Season guide · Cinque Terre · Italy
Cinque Terre in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
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
Quiet, mild and partly closed, with the Manarola light nativity and clear days for walking when the paths are open. Expect highs up to 13°C (55°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 24 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 5°C (41°F) to 13°C (55°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 24
- Sea
- 13°C (55°F) to 15°C (59°F)
- Crowds
- Very quiet
- Hotel prices
- Lowest
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C (54°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 8 | 9.2 h | 1/5 |
| February | 13°C (55°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 7 | 10.4 h | 1/5 |
| December | 13°C (55°F) | 6°C (43°F) | 9 | 8.9 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 13°C (55°F) against a yearly 20°C (68°F), and 24 of the year's roughly 85 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 1/5 and hotel prices 1/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Manarola light nativity (usually until late January)
- December: Manarola light nativity switched on (usually 8 December)
Good choices for winter
Gallery · La Spezia
Museo Amedeo Lia
A good rainy-day alternative to the villages, a short walk from La Spezia Centrale station.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · La Spezia
Naval Technical Museum
Beside La Spezia's naval base, the Museo Tecnico Navale, one of Italy's oldest maritime museums, displays ship models, carved figureheads, anchors, early diving equipment and weapons, telling the story of the Italian navy and the port city that grew around it.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Day trips in winter
- Pisa (About 1–1.5 hours by train) — Pisa's Piazza dei Miracoli holds the Leaning Tower, the cathedral, the baptistery and the monumental cemetery on one lawn; the rest of the old town along the Arno is calmer and worth a stroll.
- Lucca (About 1.5–2 hours by train) — Lucca is ringed by complete Renaissance walls topped by a tree-lined path that takes about an hour to walk or less to cycle, with the oval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, built on a Roman amphitheatre, and the tree-topped Torre Guinigi inside.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Cinque Terre?
It is a trade-off: Quiet, mild and partly closed, with the Manarola light nativity and clear days for walking when the paths are open. The best months overall are May–June and September–October.
+What is the weather like in Cinque Terre in winter?
Highs of up to 13°C (55°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 24 rainy days over the season.