Where to Stay in Cinque Terre: Best Towns & Hotels

Choosing where to stay in Cinque Terre isn’t as straightforward as it first appears. While the five famous villages are all connected by train, each offers a very different experience, and staying inside the national park can feel quite different from basing yourself in one of the nearby gateway towns.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best places to stay in Cinque Terre, from the five villages themselves to nearby bases like La Spezia and Levanto.

You’ll also find my picks for the best hotels both inside and outside the national park, helping you choose the right base whether you’re looking for convenience, boutique stays, or easy access to explore this spectacular stretch of the Ligurian coast.

*This ‘where to stay in cinque terre’ guide may contain affiliate links, meaning I might make a small profit if you choose to book at no extra cost to you. This helps me to keep providing you with top-quality content for free.

Know Before Deciding Where to Stay in Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre isn’t the easiest destination to figure out when it comes to logistics. Between the steep geography, limited accommodation, and five very different villages, choosing where to stay can have a big impact on your trip.

Before deciding on your base, here are a few things worth knowing that will help you make the right choice.

↠ Pack light if you can. Cinque Terre is steep. Expect lots of stairs, narrow lanes, and uphill walks from train stations to hotels. Rolling a large suitcase over cobblestones is nobody’s idea of fun, so a backpack or small carry-on will make your arrival much easier. If you have a lot of luggage, I recommend staying in the newer part of Monterosso al Mare or outside the park in La Spezia or Levanto.

↠ Book accommodation well in advance. There are surprisingly few hotels across the five villages, and the best ones often sell out months ahead, especially from May through September. If you’re travelling in peak season, don’t leave it until the last minute.

↠ Choose your base with the season in mind. Summer brings huge crowds, particularly between late morning and late afternoon when day trippers arrive by train and cruise excursions. Staying in one of the villages lets you experience Cinque Terre at its best, with peaceful early mornings and magical evenings after most visitors have left, but you’ll rarely get quiet during the day.

If you’re visiting in July or August and prefer quieter surroundings, consider staying just outside the national park in places like Levanto or La Spezia, then take the train in each day.

↠ Air conditioning is worth prioritising. Many buildings are centuries old, and not every hotel or apartment has air conditioning. During the warmer months, particularly from June through September, it’s something you’ll be very glad you checked before booking.

↠ Stay in one base for shorter trips. If you have just two or three days, pick one village and settle in. The trains connect all five villages in minutes, so there’s little benefit to moving hotels during a short stay.

↠ Split your stay if you have longer. If you’re spending five to seven days in the area, consider dividing your time between two bases. Pairing one of the Cinque Terre villages with Levanto, Portovenere, or even Santa Margherita Ligure gives you a broader experience of the Ligurian coast while avoiding too many nights in the busiest spots.

↠ Absolutely don’t rent a car for the villages. The five villages are connected by train, hiking trails, and seasonal boats, making a car more of a hassle than a help. Parking is extremely limited and expensive, and most village centres are traffic-free. If you’re road-tripping Liguria, leave your car in Levanto or La Spezia and continue by train.

The Best Hotels in Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre isn’t a destination known for luxury or design hotels. As a protected national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, development is tightly controlled, so there are very few boutique or high-end properties within the five villages.

For the best luxury stays, you’ll need to look just outside the park in places like Levanto or Portovenere. Within Cinque Terre, however, you’ll still find some excellent guesthouses, apartments, and small family-run hotels full of character. Just book early. The best places have very few rooms and sell out months in advance.

Here are the best hotels in Cinque Terre worth booking right now.

La Torretta Lodge, Manarola – Easily one of the best boutique stays in Cinque Terre. This family-run property pairs elegant, contemporary interiors with genuinely warm hospitality, and the breakfasts are among the best you’ll find in the region. Rooms with terraces and sea views are well worth booking.

Hotel Porto Roca, Monterosso – The closest thing to a true luxury hotel within Cinque Terre National Park. Set on the cliffs above Monterosso’s old town, it has an infinity pool overlooking the Ligurian Sea, spacious rooms, and direct access to the hiking trail linking Monterosso and Vernazza.

