Where to stay in Cinque Terre

Five fishing villages strung along a cliff, joined by footpaths and a train. Walk between them early, swim in the afternoon, and stay overnight — the middle of the day belongs to the crowds.

The villages are not interchangeable. Monterosso is the only one with a real beach and flat streets. Vernazza has the harbour square and the stairs. Corniglia has no harbour and a long staircase, or a shuttle bus, up from its station. Manarola and Riomaggiore are steep single streets. Village rooms are few and mostly up stairs, so the practical bases are Levanto, one stop north of Monterosso, and La Spezia, with the ferries.

It suits walkers and swimmers, and suits anyone who cannot manage steps badly. Park in Levanto or La Spezia. Do not plan on the Sentiero Azzurro as a five-village walk: Corniglia to Manarola has been shut for years, others close at short notice after rain, and the Via dell'Amore reopened in 2024 on booked, timed slots. Check the park's trail page.

Two nights, not a day trip. The Levanto to La Spezia train calls at all five villages every fifteen or twenty minutes in season; the ferries skip Corniglia. Walk before nine and be in a village square at seven, when the trains have taken the crowds away. Pair it with Genoa, up the same line.

1,372 places to stay in Cinque Terre · Things to do in Cinque Terre

What to see in Cinque Terre

Stay somewhere else