10 Things to Do in Cinque Terre in April

Throughout the year, the best things to see and do in Cinque Terre are constantly changing and that has to do with the fact that several activities are only available in high season while others depend directly on the weather to be able to take place. To your good fortune, there is the fact that during the month of April several of these plans are suitable.

Keep reading this post, as this way you will learn about several concrete plans that can be part of your travel itinerary. These will be even more recommendable if it is a visit of more than 48 or 72 hours in which you need several entertainment alternatives so that you can invest your time and money wisely.

Although Easter is a holiday that does not have a specific date, every year it usually takes place between mid and late April. For this reason, if your visit to Cinque Terre coincides with the most important dates for Catholicism, you cannot miss the privilege of observing how religious traditions are celebrated in the five villages that make up this region declared World Heritage Site by Unesco.

Vernazza and Riomaggiore are the two villages that I would recommend you to visit during your trip if you coincide with the dates of the week. This is due to the fact that both have churches that usually develop processions along the small main streets that are full of stores and visitors.

Chances are that depending on the exact time you visit both sites you will find open air masses and there may also be celebrations by the youth as the evening approaches. This knowing that Easter has also become synonymous with springtime fun for the younger generations in countries like Italy.

Either way, you need to know that if a three-day visit to Cinque Terre happens to coincide with Easter then you will have to deal with a larger influx of tourists due to the fact that many people choose to make pilgrimages throughout the five villages as part of their religious traditions. This is an event that you should not miss because of its cultural importance which after all is what you are looking to see when trying to learn about the places you visit around the world.

You also need to know that these are perfect days to partake in some of the best nightlife plans in Cinque Terre. Especially since bars and restaurants often have special drinks commemorating this date. Reinventions of the Negroni, the Bellini and the Apperol Spritz are some examples of these representative drinks of Italian cocktails.

On the other hand, there is the fact that during the month of April the temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea start to warm up and the weather in general is much more favorable due to the approaching summer. Therefore, it is very likely that during your visit to Cinque Terre you will be interested in the idea of enjoying a day at the beach and, despite the fact that four of the five villages of this national park have direct access to the coast, it is still true that an excursion to Portovenere is something you should not miss.

This is due to the fact that during the month of April the number of tourists in this destination is the lowest you will find during the months with good weather, which means that you can enjoy its beaches in complete tranquility, as well as you can walk the streets of this site without having to deal with lots of visitors.

This also affects the price of tourist services in this town that is located at the southern end of the Cinque Terre National Park. An excellent way to get to know this site during the month of April is by a guided excursion. Even more so knowing that this way you are guaranteed to be served in restaurants and commercial establishments despite being the final days of the low season.

Another Italian tradition that occurs during the month of April and that you can enjoy during your visit to Cinque Terre is April Fool's Day. This date occurs right on the first day of this month and basically follows the same patterns as in the rest of the world, that is, all participants of the tradition usually play pranks on each other. Always knowing that people who are aware of the date and its meaning will understand that this is a very innocent activity.

Pesce d'Aprile is a way of saying to this date specifically in the coastal regions of the country such as Liguria and has to do with the fact that in the past a fairly common joke was to stick a fish on people's backs without them noticing so that the smell and laughter without reason would accompany them until someone told them.

Today this tradition is not so common, but it is very likely that you will encounter innocent and totally harmless pranks from the place of your accommodation to the same restaurants where you eat throughout the day. In fact, it has become a tradition for fake news to be published in newspapers and the signal that tells readers that this is part of April Fool's Day is a fish hidden somewhere in the text.

April 25 is a very important date for the cultural identity of Italians and has to do with the fact that it is the commemoration of the day on which the country was liberated from fascism and Nazism at the end of World War II.

You will most likely find the streets decorated with the tricolor of the national flag and there is likely to be a very festive atmosphere in both bars and restaurants. It is even common for some restaurants to develop special menus with recipes more representative of the Italian daily life.

Both Corniglia and Vernazza tend to have the most activities. This is due to the fact that the first village I mention is usually preferred by the locals thanks to its inaccessible character that requires people to climb stairs to a top if they arrive by train. The other has public spaces large enough for tourists and locals to get together for a collective celebration.

The Cinque Terre region and all this part of Liguria is characterized as an area of the country that has a past closely connected to the world of agriculture. The advent of modernity has made tourism and fishing become the most important industries, but that does not mean that the appreciation for agricultural traditions, which for centuries were part of the economic and social life of all these villages, has been left aside.

So visiting the agricultural fields during the month of April is not to be missed as it is the peak harvest time of spring. Matarrana, Torriglia, Rapallo and Brugnato are just some of the towns you could visit on a short excursion to come face to face with the agricultural fields that persist to this day. This knowing that these are localities that continue to bet on this sector.

