Cinque Terre Day Tour From Milan

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Cinque Terre, meaning ‘five lands’ (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso) are five perilously perched villages strung along a short stretch of cliffs that face the Liguria Sea on one of Italy’s most scenic stretches of coastline.

Leaving Milan, you arrive directly at the Cinque Terre and via a scenic route on the coast you reach Manarola. Here you’ll have free time to venture around the vineyards, stroll the piers where fishing boats line the shore or watch the locals and the tourists jumping into the sea from the rocks of the harbour!

Right before lunch time you catch the train to Monterosso al mare, the biggest of the five villages, where you will have time to explore and visit the beaches dotted along the coast. Despite the number of tourists, there is still a real sense of local identity even in the most tourist-crammed little ‘piazze’.

Restaurants, bars and accommodation all have an endearingly homespun air about them as though when the locals saw tourists coming, they found a few garden chairs to stick on their terrace, hand painted a sign and began serving customers.

From Monterosso you will start the final leg of your journey, probably the most inspiring, a 90 minutes boat cruise. The perfect way to admire the stunning views of the Cinque Terre and the delightful village of Portovenere from the sea. After this memorable experience, you will arrive at La Spezia where your coach will be waiting to take you back to Milan.