Cinque Terre for First Timers

Cinque Terre, or 5 Lands, is made up of 5 adorable villages mostly perched on hillsides on the Mediterranean Sea. It's a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Running north to south are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

You'll want to spend at least 2 days and up to four or five visiting the villages--and if you're a hiker, give yourself plenty of days to enjoy the trails.

Staying in one of the towns gives you an advantage of enjoying the evenings, but hotels are limited. Monterosso is the largest/flattest and has the most hotels. Manarola has some great boutique hotels/guest houses, and Vernazza and Riomaggiore does as well. Cornigilia is the central village but is the hardest to get to because of the climb from the train station. My last stay was in Manarola and it was fantastic!

Day 1

If you're coming to Cinque Terre in the summer, be ready for crowds. That's what happens in the good spots in Italy (or anywhere in Europe). The 3 times I've been, I've always gone right in the middle of summer and just dealt with it. It's too good to pass up. Yeah, you could go off-season, but there's something about a steaming hot summer in Italy.

Arrive by train, as most of the towns in Cinque Terre are pedestrian only or minimal car usage. If you can stay at La Torretta in Manarola, do so. After the tourists depart, it's quiet and lovely, but be prepared to bring your luggage uphill from the train or take a taxi from La Spezia.

Enjoy dinner down at the water at Marina Piccola or at the very cute, quaint and instagrammable La Regina di Manarola. The Cheeeeeeese and Tropea pizzas are fantastic and the views are amazing. One of the servers was literally the friendliest woman I have ever seen in my life.