10 Things to Do in Cinque Terre in Summer

Cinque Terre is famous for its beaches, for its picturesque cliffs and for the beauty of its natural landscapes, which you can discover from the viewpoints or on hiking excursions along the region's trails, especially if you visit the Italian Riviera in summer, when the weather is warm and ideal for a swim in the Ligurian Sea.

Among the best things to see and do in Cinque Terre in summer are visiting the beaches of Monterosso al Mare, dining in a restaurant overlooking the sea enjoying the cool breeze, walking the four sections of the Blue Trail, taking a boat trip along the Italian Riviera and discovering the sunsets of Manarola.

The beaches are the great attractions of Cinque Terre during the summer, however there is only one completely sandy beach on the Italian Riviera and that is Fegina, which is the largest and is located in Monterosso al Mare, the most popular town of La Spezia. This beach stands out for its warm waters, for the rock that separates it from the small area that includes the statue of the Giant and for the number of services it offers.

In Fegina you can not only enjoy the sun and umbrella rental, but also the surrounding restaurants and the connection of the beach with the rest of the towns of Cinque Terre, as it is located at the foot of the train station of Monterosso al Mare, which is the ideal alternative for touring the Italian Riviera, since most places are restricted for access by private vehicles.

The beaches of Monterosso al Mare, which although divided by the rock, bear the same name, are included in the best Cinque Terre tours and are the most visited places on the coast during the summer by tourists, so you can't miss them during your trip.

In Italy the exquisite gastronomy knows no seasons, but if there is something that can enhance the flavors of Cinque Terre, is to taste them on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the Ligurian Sea while enjoying the cool breeze. You can do that in any of the region's villages to try the seafood, anchovies, antipasti and pasta marinara, which are the local specialty.

If you plan to dine in Manarola, you can visit Nessun Dorma, which in addition to specializing in cured meats, cheeses and bruschettas, also stands out for its gazebo with open views to the horizon.

In Riomaggiore you can discover the best seafood at Il Pescato Cucinato, and in Monterosso al Mare you will marvel at the pastas of Gastronomia San Martino, but you can find many other places.

In addition, seaside restaurants are often included in the itineraries of the best food tours of Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is built on the cliffs and is surrounded by winding routes, so hiking trails are very popular in the region. Among them, one of the most famous is the Blue Trail, which has a total length of 12 kilometers distributed in four sections that cross all the villages of the Italian Riviera.

The first section, only 1 kilometer long, is the best known and is called Via dell'Amore, and runs along the border between Riomaggiore and Manarola. The second section, 3 km long, crosses Manarola and Corniglia. The third, also 3 km long, passes through Corniglia and Vernazza. The last section, which is the most demanding at 4 kilometers long, reaches Monterosso al Mare.

Walking the Blue Trail, and especially in summer, when the weather is hot, but ideal for discovering the landscapes from the heights of the roads, is the best option to get to know the five villages of Cinque Terre on foot, and also to reach the center of each of them.

Keep in mind that the Blue Trail is very busy in summer and often some sections may be cut, so it can generate delays during the tour due to the number of visitors, which could affect your itinerary if you have planned a short stay in the city. If that is your case, here is a list of activities you can do to discover Cinque Terre in 2 days.

In the summer, the weather is very hot in Cinque Terre and the beaches become the most visited places in the area, so organizing an excursion could be laborious, but the Ligurian Sea has a very interesting marine fauna and taking a snorkeling and diving excursion is one of the best activities available.

If you go a little away from the coast and the hustle and bustle of the main beaches, during the excursions you can discover numerous specimens of the marine reserve such as rays, octopus and even dolphins. Also some boat tours along the coast of Cinque Terre include some free time for a swim and a snorkeling experience.

Among the beaches you can visit for snorkeling and diving are Fegina and Neptuno, in Monterosso al Mare, and Canneto, in Riomaggiore, which is ideal because it offers a quieter and wilder context in the Italian Riviera.

Guvano is one of the most famous beaches of Cinque Terre, but it is also one of the few in the region that is located in a completely wild area, in Vernazza, in a sector far from restaurants and services. Moreover, to reach Guvano, you must cross a single stone road that marks the boundary of the village with Corniglia, the only one of the Cinque Terre sites that does not have a direct exit to the sea.

Guvano is a beach with calm waters, no sand and stony ground, and during some stretches of the summer it also has a nudist sector, so you should take this into account when visiting, but it also offers some of the best open views of Vernazza and a wild environment that none of the other beaches of the Italian Riviera provide.

The difficult access to Guvano will guarantee you some tranquility even in the summer months, which is when the region is most crowded, so if you want to experience a different place on the Italian Riviera and also stay away from the crowds, Guvano can provide you with the solution.

If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in April or during the spring months, you can also discover another of the best sides of Guvano, which stands out for the vegetation and the colors of the surrounding trees.

One of the best alternatives to discover Cinque Terre is from the coast, to know a different profile of the region, in perspective and from the beauty of the Ligurian Sea. You can do this during a boat tour, which are traditional in the Italian Riviera, especially during the summer months.

You can also use boat tours to get around the different villages of Cinque Terre, but this is usually a much less effective option than the Express Train, so I advise you to enjoy the sea tours, but then tour the different sites by train to get the most out of your visit.

