Cinque Terre in One Day: A Realistic First-Time Itinerary

You're planning out your European vacation, then realize you've only allotted one day for a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Cinque Terre! What will you do? What WILL you do? Have no fear; Sojourns With Sue is here!

Let me reassure you: yes, you can experience the charm of the Cinque Terre in a single, beautiful day and still feel like you're living your own “Under the Tuscan Sun” moment.

On my own trip, I squeezed in a “vacation from the vacation” between the hard core tourist “work” of Rome and Florence. I ended up booking 3 nights with plans to relax: beach, wine, repeat (with my burns-in-2-seconds Irish skin covered from head to toe,of course). But that only left one full day to see the sights.

So I crafted a gentle, joyful one-day adventure through the Cinque Terre that hit the highlights without leaving me feeling like I needed a nap and a chiropractor after.

Read on for the exciting tale of the day my famous pal Mo and I took a whirlwind journey through the beautiful Cinque Terre villages! I’ll walk you through how we did it: what we saw, where we ate (don’t miss Cantina Burasca), what we skipped (sorry, Corniglia), and a few tips I wish I’d known beforehand.

Riomaggiore

We started in our home base of Monterosso al Mare and took the approximately 15 minute train ride to Riomaggiore. Because we arrived so early many of the shops weren't open yet, so we just browsed the streets and took in the amazing views. Early morning is such a peaceful time to arrive, the streets were quiet and and the golden light made everything feel a little extra magical.

Truth be told, we didn’t do anything “big” here, and that was perfect. We wandered the narrow lanes, admired the bold colors of the buildings, and soaked in the sea views. There’s a slower rhythm in Riomaggiore that invites you to just be, which is ideal if you’re trying to savor and not sprint through your day.

If you're starting early, don’t worry if shops aren’t open yet. It’s still worth visiting first for the peaceful atmosphere, and the light is best for photos in the morning. Also there will be more shops later on!

Manarola

From Riomaggiore to Manarola the train ride is about 2 minutes! You could also walk the 1.3 miles if you're feeling energetic, but we were saving our steps for later.

This ended up being my favorite village of the day. Partly because we arrived at the perfect time (late morning, fewer crowds), and partly because everything seemed to click: views, food, and lemon-covered pottery? Yes, please.

We strolled up the steep Via Antonio Discovolo toward the Church of San Lorenzo, a 14th-century gem in Ligurian Gothic style. Across the way, a bell tower offered panoramic views and a quirky off-center clock that made us laugh. Someone clearly said, “Just stick it wherever it fits!”

On the way back down the hill we noticed Cantina Burasca, and gave it a try. This ended up being our favorite restaurant of a trip of pretty dang good restaurants! It wasn't just the food, though the food was excellent. It was also the setting and mood. Just one of those “man, I am so lucky to be here right now” precious stand-out highlights of travel that you can never really predict!

After the fab lunch we continued back down the road and dropped into Limun, a handmade ceramics store with adorable lemon motifs on every item. We went souvenir wild! I think buying lemon-covered items in Cinque Terre must be like getting Mickey Mouse-covered oven mitts and clothing when you visit Disneyland!

I bought a pitcher and plate as my biggest personal souvenir from the trip. It wasn't cheap, mainly because I had it shipped home to California, which cost more than the pottery itself. But it arrived in one piece, thank goodness! They now live on my kitchen table and make me smile every day.

Manarola is a great spot to slow down midday. Grab lunch, browse a boutique, and give yourself permission to linger.

Corniglia

We decided to skip Coniglia on this trip. After visiting the first two towns above and knowing we wanted to check out Vernazza still, this is where we drew a line in our itinerary sand. A big part of this decision was based on reading that to get from the train station to the town, you need to climb 382 steps from the train station! And then back down to leave obviously. Apparently there is a shuttle bus available too, but we had already dramatically made up our minds. 😉

Corniglia does have many wonderful qualities and I know it's the favorite Cinque Terre town for many.

Corniglia Pros:

• It is high up and not close to the ocean so it provides wonderful, panoramic views you won't get from the other towns.
• It's small size (150 population) make it feel particularly cozy and safe, especially as a solo female traveller.
• Because of the small size, and lack of beach it is not generally as crowded with tourists as the other towns.
• It's in the middle of the 5 towns, so makes it easy to split your time between the two to your north and the two to your south. Especially if you are hiking between the towns this would be a big benefit.
• If you are seeking calm, peace and quiet, this will be a dream location!
• The abundance of stairs will give you a great workout!

Vernazza

From Manarolo to Vernazza, the train ride is 7 minutes. We arrived here around 2PM along with every other tourist in northern Italy. It was busy, but buzzing with energy.

We browsed the shops, people-watched along the harbor, and admired the pastel buildings hugging the cliffs. Our old pal Rick Steves calls Vernazza the most beautiful town in Cinque Terre, and while I’m not ready to crown a winner, I see his point. It’s like a painting, if that painting came with gelato and souvenir magnets.

There is a famous restaurant in Vernazza with incredible views to check out, Ristorante La Torre. One of my favorite You Tubers, Dana Berez visited this restaurant in this video, and it looks just amazing! Next time for me!

Expect crowds in Vernazza, especially after lunch. It's a great place to soak up the atmosphere, maybe grab a drink with a view, but be ready for some jostling.