Cinque Terre in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for Cinque Terre covers 12 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; Cinque Terre rewards a detour.

Day 1

Morning

1. Monterosso al Mare: The largest of the five Cinque Terre villages, Monterosso is the only one with a real sandy beach and is celebrated for its salted anchovies, terraced lemon groves, and the haunting cliff sculpture known as Il Gigante.
2. Vernazza: Widely considered the most beautiful of the Cinque Terre villages, Vernazza possesses the only natural harbour on this stretch of coast, a sheltered cove enclosed by coloured houses, crowned by a 15th-century watchtower and a Gothic church set directly on the rocks.
3. Corniglia: The only Cinque Terre village not at sea level, Corniglia perches 100 metres above the waves on a rocky promontory surrounded by vineyards, accessible via the famous 382-step Lardarina staircase, the quietest and most authentically Ligurian of the five.

Afternoon

1. Manarola: Built on a dramatic dark sandstone rock shelf jutting into the sea, Manarola is the most photographed Cinque Terre village at night and hosts the world's largest illuminated nativity scene, the presepe, lit up on its hillside each Christmas.
2. Riomaggiore: The southernmost Cinque Terre village, Riomaggiore tumbles steeply down a narrow valley to a rocky harbour, its tall colourful houses stacked like a vertical city above the sea, medieval in origin and intensely Ligurian in character.
3. Via dell'Amore: The 'Path of Love', a dramatic clifftop walkway of roughly 900 metres carved into the rock between Riomaggiore and Manarola, was built by railway workers in 1926 and became famous worldwide for its romantic sea views and tradition of lovers' padlocks.

Day 2

Morning

1. Sentiero Azzurro: The Blue Trail: The Sentiero Azzurro, Blue Trail, is the UNESCO-protected coastal hiking path that links all five Cinque Terre villages, threading through eight centuries of terraced vineyards and passing some of the most breathtaking cliff scenery in the Mediterranean.
2. Castello Doria, Vernazza: The 15th-century cylindrical watchtower built by the powerful Doria family on Vernazza's rocky headland offers what many regard as the finest panoramic view in the entire Cinque Terre, looking south along the coast over all five villages.
3. Cinque Terre National Park: Italy's smallest national park, established in 1999, has a unique triple UNESCO designation as World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, and Protected Marine Area, safeguarding both the five villages and the ancient terraced landscape that surrounds them.

Afternoon

1. Sciacchetrà: The Wine of the Cinque Terre: Sciacchetrà is the rare sweet dessert wine of the Cinque Terre DOC, made from partially dried Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grapes harvested by hand from near-vertical terraces, with approximately one bottle produced from every ten kilograms of fresh grapes.
2. Boat Tour of the Cinque Terre: Seeing the five villages from the sea, the perspective from which they were originally built to be seen, reveals the true scale and drama of the terraced cliffs, inaccessible sea caves, and the full sweep of the UNESCO coastline impossible to appreciate from the trails.
3. Ligurian Cuisine in the Cinque Terre: The Cinque Terre sits at the heart of Ligurian cuisine, the birthplace of pesto, where Monterosso anchovies are among Italy's finest, focaccia is a daily ritual, and the local white wines perfectly match the simple, fragrant cooking of the Italian Riviera.

Full Cinque Terre guide and all stops →