Italy Travelogue: Visiting the 5 Villages of Cinque Terre
When I shared with my friends that I'll be travelling to Italy, many of them will say 'Oh, then you should check out Cinque Terre!'.
After marveling over google search photos of Cinque Terre, we decided that yes, we should include it in our itinerary.
Cinque Terre is known as '5 Villages' in English, so as you can expect, there are really 5 villages to check out there. Each village is slightly different from the other and we wanted to explore them all, so we dedicated 2 days to Cinque Terre.
How we travelled from Parma to Cinque Terre
Travelling to Cinque Terre from Parma proved to be a challenge as we didn't know that there would be limited train slots on a Sunday. The travelling time via train on Sunday was also ridiculously long. Our workaround was to take a Trenitalia bus (yes, you read it right) from Parma's Bus Station to Pontremoli Station (which was a small ulu station in the outskirts), and then transit to take a 30 mins train ride to La Spezia Station (the main station for Cinque Terre).
Although we had to wait at the Bus Station before 6am (for fear of missing the bus), I was thankful that the bus ride was only 2 hours long and largely comfortable. I slept for most parts and woke up in time to see a gorgeous mountain view with morning mist and low-hanging clouds. Mesmerizing! The train ride from Pontremoli Station to La Spezia Station was smooth too, allowing us to reach our destination by 10am.
Where we stayed
We also stayed in a cosy Airbnb within 5 mins of walking distance from La Spezia Station. It was so beautifully decorated that it looked better than my house. HA HA! Some of my friends have stayed in Airbnbs within the villages, so to each his own, really.
Staying around La Spezia Station was cheaper and more convenient for us because we didn't have to lug our luggages through the villages.
My only gripe about this Airbnb was the lack of heaters. It got so cold at night that we had to use 3 blankets to keep ourselves warm.
Once we settled down in our Airbnb, we went off to purchase the Cinque Terre card ($34 euros/pax for 2-days) at La Spezia Station which grants us unlimited train rides on the Cinque Terre Express, access to restrooms at stations (very important since you know how hard it is to find a public restroom in Italy) and WiFi (connection was lousy like shit - can do without it).
The Cinque Terre Express trains run every 20 mins so you can take the time to strategise which village you'll want to check out first.
To help you out, let me share the 5 villages in the order of 'Must check out!' to 'Can be missed!'.
Riomaggiorie - Must check out!
This village is what you typically see when you google 'Cinque Terre', so it's definitely worth checking out. I love the whole 'colourful buildings on a cliff' look and the majestic waters!
It's funny how the last village I checked out turned out to be my favourite one. Saving the best for the last, huh? :P
You'll notice several shops selling seafood cones there.
We bought one with an assortment of fried seafood and ate them for lunch. I suggest not to walk and eat concurrently because there are lots of pigeons and sea gulls in these villages, and they do attempt to snatch your food. We had our seafood cone under a shelter, and each time a sea gull came near me, I would kick my legs at it.
Manarola - Must check out!
Manarola comes in 2nd in terms of scenic views.
Like Riomaggiorie, it also has the 'colourful buildings on a cliff' look, coupled with a gorgeous waterfront.
As I was strolling along the bridge, I would turn my head back just to see how the view looks from different angles. It's hard to capture its beauty using photos alone - you've really got to see this place for yourself.
Monterosso - Must check out!
Monterosso is a beach town so unsurprisingly, I saw some bikini girls prancing around on the beach. Were they not cold? Beats me.
While there was a bit of sun in Monterosso, the skies were generally gloomy in my photos.
It rained when we were at Cinque Terre over 2 days, but we were lucky that the rain would stop when we were heading out of our Airbnb to explore the villages. By the time it threatened to rain again, we were about to head back to the train station. Oh well, at least I wasn't walking around with an umbrella like I did in Venice!
We took a nice leisurely stroll; spotted boats and a Giant statue along the beach.
We also stopped by a shop to buy walnut cream and a cafe to try tiramisu. Such a classic Italian dessert!
Vernazza - Can be missed!
Vernazza has an old fishing village vibe and it was pretty small so we finished exploring the village in 30 mins.
It was also the furthest village from La Spezia Station so if you're pressed for time, I would suggest you prioritise the top 3.
Corniglia - Can be missed!
Corniglia was last on this list not because I didn't enjoy my experience. I labeled it as 'can be missed' because you'll need to climb 382 steps before you could enjoy their view, and not everyone can appreciate a vertical climbing exercise. It is also a relatively small village like Vernazza.
I wouldn't recommend anyone to book an Airbnb there as you'll need to lug your luggage up the steps too. I've seen people who didn't know better huffing and puffing when they were climbing the steps with their luggages.
The climb wasn't difficult for me and I do love the view from the top so I had no regrets checking this village out.
We also rewarded ourselves with a Limone & Basilico gelato sorbet from Alberto Gelateria Corniglia thereafter. Lemon and Basil are two of Cinque Terre's produce, by the way!
That marks the end of my Cinque Terre adventure! Click on the 'Italy' tag below to read my other Italy travelogues! In the next post, we go to Florence!
