Hi guys,
I’m writing this in the airport after the most amazing trip to Cinque Terre with NEXT. Cinque Terre had been on my list forever, so you can imagine how excited I was when NEXT asked me to go along on a press trip with other Irish and UK bloggers. It was the nicest group, which made the experience just one of the best press trips I’ve ever been on.
One thing that I think is really important to know before you go is that Cinque Terre is the name of the region, not a particular place. There are 5 villages along the coast that are considered Cinque Terre.
The roads in this region aren’t the best so most people travel by train and by boat. We flew from London Heathrow into Pisa, from there we got a train to Pisa Central Station and then an intercity train up to Monterosso. The trains are very inexpensive I think they were about €15 per person. It took about 2 and a half/3 hours in total.
The 5 villages in the region are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We stayed in Monterosso in Hotel Margherita, it was modern, clean and central which was amazing. In terms of that famous Cinque Terre view, Riomaggiore and Manarola have the most famous viewing points. Vernazza Castle (Castello Doria) also had a good view of the colourful houses below – we visited here on our last night.
Where we ate?
First of all, prepare to eat a lot of seafood if you’re visiting, as it’s beside the sea everything is super fresh and tasty!
On our first night we ate dinner in Miky in Monterosso – a fine-dining seafood restaurant. We had a 7 course tasting menu – it was supposed to be 8 courses, but we literally couldn’t eat another course because we were so full haha… always a good sign.
On the second day we cooked our own lunch at the Cinque Terre Cooking school. It was my first ever cooking class and we learned to make sweet bread, stuffed veg, pesto, gnocchi and seabass. It was such a fun, cool experience! I would definitely recommend doing this if you plan on visiting.
That evening we got the train to Vernazza for a gorgeous meal over looking the sea at Ristorante Belforte Vernazza. The views are to die for.
On our last day we finished up by having lunch in Restaurant Hotel Porto Roca which has the most amazing view overlooking Monterosso.
What to do?
- I would recommend definitely trying to visit all of the 5 villages – they all look so different and beautiful I definitely will have to go back and explore the different places I didn’t get to
- Lots of people recommended the restaurant Nessun Dorma – it’s got one of the best views of Manarola. We didn’t make it there on this trip, but next time it’s happening!
- A boat trip is a must-do! We were supposed to do one but the water was too choppy. It would be a lovely way to see a few of the villages in one go.
- A cooking class – as I mentioned above I really enjoyed this. Check out the Cinque Terre Cooking Classes here.
- A hike – there are lots of gorgeous hikes in Cinque Terre. See here for some info on different walking routes.
- Chill on the beach with the most colourful umbrellas you’ll ever see!
What I wore?
As I mentioned I was over there with Next – they have such gorgeous, comfortable and stylish holiday bits at the moment. I’ve linked all the pieces I wore below:
Overall, I would definitely recommend Cinque Terre. It’s so peaceful, beautiful and romantic. We were there for 2 and a half/3 days – I would say aim for at least 5 days if you plan on travelling. Trust me you won’t want to leave.
I hope those tips were useful,
I’ve lots more trips coming up over the next month – it’s a pretty hectic/ exciting one so lots more travel posts to come,
Lou x
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