1 Day in Cinque Terre - best villages to visit?

Jess,

A few thoughts......

Is there any possibility you could add more time to this day trip, and leave perhaps in the early evening for the trip back to Florence? You're only spending about six hours in the Cinque Terre, which is about the same as the travel time to get there and back.

Regarding your proposed Itinerary....

• One hour won't allow you to see much in Riomaggiore, but I suppose that's adequate for a short look.
• Hike to Manarola? Which trail were you planning to use for that? The Via dell' Amore is closed so you won't be hiking there. If you were going to use one of the higher trails, I doubt you'll be able to do that in 30 minutes. Take the local train instead.
• What to do in Manarola. Same as in Riomaggiore - explore the town, have a Gelato or a coffee, etc.
• Ferry to Vernazza will work but be sure to check the schedules to ensure that will fit with your timing.
• Lunch in Vernazza is good. Lots of places to choose from.
• Yes, I'd say it's worthwhile to have a look at Monterosso as it's somewhat different than the other towns. There's an "old town" and a "new town" and it has a nice ambiance. You could also have an early supper there before heading back to Florence. Cantina di Miky (close to the train station) is a big favourite with many here (including me).
• A connection time of 14 minutes at La Spezia is more than adequate.
• You won't need a Cinque Terre permit as you won't be hiking any of the Sentiero Azzurro trails.
• Buying a "rail/ferry" pass may not be cost effective for the few journeys you'll be making. You can buy cheap tickets for the local trains at the station, and as I recall there are tickets for the ferries in small booths near the ferry docks.

Thank you very much Ken - appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I'll look at later trains out of Monterosso. And thank you for letting me know re the trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola. That is a shame it won't be open. Perhaps we will ferry straight from Riomaggiore to Vernazza without stopping, to allow more time in each of these towns? Then train to Monterosso. That way we will still get the views of Manarola from the ferry on the way through I assume... I guess I can always see how I feel on the day!
Thanks again for your insight :)
Jess

Last year, I ended up jumping on trains without tickets at La Spezia a couple of times because the line for ticket machines were long and filled with people who didn't know how to use the machine...or the machine malfunctioned half way through the transaction...or the train that showed up on terminal wasn't actually available for purchase on that terminal...or the machined didn't take credit cards...or cash, etc. If you end up at La Spezia when the cruise people show up it will be like a circus. I did my best and waited as long as I could, but I didn't want to waste an hour because I couldn't buy a ticket even though I tried. I ended up getting to Manarola twice without anyone asking for a ticket. However, my wife and I got on a train going the wrong way and got off at La Spezia to go back to where we were going. When we showed the conductor our ticket and explained we got on the wrong train and we were going back to where we were supposed to go - we were fined twenty euros for not buying another ticket at La Spezia. So everything worked out. Train travel in Italy - you never know what you're going to get. We started buying tickets the night before to avoid the crowds at the terminals next day.

I was also apprehensive about Monterosso, but enjoyed it as much as the other towns.

I took the ferry and didn't enjoy it anymore than strolling through the towns. I actually enjoyed being in town more. And the ferries are PACKED during the day.

I loved all the villages but the memories that really stand out for me are eating (casually) at Nessun Dorma cafe in Manarola and staring at the view of Manarola you see in all the magazines. Photos from here will be the ones your friends ooh and ahh about.
https://imageshack.com/i/p8UBeJvYp

And Vernazza had it all, the brightly colored building with the laundry hanging out windows. Just stunning - but it will also be the most crowded.

They're all beautiful - can't go wrong.

Jumping into this conversation as I'm headed to Cinque Terre on 14 July with my 13 year old daughter. We are coming from Venice and don't have a plan yet (don't judge :)). I was planning on staying in Monterosso but having trouble finding a place to stay less than $200 per night. We'd love a view but not necessary. Open to staying in other towns too but someone suggested Monterroso because of beach and other offerings. I've been to CT but it's been 20+ years. We're staying 2 nights and 3 days in CT and then on to Tuscany.

