey], stop for a bit again, then travel the final 80 minutes to Riomaggiore.
We had pre-booked our train tickets from Nice to Riomaggiore months prior to leaving Australia. The above information shows just how cheap it is to pre-book. The total cost of our almost five hour journey was just €63.60 for both of us. To give some perspective, we paid €25 for both of us to travel 20 minutes there and back from Nice to Monaco with a same-day ticket purchase.
We reluctantly left our beautiful Nice apartment and headed to Nice Ville for one final time. This time, we walked only the short distance from our apartment to the closest metro so we could take the tram with our luggage up to the station.
As is our usual modus operandi, we were early to the station in Nice. I asked an attendant about our set booking and he said it was no problem to take an earlier service. I guess this was OK as we didn't have allocated seats.
We were back on the train that took us past Eze-sur-Mer and Monaco but this time we crossed the border into Italy. We had an hour's break in Ventimiglia and enough time for a sandwich at the station café. It was pretty basic at the station so I imagine Ventimiglia is mostly used as a jumping off point for travellers entering Italy from France along the coastal route.
We'd noticed how modern, clean and fresh the trains were on our travels to Monaco and Antibes from Nice. The Ventimiglia-Genoa leg was a step down from all that on a rather old and stinky train for a good two and a half hours. There was a short 15-minute break in Genoa before we embarked on the long-awaited final leg, a bit over an hour to Riomaggiore. The train was super busy so we stood up the whole way after giving our seats to an elderly couple. Pre-booking didn't mean we had seat allocations, as I noted above, but I assume our tickets meant we'd have a guaranteed place on the trains.
Cinque Terre5️⃣
It was rather exciting to be in Cinque Terre, one of those iconic places that is a common bucket list experience. The name means "five lands" and that's exactly what Cinque Terre is - a string of five distinct ancient fishing villages perched high on the Italian Riviera, just south of Genoa in northwest Italy [Liguria province]. Originally, the villages were linked only by mule tracks. Nowadays, they are accessible by train, ferry, or via hiking paths. Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been designated as such since 1997.
Historical records find mention of the villages as far back as the 11th century, where Monterosso and Vernazza were thought to be the earliest settlements. The villages were built for agricultural purposes and over time, the steep terrain was transformed into terraced farmland, particularly for cultivating grapes and olives. Today, the Cinque Terre tends to be referred to as five "fishing villages", but they were originally inhabited by wine growers. Fortifications were constructed in the 16th century to defend the townspeople from pirates. The villages remained largely untouched until construction of the railway in the 19th century that connected Cinque Terre to larger cities.
The below map from Made to explore shows the location of the five villages and the distances between them. The Sentiero Azzurro ["Blue Path"] is the hiking trail that connects the five villages along coastal paths.
Here's a brief rundown of the villages:
Riomaggiore: I'd say it's the most Instagrammed of the villages. Scroll down to check out my photos and you'll probably recognise the images. Rio is characterised by its steep terraces and beautiful harbour with stunning pastel-coloured buildings set against the escarpment. It's also the best place to watch the sun set.
Manarola: Thought to be the oldest Cinque Terre town, Manarola has a thriving wine industry. There is a cliffside path that also provides a good spot to watch the sun set.
Corniglia: This village is not adjacent to the sea but set high up on a 100-metre-high promontory. There are views from up top, accessed by climbing the Lardarina, a 33-flight, 383-step path. It's the best village for hiking.
Vernazza: Up there with Rio, I think, as the most popular and well-known of the villages. Vernazza has a tiny natural harbour. Gorgeous traditional Ligurian coloured buildings are packed into the space and there is a lovely piazza.
Monterosso al Mare: This one is the largest of the five villages. It has several proper sandy beaches and it's distinct from the other four in that it is flat.
Here's my collection of the postcards I bought in Vernazza of the five villages to remember our Cinque Terre experience.
We stayed overnight in Riomaggiore after arriving from Nice. We took the train to the furthest village the next morning and worked our way back to Rio before heading to Milan, our final destination. The Cinque Terre Express is a convenient way to explore the villages, and the trains run regularly.
