What is the order of towns in Cinque Terre?

Starting from north to south, the towns of the Cinque Terre are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. By train, it takes about five minutes to travel from one village to the next. Or there is a ferry service, which connects all the towns but one, Corniglia.



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Visit some of the villages Choose to visit two or three of the villages, for example Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore. You have to skip Corniglia situated on top of a cliff 100 metres above sea level. If you are limited on time, take the train between the villages.

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Riomaggiore is the first village of the Cinque Terre starting from the east and is the seat of the local administration.

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To get the hardest hiking over with first, start in Monterosso. Once you reach Corniglia, and assuming all of the trails are open, the easier sections will be at the end. For those who are very ambitious, there are trails that go even higher into the mountains for some of the best views of the area.

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The most beautiful Cinque Terre town from above is Vernazza – projecting to the sea on a rocky cliff, its tightly packed houses and medieval tower look almost surreal when arriving from Corniglia on foot.

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Corniglia is the only one of the five Cinque Terre towns that isn't a fishing town and you need to walk up around 365 steps to get there. That puts most people off and means that Corniglia is the Cinque Terre town with the fewest tourists.

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That said, Corniglia is by far the quietest of the Cinque Terre towns. Corniglia is located on top of a hill, far from the sea. While that makes for some seriously stunning views, it makes it harder to go for a swim in the sea and doesn't have the same maritime feeling as the other towns.

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The five villages of cinque terre include Monterosso al Mare (the biggest), Vernazza (normally considered the prettiest), Corniglia (up high on the cliffs), Manarola and Riomaggiore.

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Most of the research I have done suggests Monterosso is the biggest town and has a more laid back/ resort style to it whereas Vernazza is more romantic and picturesque.

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Some portions of the trail are very easy to walk, such as the paved section connecting Riomaggiore to Manarola, and other sections climb up and over hillsides with spectacular views along the coast. It takes about 5 hours to hike the entire distance, not counting the time to explore and linger in each town.

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