Disclaimer: This is a personal, non-sponsored post. Reviews are based on personal experiences.
After marveling over google search photos of Cinque Terre, we decided that yes, we should include it in our itinerary.
Cinque Terre is known as '5 Villages' in English, so as you can expect, there are really 5 villages to check out there. Each village is slightly different from the other and we wanted to explore them all, so we dedicated 2 days to Cinque Terre.
How we travelled from Parma to Cinque Terre
Travelling to Cinque Terre from Parma proved to be a challenge as we didn't know that there would be limited train slots on a Sunday. The travelling time via train on Sunday was also ridiculously long. Our workaround was to take a Trenitalia bus (yes, you read it right) from Parma's Bus Station to Pontremoli Station (which was a small ulu station in the outskirts), and then transit to take a 30 mins train ride to La Spezia Station (the main station for Cinque Terre).
Although we had to wait at the Bus Station before 6am (for fear of missing the bus), I was thankful that the bus ride was only 2 hours long and largely comfortable. I slept for most parts and woke up in time to see a gorgeous mountain view with morning mist and low-hanging clouds. Mesmerizing! The train ride from Pontremoli Station to La Spezia Station was smooth too, allowing us to reach our destination by 10am.
Where we stayed
We also stayed in a cosy Airbnb within 5 mins of walking distance from La Spezia Station. It was so beautifully decorated that it looked better than my house. HA HA! Some of my friends have stayed in Airbnbs within the villages, so to each his own, really.
Staying around La Spezia Station was cheaper and more convenient for us because we didn't have to lug our luggages through the villages.
My only gripe about this Airbnb was the lack of heaters. It got so cold at night that we had to use 3 blankets to keep ourselves warm.
Once we settled down in our Airbnb, we went off to purchase the Cinque Terre card ($34 euros/pax for 2-days) at La Spezia Station which grants us unlimited train rides on the Cinque Terre Express, access to restrooms at stations (very important since you know how hard it is to find a public restroom in Italy) and WiFi (connection was lousy like shit - can do without it).
The Cinque Terre Express trains run every 20 mins so you can take the time to strategise which village you'll want to check out first.
To help you out, let me share the 5 villages in the order of 'Must check out!' to 'Can be missed!'.
Riomaggiorie - Must check out!
This village is what you typically see when you google 'Cinque Terre', so it's definitely worth checking out. I love the whole 'colourful buildings on a cliff' look and the majestic waters!
It's funny how the last village I checked out turned out to be my favourite one. Saving the best for the last, huh? :P
You'll notice several shops selling seafood cones there.
We bought one with an assortment of fried seafood and ate them for lunch. I suggest not to walk and eat concurrently because there are lots of pigeons and sea gulls in these villages, and they do attempt to snatch your food. We had our seafood cone under a shelter, and each time a sea gull came near me, I would kick my legs at it.
Manarola - Must check out!
Manarola comes in 2nd in terms of scenic views.
Like Riomaggiorie, it also has the 'colourful buildings on a cliff' look, coupled with a gorgeous waterfront.
As I was strolling along the bridge, I would turn my head back just to see how the view looks from different angles. It's hard to capture its beauty using photos alone - you've really got to see this place for yourself.
Monterosso - Must check out!
Monterosso is a beach town so unsurprisingly, I saw some bikini girls prancing around on the beach. Were they not cold? Beats me.
While there was a bit of sun in Monterosso, the skies were generally gloomy in my photos.
It rained when we were at Cinque Terre over 2 days, but we were lucky that the rain would stop when we were heading out of our Airbnb to explore the villages. By the time it threatened to rain again, we were about to head back to the train station. Oh well, at least I wasn't walking around with an umbrella like I did in Venice!
We took a nice leisurely stroll; spotted boats and a Giant statue along the beach.
We also stopped by a shop to buy walnut cream and a cafe to try tiramisu. Such a classic Italian dessert!
Vernazza - Can be missed!
Vernazza has an old fishing village vibe and it was pretty small so we finished exploring the village in 30 mins.
It was also the furthest village from La Spezia Station so if you're pressed for time, I would suggest you prioritise the top 3.
Corniglia - Can be missed!
Corniglia was last on this list not because I didn't enjoy my experience. I labeled it as 'can be missed' because you'll need to climb 382 steps before you could enjoy their view, and not everyone can appreciate a vertical climbing exercise. It is also a relatively small village like Vernazza.
I wouldn't recommend anyone to book an Airbnb there as you'll need to lug your luggage up the steps too. I've seen people who didn't know better huffing and puffing when they were climbing the steps with their luggages.
The climb wasn't difficult for me and I do love the view from the top so I had no regrets checking this village out.
We also rewarded ourselves with a Limone & Basilico gelato sorbet from Alberto Gelateria Corniglia thereafter. Lemon and Basil are two of Cinque Terre's produce, by the way!
That marks the end of my Cinque Terre adventure! Click on the 'Italy' tag below to read my other Italy travelogues! In the next post, we go to Florence!
Disclaimer: This is a personal, non-sponsored post. Reviews are based on personal experiences.