Where to stay · Cinque Terre · Italy
Where to stay in Cinque Terre
8 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves . Feel free to use my photos, but please ment, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Monterosso al Mare. The largest village, with sandy beaches, the most hotels and the flattest streets. Best alternatives — budget: Corniglia; nightlife: Riomaggiore.
Key facts
- First visit
- Monterosso al Mare
- Families
- Monterosso al Mare
- Budget
- Corniglia
- Nightlife
- Riomaggiore
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Monterosso al Mare | The largest village, with sandy beaches, the most hotels and the flattest streets |
| Families | Monterosso al Mare | The largest village, with sandy beaches, the most hotels and the flattest streets |
| Couples | Vernazza | Postcard harbour village with a castle tower and a tiny beach |
| Budget | Corniglia | Hilltop village above the sea, the only one without a harbour |
| Luxury | Vernazza | Postcard harbour village with a castle tower and a tiny beach |
| Nightlife | Riomaggiore | Easternmost village of steep lanes and a slipway of fishing boats |
| Food lovers | Manarola | Vineyard-framed village tumbling down to a rocky harbour |
| Solo travellers | Riomaggiore | Easternmost village of steep lanes and a slipway of fishing boats |
| Shopping | La Spezia | Port city and rail hub with lower prices, minutes from the villages |
| Quiet stays | Corniglia | Hilltop village above the sea, the only one without a harbour |
| Beach | Monterosso al Mare | The largest village, with sandy beaches, the most hotels and the flattest streets |
Cinque Terre neighbourhoods in detail
$$$ · Best for families, beach and first-timers
Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso, the westernmost village, is split by a headland into the old town, with its striped Church of San Giovanni Battista, and Fegina, the newer seafront by the station with the longest beach in the Cinque Terre. It has the widest choice of hotels and restaurants, the easiest walking and a busy beach-club scene in summer.
- Good
- Real beaches with loungers; Most hotels and restaurants; Few stairs by local standards
- Watch out
- Crowded with day-trippers in summer; Less dramatic setting than Vernazza or Manarola
- Nearby
- Fegina beach, San Giovanni Battista, Il Gigante, Sentiero Azzurro
$$$$ · Best for couples, first-timers and luxury
Vernazza
Vernazza's small natural harbour, ringed by pastel houses, the church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia and the Doria castle tower, is the most photographed scene in the Cinque Terre. Its single main street runs from the station down to the harbour square, and rooms are few and in demand.
- Good
- Gorgeous harbour views; Lively harbour square in the evening; Trailheads in both directions
- Watch out
- Very crowded at midday; Limited rooms, often up many stairs
- Nearby
- Vernazza harbour, Castello Doria, Santa Margherita d'Antiochia, Sentiero Azzurro
$$ · Best for quiet stays, couples and budget
Corniglia
Corniglia sits on a promontory about 100 metres above the sea, reached from the station by the Lardarina, a zigzag staircase of almost 400 steps, or by a park shuttle bus. With no harbour it is the quietest of the five, with a small square, a terrace viewpoint and vineyards all around.
- Good
- Calmest village in the evening; Panoramic terraces; Often better value
- Watch out
- A climb or shuttle from the station; No harbour or easy sea access
- Nearby
- Lardarina steps, Belvedere di Santa Maria, Sentiero Azzurro, Volastra
$$$$ · Best for couples and food lovers
Manarola
Manarola's tower houses cascade down a ravine to a tiny rock-lined harbour where people swim in summer. The path around Punta Bonfiglio gives the famous sunset view back over the village, and the hillside above is covered in the vineyards that produce Sciacchetrà. Riomaggiore is one train stop away.
- Good
- Classic sunset views; Wine bars and good restaurants; Close to vineyard walks
- Watch out
- Steep and stepped; Small and crowded at sunset
- Nearby
- Punta Bonfiglio, Manarola harbour, Volastra, Via dell'Amore
$$$ · Best for nightlife, solo travellers and couples
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore, closest to La Spezia, climbs both sides of a narrow valley above a slipway lined with fishing boats. Its main street, Via Colombo, has bars and focaccerie that stay open later than in the other villages, and the Via dell'Amore leads to Manarola along the cliffs.