The boat tours offer different routes, although the most famous are those that travel from Monterosso al Mare to Riomaggiore or those that sail from La Spezia or from Porto Venero, which located at the southern tip of the Italian Riviera is considered the sixth element of the region.

Details of interest

• Price: the boat tours have an initial cost of approximately 18 euros per person.
• Duration: the trip from Monterosso al Mare to Riomaggiore takes about 1 hour.

Manarola is the big star of the region at Christmas, so if you plan to visit Cinque Terre in December you can see the crib of the Hill of the Three Crosses, which is a giant nativity scene of more than 300 figures, some of them over 3 meters high, which are illuminated at night forming one of the most beautiful spectacles of the Italian Riviera. However, in summer you can also discover the magical sunsets of Manarola.

The town has a promenade that surrounds the sea and meanders at heights averaging 200 meters above sea level, so that in summer, during clear days, you can contemplate from there some of the most beautiful sunsets of the summer period in the Italian Riviera.

In addition, you can also discover the sunsets from the viewpoints of Vernazza, from the Doria Castle or from the heights of Corniglia, which sheltered between Manarola and Vernazza offers some of the most dazzling wide views of Cinque Terre from its cliffs.

Cinque Terre, in addition to its gastronomy, also stands out for being an area of vineyards, so if you want to taste the most famous local wines, which are the Bianco DOC and Sciacchetra, a very sweet red wine, you can take excursions to the wineries or visit them on your own for tastings and to learn about wine production.

Most of the vineyards are located in Riomaggiore and Manarola, but if you want to visit a winery in the Monterosso al Mare area, you can opt for Cantina Sassarini, which is the best known in the region and one of the main exporters of Ligurian wine. If you plan to visit Cinque Terre in October, you can also visit the wineries during the harvest season.

Most of the wineries, in addition to tastings, offer dishes of the local gastronomy, so you can also try the salted anchovies, pastas, risottos and seafood of Cinque Terre while enjoying the ideal climate in the surroundings of the Italian Riviera.

Summer is the best time to enjoy Cinque Terre, but it is also the busiest time for tourists, so at times you might feel exhausted from waiting for excursions and trains. To avoid the crowds, you can choose to visit Corniglia, which is the only village in Cinque Terre that does not have a direct access to the sea and, therefore, is empty of visitors who prefer the beach areas.

Corniglia also offers one of the most picturesque landscapes because it is located on a promontory over 100 meters high, and to reach the village you must cross La Landarina, a staircase of almost 400 steps that will lead you directly to the main square.

In Corniglia you can also go hiking, visit the Piazza Largo Taragio, where the two local churches are located, and discover a place with a long literary tradition, as the village was mentioned by Giovanni Boccaccio in the Decameron.

One of the best alternatives to escape the heat of Cinque Terre is to cool off with an Italian gelato, which you can try in the many gelato shops in the local villages. One of the best and most famous is Gelateria Vernazza, which is located in the center of the town of the same name and is characterized by a wide range of flavors and a marked artisan style.

Gelateria Vernazza stands out for its artisan-style gelato and also for its long tradition in Liguria, so you won't be surprised to find that the shop is actually a small stall in a house dating back to the Middle Ages. Moreover, both in Gelateria Vernazza and in most gelaterias, you will be able to taste the most famous Italian desserts, such as tiramisu or canoli.

Ligurian gelato is one of the most delicious in Italy so I recommend you not to miss it, even if you plan to visit Cinque Terre in winter.

Summer in Cinque Terre is intense and presents an ideal climate for swimming on the beaches of the region or for excursions in the Ligurian Sea. The hottest month of the summer is August, with maximum temperatures of 31 °C, minimum temperatures of 20 °C and average temperatures of 26 °C.

In June and July the temperature is similar, with a few degrees less, and only towards the end of September, with the beginning of autumn, the average temperature decreases to 20 °C, so if you like summer weather, in Cinque Terre you will be able to enjoy it widely.

Summer marks the beginning of the high season in Cinque Terre and, therefore, a flood of tourists flock to the region to enjoy its beaches and picturesque trails. Therefore, if you are planning to visit the region in the summer season, you should be aware that public transport, excursions and all activities will be crowded with visitors.

If you want to opt for a season with fewer visitors, you can visit Cinque Terre in April or during the spring months, although you will hardly be able to make the most of the beaches and mountain excursions.

However, you can still get away from the crowds by doing some activities that are less popular in summer such as visiting Corniglia, the beach of Guvano or some of the more remote sections of the Blue Trail.

Summer is the most expensive time to visit Cinque Terre, so excursions and especially accommodations will have their highest prices. If you want to opt for a cheap trip to the Italian Riviera, you may want to travel in winter or autumn, but not in the summer season.

If you still want to assume the cost of visiting Cinque Terre in summer, because its beaches and landscapes are really worth it, you can book excursions and accommodations in advance, to access better discounts and avoid last minute price increases.

Summer is the hottest time of the year in Cinque Terre, so I recommend that you pack the following in your suitcase:

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Swimwear
• Comfortable shoes
• Sun hat
• Light T-shirt
• Light pants
• Raincoat