Start from 24 curated places around Cinque Terre, IT, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Nessun Dorma, Manarola
A wine bar and small plates spot on the Punta Bonfiglio headland above Manarola with the most envied terrace view in the Cinque Terre — the village stacked on its cliff directly across the cove, glowing at sunset. The kitchen produces Ligurian-focused small plates: anchovies in multiple preparations, focaccia, local cheeses, and simple seafood pastas to accompany the well-chosen regional wine list.
Ristorante Miky, Monterosso
The most serious seafood kitchen in the Cinque Terre, operating since 1980 on the Monterosso seafront, where Chef Miky De Fina builds dishes around the morning's catch including the eight-way Monterosso anchovy preparation that is the restaurant's most distinctive expression of the village's defining ingredient. The handmade pasta shapes — breaded bread-dough 'oyster shells' housing seasoned trenette — are the technical high point.
Trails & outdoors
Sentiero Azzurro — Vernazza to Monterosso
The northern section of the Cinque Terre Blue Trail connects Vernazza and Monterosso through the most dramatic coastal terrain in the entire route — steep stone staircases cut into the cliff face, terraced vineyards suspended above the sea, and views of both villages from a ridge between them. The 3.8km route takes about 90 minutes and requires good footwear.
Sentiero Rosso — High Ridge Trail
The less-known high trail runs the full length of the national park above the coastal path, traversing the mountain ridge that backs the five villages at 600 metres with views down to all five towns and out to sea. The full traverse takes seven to eight hours but individual sections between the villages can be walked as half-day routes. Dramatically quieter than the Sentiero Azzurro below.
Things to do
Cinque Terre Pesto Making Class
Liguria invented pesto genovese and the proper version is made in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle, never a blender, using Genovese basil (DOP certified), local pine nuts, pecorino, Parmigiano, and Ligurian olive oil. Classes run at Nessun Dorma in Manarola and at several other locations across the five villages, teaching the mortar method with a view of the coast as backdrop.
Boat Tour — Five Villages from the Sea
The most revealing way to understand the vertical relationship between the five villages and the sea they face — boats run between all five from early morning, and private charter options allow swimming stops in coves accessible only from the water. From the sea, the scale of the terraced hillsides rising directly from the water becomes apparent in a way no land trail captures.
Landmarks & sights
Vernazza Harbour & Doria Tower
The most complete medieval village in the five, where an 11th-century octagonal tower built by the Doria family still stands on the promontory above a small protected harbour that colourful fishing boats and the odd gozzo share with swimming visitors. The harbour piazza is entirely surrounded by pastel buildings stacked against the cliff, and the effect from the water looking in is one of the most photographed compositions in Italy.
Manarola Sunset Viewpoint
The rocky headland just above Manarola village provides the best panoramic view in the Cinque Terre — the coloured houses stacked on the cliff with the fishing boats moored below and the Ligurian coast stretching in both directions. Manarola is the oldest village in the five, with a 14th-century church at its upper end, and the wine produced on the terraced hillsides above feeds directly into the Cinque Terre DOC designation.