Riomaggiore sunset🌇
We were tired and felt a bit grimy from our day of travelling and Rio was crowded, so it was a little tough to get into the spirit when we first arrived. We dragged our luggage along rocky, uneven paths and up some steep stairs to our accommodation. We were so glad to have finally made it.
We booked Ai Pesci Room Rental via Booking. It was €179 for one night, way more than I like to pay just for a place to rest my head, especially since we didn't arrive until about 4pm and we left first thing the next morning. But, I mean, look at where the guesthouse is located! I arranged our itinerary so that we had a full day at Cinque Terre so the cost of the room was worth it in the end.
Also...look at the views from our room... The photo on the right side is probably one of the most recognisable images of Cinque Terre. The beautiful coloured buildings really are perched on the rocky cliffs like that!
Here are some more shots of Riomaggiore, again probably recognisable images. Is it as beautiful as the pictures suggest? Yes! For me, one of those pinch-me moments, as I couldn't quite believe we were there.
As I noted above, Rio is one of the best villages of the five for watching the sun set. We wandered down to the bottom of the harbour in the late afternoon, where we sat and enjoyed the rocky beach, framed by the ruins of ancient terraces.
Then we found our spot and waited for the magic. I've seen a few incredible sunsets in my time: Oia in Santorini, sitting on the beach in Honolulu and in Cottesloe in Perth, Western Australia, and another beach sunset, this time near my home town of Whangarei in New Zealand. The Rio sunset is up there with those experiences. The below selection of photos doesn't even begin to capture how stunning the sunset was that evening. What a privilege it was for E and me to experience it.
And staying at Ai Pesci gave us the chance to see the beautiful buildings of the village in the evening. It was definitely worth the price of the room for these views!
After our sunset experience, we wandered into the main part of the village in search of dinner. Apparently, Rio is known for its street food, traditionally served in cups. We ordered fish and vegies and took them back to our room to eat so we could make the most of our guesthouse's views. For some inexplicable reason - especially given the unique meal - neither E nor I took any photos. The below two I found by doing a random Google search for Riomaggiore street food.
Riomaggiore sunrise🌅
Waking up the next morning, we were raring to go and keen to make the most of our day at Cinque Terre. There's plenty to do in all five villages and I'd recommend more than just one day. However, that is what we had and we managed to spend some decent time in each village before we took the train to Milan that evening. This was the view from our room as the sun rose. Stunning!
Our first task was to drag our luggage to the storage place we found next to Rio station. It turned out to be a little room adjacent to the station, serviced by an elderly man who asked us to pay in cash. We had to go find a cash machine, so that's something to keep in mind. We wheeled our luggage into a small room off the main room and paid our €10 each for the day. I felt a little nervous about leaving our stuff there as it didn't seem all that secure, but we had no other choice and in the end, it was fine. E had a poster sitting on top of her bag that she'd bought at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and we found it as we'd left it, so there you go.
We then went to the station to purchase our Cinque Terre Express Card. It cost us €18 each but that was for a day pass that entitled us to unlimited train travel to and from the five villages and hiking trail entry. Single journey tickets are €5 each so that Express Card is the way to go. The weird thing was, though, we were never asked to show our tickets and there were no barriers anywhere. It seemed like we could have travelled all day without a ticket!
Monterosso-al-Mare😎
The first village we visited was Monterosso al Mare, the furthest from Riomaggiore. We worked our way back from Monterosso across the day. It's hard to choose which of the five villages is my favourite as they are all special in their own way. I would have to put Monterosso up the top, though. The early morning sun on what turned out to be a hot day was just beautiful.
We found a place for breakfast right on the seafront. We're used to good breakfasts in our part of Australia as the heat makes it a morning place. I love you, Europe, but, boy oh boy, breakfast isn't your thing! I had some focaccia and yoghurt, but it was pretty ordinary, I have to admit. Nice spot for a meal, though.
Monterosso is so pretty. We had a lovely time walking along the beach. I liked that there was proper sand and the old stone buildings built into the hillside rock faces were so unique [and a little weird].
