Greetings!
We are staying in Sestri Levante and heading to Cinque Terre as a day trip. We plan to take an early train and our plans (or lack there of) are flexible :). We do not like to rush, wondering if all 5 towns are feasible in one day especially since we can train early and stay into the evening?
The train rides between are all very short (though corniglia center is farther afield from the station) you can definitely get to them all in one day.
Just not sure you'd want to....we did a day trip (which was supposed to include a hike but didn't because the planned trail was closed).
We explored three towns....hunted out some great views - had a lovely lunch in one, great gelato in another and went for a swim.
Is it possible? Yes, but I think you will just skim it. Part of the enjoyment is wandering into the little alleyways, sitting and people watching, etc. I especially liked walking a bit of the trail and looking back or down to get great pictures of each village.
I would buy a pass or your tickets in advance. The last time we were there the line for the ticket machine was very long as people where having trouble getting enough phone service to buy online.
The towns are not all that different - in my opinion you're better off slowing down and smelling the roses. I would skip Riomaggiore for sure, and flip a coin to decide between Manarola and Vernazza.
May 2024 we took the ferry from Porto Venere to Monterosso. After exploring there, we went on to Vernazza. The towns are very similar, Monterosso is bigger so there were more streets to explore. We got rained out of our plans for the other two towns, but in retrospect felt like the two towns were enough. Porto Venere is also on the ferry route and was another enjoyable town. If you don't want to rush, don't try to do all five towns. Also, consider using the ferry - the towns are more scenic from the water.
