Why You Need a Whole Weekend in Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is the go-to day trip spot for Florence study abroad students. Composed of five towns, Cinque Terre is a string of colorful seaside villages. A quick train ride can get you from one town to the next in three minutes max! The five towns are also connected by hiking trails filled with rolling hills, salty air and the most gorgeous views. Each town has unique features that make it desirable to different ages and personalities.
Riomaggiore is known for its nightlife. It is busy, alive and filled with young people. Study abroad students looking for chaos and a good time are typically drawn here. As a student who studied abroad in Florence, I witnessed many of my peers visit this town. Riomaggiore happens to be the first train stop in Cinque Terre, which is likely a leading factor as to why it is always so busy.
The second stop on the train is Manarola, arguably the most gorgeous town in Cinque Terre. It is the opposite of the loud and crazy Riomaggiore in that it is incredibly quiet. At night, all you can hear is the wind and the sea. It is the perfect place for couples and photographers to relax and enjoy a sunset. It is built into a cliffside, which surrounds a small cove where people can swim.
Corniglia is more remote and spread out than the other towns. It is much more budget friendly, and it is popular with the hikers. Being in the middle of the five towns, it is a good place to rest before continuing on. It is also much more spread out than the other towns and doesn’t look as picturesque. Vernazza is said to be the town that looks most like what you’d picture Cinque Terre to be: bright buildings, crammed together on a cliffside. It is often crowded because of this, but it is an incredibly picturesque scene that’s worth seeing.
The final stop on the train is Monterosso. It is the flattest town of the five, as it is at sea level with a beach. This is the place people come to enjoy a beach day and swimming in the wavy Mediterranean. In the summer it is an incredibly popular spot.
It’s only a quick 2 ½- to 3-hour train ride from Florence to spend the day at the beach, which makes the destination popular among abroad students. However, only going for the day doesn’t allow you to experience Cinque Terre to the fullest. There are hikes you can do from Riomaggiore all the way to Monterosso, with some of the best views you can imagine. A hike from just one town to another can take about three hours, so doing the hikes across all five of the towns would require more than a day.
It is incredibly common to buy cheese and wine at a local market in Cinque Terre and then hike up to one of the high points to enjoy the views. The seafood pastas are something you absolutely must experience. If you’re coming in for a quick beach day, it’s not likely you will want to spend two hours having dinner before your train ride home. Cinque Terre has a number of affordable yet upscale restaurants with seafood dishes that will blow your mind. Restaurants such as Il Porticciolo and Ristorante Marina Piccola have squid ink pastas, mussels, prawns, linguine with clams, octopus and so much more.
Whether you’re visiting to hike, have a romantic getaway with your significant other, or want to enjoy the beach and swimming in the Mediterranean, you can’t get the full experience without spending a weekend in Cinque Terre.