One day in Cinque Terre

Day by day

1. Day 1: Vernazza harbour and Castello Doria, Vernazza

   Vernazza harbour, Castello Doria, Vernazza, Manarola and Punta Bonfiglio and Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Path), then Sunset at Punta Bonfiglio in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Vernazza harbour

      For the postcard shot, walk a few minutes up the Sentiero Azzurro towards Corniglia and look back down on the harbour. Allow 1–2 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Castello Doria, Vernazza

      Go up late in the afternoon, when the harbour is in shadow and the coast towards Monterosso is lit. Allow 30 minutes.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Trofie al pesto

      Every trattoria in the villages; look for pesto made 'al mortaio' (in a mortar).

   4. Afternoon

      Manarola and Punta Bonfiglio

      Arrive an hour before sunset to find a spot on the path, and stay for dinner once the day-trippers have caught their trains. Allow 1–2 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Path)

      Walk Monterosso to Vernazza early in the morning in that direction, so you finish with the view down onto Vernazza's harbour. Allow 1.5–2 hours per stretch.

   6. Evening

      Sunset at Punta Bonfiglio

      Watch the light fade over Manarola's tower houses from the headland path north of the harbour.

Before you go

• Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Path): Buy a Cinque Terre Card (Trekking or Treno) online or at park offices before walking; staff check cards at the trailheads.

If it rains

• Swap in Museo Amedeo Lia (La Spezia): A good rainy-day alternative to the villages, a short walk from La Spezia Centrale station.
• Swap in Naval Technical Museum (La Spezia): Combine it with a walk along the seafront gardens and the Passeggiata Morin promenade nearby.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 4–7 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.9 hours in December to 15.5 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Train. Regional trains between Levanto and La Spezia stop at all five villages; the hop between neighbouring villages takes about 2–5 minutes.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Cinque Terre
• 3 days in Cinque Terre

Questions travellers ask