Dana: Definitely look at airbnb.com for lodging options.
1.) Your are late to be booking with only 1 month from date
2.) While Monterosso has a fair number of hotels, the other towns do not and the lodging options are a mix of b&b's, apartments and rooms for rent. Most listings (other than the hotels) you can find now on airbnb ; no other site has anywhere near the options and at many different price points.
Just be careful to read reviews and be aware that the place renting to you can cancel your stay (doesn't happen often but can without much recourse and this would be less likely to happen with a hotel or if booking on booking.com or similar)

If you want a beach, stick with Monterosso ; you will find many with and without a view I suspect.
You may prefer one of the other towns but Monterosso is really the only beach.
From my casual and very unscientific research: Riomaggiore and Corniglia offer lower prices, not much difference in cost between Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso.

Hello,
As stated, the trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola is closed. The trail from Corniglia to Vernaza is open and quite lovely and a bit challenging and takes about 1.5 hours. The ferry will not run if the water is not calm. If I were you I would enjoy walking around several of the towns and having lunch. We had a nice lunch with a wonderful view in Manarola at Nessun Dorma Cinque Terre.
In Vernazza you can walk up to the tower for lovely views or hike up to the opening of the trail which also has lovely views. Enjoy your trip. Each town is a bit different but I don't know if I would want to spend my 5+ hours racing from one town to another although if the ferry is running this would be very picturesque. If you end up taking the train from town to town you will add on extra time as I thing they run every 20 minutes but they are only about 3-4 minutes apart so plan accordingly.
Have a wonderful trip

We were just in the Cinque Terre this last week. We stayed in Monterosso. We toured all the towns in one day...our favorites were Monterrosso and Manarola!!! There are only a few machines at the train stations to buy ticket and there can be very big lines to use them (they don't always work either). We went the day before to be sure to get the tickets we needed to leave the next day. The ferry was running, but only to one town while we were there, don't rely on the ferry.

I have to agree about the boat... I had been to CT a number of times and always arrived by train or car and I loved seeing the towns from that vantage point. Last trip I took a boat trip and while it was enjoyable to be on the water and the views were pretty I didn't find it better than being in the towns. You can get some amazing views right in the towns.

If it were me, I personally wouldn't try to see all the towns in 6 hours. Many of the trains only come 1-2 times per hour, so you'd have to spend a lot of your time worrying about how to time your trips rather than just enjoying your time there. The whole charm of the Cinque Terre is to just kick back, relax, soak up the sun, stroll in and out of the shops (souveniers like dried pasta, ceramics, and such are great prices), eat good food, and take a swim in the Mediterranean. On our trip, we had about 36 hours during which we chose to spend mostly in Vernazza with a boat ride to Manarola for a few hours, and though it would have been nice to say we went to all the towns, we were happy with our time there. We had some delicious food in Vernazza (pesto pizza at Bar Baia, which can be taken to go and eaten on the waterfront, seafood pasta and cannoli at Il Pirata, gelato). In Manarola, there is a great spot for swimming if you don't mind not having a place to shower off.

Also, to Dana: I don't know if your heart is set on Monterosso (I had contemplated staying there because being at a beach sounded nice, but had a friend caution against it since it doesn't have the same quaint feel as the other towns), and I also don't know whether you are looking more for affordability than luxury, but we booked a stay in Vernazza through Vernazza Rooms (http://www.vernazzarooms.com/). It was only a basic room and bathroom with no frills, but was clean and was only like 75 or 80 euros. We were only looking for a place to sleep, so we were happy with it...that might be an option if you don't want to pay 200 euros 5 minutes away in Monterosso.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'll be keeping it to 2 of the towns, to maximise our time there. Appreciate everyone sharing their experience.
Flying out today from Australia! See you soon Italy ☺