We walked along a bit of the hiking path that links Monterosso with Vernazza, the next village. The love locks in the below shots can be found in the "panoramic window" at one of the path's viewpoints. The window offers views of the Punta Mesco promontory that can be seen in my photos.
Vernazza🍨
We boarded the train and headed to Vernazza next. Again, it's so hard to decide on my favourite village as I loved Vernazza, too. Walking down from the train provides an opportunity to take in the stunning coloured buildings although it was crowded with people along the narrow streets.
We were so lucky to have such a beautiful day. It was actually quite hot! We took the opportunity to stroll around the beautiful harbour, the only natural one of the five villages, and sit and enjoy the weather.
We bought some delicious gelato in Vernazza and sat down at the port to enjoy it. I know there are lots of things to do in all five villages, but we were just happy to be there and taking it all in.
Corniglia🪜
Village number 4 for us was Corniglia, unique among the villages for its location 100-metres up on a promontory with panoramic views of the sea and the mountains. Corniglia is also unique for the Scarlinata Lardarina, a 33-flight, 382-stepped brick path up to the village. That sound arduous, but it's not all that steep until the last part.
I think it's worth the climb for the views. I liked the buildings of Monterosso, Vernazza and Riomaggiore better, but it's definitely the views that make Corniglia stand out. There are hikes from the village as well as the paths that connect it to the villages either side. We bought some refreshing cold fresh lemonade from a stall in the village and had a bit of a rest before heading to the final village for the day.
Manarola💓
To be honest, I don't remember much of Manarola other than the pretty harbour. We were quite tired and hot by the time we got to our fifth and final village. All of the villages were crowded and my introverted self was a bit peopled-out by then. I get it, as Cinque Terre is a beautiful place and popular with tourists, but this was October! Imagine the crowds in summer!
I absolutely think that Cinque Terre is doable in a day, but it's a huge day of walking and battling crowds and that's without hiking between the villages. I'd like to go back again and do some of the between-village hiking and try for a more in-depth experience. That said, I do feel as if we got the vibe of each village and had enough time to wander around each one. They're pretty tiny, after all.
Note📝
The so-called Via dell'Amore, "Path of Love", that links Riomaggiore and Manarola should be open as I write this post in 2025 [but for guided walks only to protect the environment]. It was closed between 2012 and 2024 after a landslide and then wave damage. The path was first carved out of the seaside cliffs in the 1920s and later became popular due to its easy access and photo opportunities.
Back on the train and returning to Riomaggiore, we collected our bags and took the train to La Spezia, the larger station in the area and our departure point for Milan. We had a sandwich at one of the station's cafes while we waited for our 5.45pm train. It was a late-ish arrival in Milan at 8.30pm. What a huge day it had been!
I’ve been lucky to have travelled quite a bit in my life and I have experienced lots of iconic places on those travels. It always feels a bit surreal to see them “in person”, especially in a social media world where we are constantly bombarded with travel images. The magic and mystery of travel is more about Insta vs reality than going into experiences with no insight or expectations. Sometimes I feel like there is less magic and mystery than in the pre-social media days. That said, did Cinque Terre live up to expectations? Absolutely!
Cinque Terre sits up there with some of my most memorable experiences. Even our whirlwind one-day allowed us to see the stunning villages and wander around the cobbled streets, magnificent harbours, and pretty beaches.
The history of the area is fascinating so it was special for that alone #historynerd.
I could add another magnificent sunset to my collection.
The uniqueness of the five villages and their positioning on the Med, specifically the Ligurian Sea, make them a place of outstanding natural and architectural beauty. I'm so glad we went there!
The best bits? The Riomaggiore sunset for sure. A close second would be the beautiful village of Monterosso al Mare, especially in the early morning sun. Vernazza was my third favourite experience, for the historic buildings and the stunning harbour.
The heat and the crowds, and trying to squeeze in all five villages in one day made a strong impression. We were lucky with the weather, but the heat on top of the crowds made it a tough day. How lovely it would be to experience the villages in more peaceful time.
Where to next?
Our final stop of the Second Great Girls' Adventure was Milan. We were now in week 3 of our trip and in our third country. We were feeling a little travel fatigued, but still excited to see what awaited us in Milan.
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