- Good
- Liveliest evenings of the five; Closest village to La Spezia; Dramatic harbour setting
- Watch out
- Very steep streets; Crowded around the station tunnel
- Nearby
- Via dell'Amore, Riomaggiore harbour, Castello di Riomaggiore, Montenero sanctuary
$$ · Best for budget, first-timers, food lovers and shopping
La Spezia
La Spezia is a working naval and ferry port at the southern end of the line, with pedestrian Via del Prione, a covered market in Piazza Cavour and museums such as the Museo Amedeo Lia. Trains reach Riomaggiore in about 10 minutes, so it is a practical, cheaper base with a wide choice of hotels and restaurants.
- Good
- Lower prices and more choice; Main rail and ferry hub; Everyday Italian city life
- Watch out
- Not on the Cinque Terre coast itself; A daily train ride to the villages
- Nearby
- La Spezia Centrale, Via del Prione, Mercato di Piazza Cavour, Porto Venere
$$ · Best for families, beach and budget
Levanto
Levanto, just west of Monterosso, has a long sandy beach popular with surfers, a medieval old town and a seafront promenade, with trains to the villages in a few minutes. It is calmer and cheaper than the Cinque Terre themselves, and a former railway line along the coast is now a cycle path to Bonassola and Framura.
- Good
- Big sandy beach and space to breathe; Better-value hotels and campsites; Easy cycle path for families
- Watch out
- Outside the five villages; Fewer classic views
- Nearby
- Levanto beach, Levanto–Bonassola cycle path, Monterosso
$$$ · Best for couples and quiet stays
Porto Venere
Porto Venere sits at the southern tip of the Gulf of La Spezia, with tall harbour-front houses, the striped church of San Pietro on a rocky point and the Doria castle above. Ferries connect it with the Cinque Terre in season, and the island of Palmaria lies just across a narrow channel.
- Good
- Beautiful and calmer in the evening; Boat links to the villages and islands
- Watch out
- Bus or boat needed to reach the Cinque Terre; Limited hotels
- Nearby
- San Pietro church, Grotta di Byron, Castello Doria, Palmaria
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Monterosso al Mare | $$$ | Fegina beach, San Giovanni Battista, Il Gigante, Sentiero Azzurro |
| Vernazza | $$$$ | Vernazza harbour, Castello Doria, Santa Margherita d'Antiochia, Sentiero Azzurro |
| Corniglia | $$ | Lardarina steps, Belvedere di Santa Maria, Sentiero Azzurro, Volastra |
| Manarola | $$$$ | Punta Bonfiglio, Manarola harbour, Volastra, Via dell'Amore |
| Riomaggiore | $$$ | Via dell'Amore, Riomaggiore harbour, Castello di Riomaggiore, Montenero sanctuary |
| La Spezia | $$ | La Spezia Centrale, Via del Prione, Mercato di Piazza Cavour, Porto Venere |
| Levanto | $$ | Levanto beach, Levanto–Bonassola cycle path, Monterosso |
| Porto Venere | $$$ | San Pietro church, Grotta di Byron, Castello Doria, Palmaria |
Getting to your hotel
Pisa Airport (PSA) is the most convenient: the PisaMover shuttle links it to Pisa Centrale, from where trains reach La Spezia in about 1–1.5 hours. Genoa Airport (GOA) has a similar overall journey time to Levanto and Monterosso by bus and train, and Florence (FLR) is about 2.5–3 hours away by rail.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Cinque Terre for first-time visitors?
Monterosso al Mare. Monterosso, the westernmost village, is split by a headland into the old town, with its striped Church of San Giovanni Battista, and Fegina, the newer seafront by the station with the longest beach in the Cinque Terre.
+Where should families stay in Cinque Terre?
Monterosso al Mare: Real beaches with loungers.
+Which area of Cinque Terre is best for a budget stay?
Corniglia ($$): Hilltop village above the sea, the only one without a harbour.