Eggplant, bell pepper, cucumber and zucchini crops are the most notorious in the region. Although there are also vineyards and there are even companies with chestnut fields that offer guided tours to get a close look at the harvests of this lucrative plant.

Likewise, you should know that the best way to reach these fields is through the local train system that will take you directly from these Cinque Terre towns to the locality of your choice. This is as long as they have their own train station.

One of the greatest benefits of spring is that many foods that were scarce or non-existent during autumn and winter become available again so that the best recipes of certain places shine again to captivate the palates of those who enjoy them.

Exactly for this reason one of the best plans you can make during the month of April is to participate in a gastronomic tour of Cinque Terre that is focused on offering you the best of the recipes that characterize this time of the year.

The duration of such experiences is quite convenient, as they usually do not take more than 3 hours of your day. In addition, you will have a guide who will take you from restaurant to restaurant to taste the most representative dishes of their menus. Although in this case these are recipes that are not available during most of the year, but in the spring they become the locals' favorites.

Another decisive factor that makes this type of gastronomic tour more recommendable during the month of April is the fact that in the spring there are changes in sea temperatures. This allows specific fish to return to the recipe book of the local chefs of Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre boasts over 120 km of trails that at one point in history were the only means for villagers to move from one village to another safely. Today they have become one of the main attractions of the national park and so participating in a hiking excursion is one of the best things you can do during the month of April. This knowing that the weather makes it somewhat comfortable and the lower tourist influx than in summer make you enjoy the experience more.

And is that you have to keep in mind that the weather is a decisive factor for walking through the mountains is a safe and fun activity. For this reason, this kind of plans are not usually part of the best things to do in Cinque Terre in December. This knowing that during this month of the year winter is starting and therefore rains are a common element of everyday life in the region.

When visiting any part of the world the idea is to have the possibility to explore as many nearby sites as the amount of time you have available. For this reason, if you have the time, making a short or long visit to Portofino from Cinque Terre is a recommended plan for a trip in April.

The weather that characterizes the month makes the idea even more advisable. The truth is that December could also be an economical month to visit this place departing from Cinque Terre, but it is a time of the year with a weather that will not allow you to fully enjoy this place that has become the favorite destination of many rich and famous people from all over the world.

You should also know that this is not a recommended activity for those who have very little time to visit the national park. This knowing that if someone has a one day visit to Cinque Terre then you have to make the most of every minute of their time to see as many sites within these five villages as possible.

The fact that there is not as much of a tourist influx during the month of April compared to the summer months means that entertainment activities are readjusted and this means that you would have to go for slightly more unusual plans that are still entertaining at this time of the year. One of these is an Italian cooking class, which can be organized either by local chefs or by cooking teams from the restaurants that are inoperative in any of the towns of the national park.

It is also possible that to participate in this recommended entertainment activity you will have to go to La Spezia, which is the neighboring city of this national park that has the cruise terminal that allows hundreds of thousands of visitors to arrive annually to this site.

You have to know that this kind of classes are also one of the best things to do in Cinque Terre in winter. Especially, due to the fact that those months of the year also tend to have many limitations in terms of entertainment existing within these five very small towns.

A plan that is fun and advisable all year round is the idea of enjoying a boat ride right at sunset along the coast of Cinque Terre. This plan also stands out during the month of April due to the fact that the demand will be less significant than in the summer and, therefore, it is more likely to get vacancies for the same day of your visit without booking in advance.

Anyway, this is also part of the best things to do in Cinque Terre in summer. Although if you compare the experience of a boardwalk in spring or summer, it is safe to say that during the month of April you will enjoy a much more pleasant climate that will spare you from the high summer temperatures.

The temperatures in this national park during the month of April remain mild, but under standards that are much more comfortable to enjoy both the sea and the mountains. Maximum temperatures are usually around 20 to 22 °C while minimum temperatures can reach 10 °C in the coldest moments of the nights.

The influx of tourists in April is less significant both in this national park and in the rest of Italy than in summer and this allows you to enjoy the five villages with much more comfort and without having to plan too much time for each of your decisions.

Organizing a trip to Cinque Terre during this month is a decision that allows you to save some money if compared to the prices you would have to face if you decide to visit during the high summer season that goes from the end of May to the end of September.

In your suitcase you should not miss a good sunscreen knowing that most of your time you will be walking outdoors. That along with a suitable coat and clothes that are comfortable and breathable, as they will be necessary for you to be able to walk with peace of mind knowing that while you sweat you are also protected from the wind.