Agriturismo Missanega, Monterosso – Hidden among olive groves on the hillside above Monterosso, this charming agriturismo offers a much quieter side of Cinque Terre. Expect rustic rooms, beautiful gardens, homemade breakfasts, and sweeping views, all just a short shuttle ride from the village.

The Sunset Line, Riomaggiore – A collection of beautifully designed suites overlooking Riomaggiore’s famous harbour. The minimalist interiors let the sea views take centre stage, and the private terraces make this one of the most romantic places to stay in the village.

The Poet Hotel, La Spezia – A stylish boutique hotel with modern rooms, excellent breakfasts, and an unbeatable location just a few minutes from La Spezia Centrale station. It’s one of the best-value bases for exploring Cinque Terre while enjoying better restaurants, easier logistics, and more accommodation choice.

Grand Hotel Portovenere, Portovenere – Set right on Portovenere’s waterfront inside a beautifully restored former monastery, this elegant five-star hotel combines classic Italian style with one of the finest locations on the Ligurian coast. Its terrace restaurant is a wonderful place to watch the boats come and go.

Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino – One of Italy’s most iconic hotels, perched high above Portofino with spectacular views across the harbour. Impeccable service, lush gardens, and beautifully appointed rooms make it an unforgettable splurge and an excellent choice if you’re combining Cinque Terre with a wider Ligurian itinerary.

Best Towns to Stay in Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre is made up of five villages strung along one of Italy’s most spectacular stretches of coastline: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

They’re all connected by a fast regional train, with journeys between neighbouring villages taking just a few minutes, making it easy to explore the entire national park from a single base.

Just beyond the park are the two gateway towns of Levanto to the north and La Spezia to the south. Both offer a much wider choice of hotels, easier parking, lower prices, and excellent train connections into the villages, making them popular alternatives, particularly in peak season.

If you’re only visiting for two or three days, I’d strongly recommend staying in one of the five villages to make the most of the quieter mornings and evenings, when Cinque Terre is at its most atmospheric.

My top picks are Monterosso al Mare and Manarola. Both have the strongest selection of hotels and guesthouses, plenty of restaurants, and make excellent bases for exploring the rest of the coastline. If you have longer or are travelling in high summer, splitting your stay between one of the villages and either Levanto or La Spezia also works well.

Monterosso al Mare

Best for: Beach days, more space, better hotel options, families

Monterosso is my top recommendation for where to stay in Cinque Terre, especially if it’s your first visit. It’s the largest of the five villages, which means you’ll find the widest choice of hotels, restaurants, and amenities, along with the only real sandy beach in the national park.

The village is split between a charming historic centre and a newer beachfront area, giving you plenty of options depending on the style of trip you’re after.

It’s also one of the easiest villages to navigate, especially with luggage. There are still hills and stairs, but far fewer than in villages like Manarola or Riomaggiore, making it a much better choice if you’re travelling with luggage or simply want a more relaxed stay.

Read more: The Insider’s Guide to Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre

The downside is that Monterosso can feel a little less atmospheric than some of the smaller villages and attracts plenty of beachgoers during the summer months. Even so, once the day trippers leave, it settles into a lovely evening atmosphere, and its excellent accommodation options make it one of the strongest all-round bases in Cinque Terre.

Accommodation Recommendations: Agriturismo Missanega, Hotel Porto Roca, Villa Pietrafiore

Vernazza

Best for: First-time visitors, couples, hikers, photographers, and anyone who wants to stay in Cinque Terre’s most iconic and atmospheric village.

If you’ve ever seen a postcard of Cinque Terre, there’s a good chance it was Vernazza. With its tiny harbour, colourful houses, and lively piazza spilling onto the waterfront, it’s easily the most photogenic of the five villages and one of the most atmospheric places to stay.

The biggest advantage is being able to experience Vernazza before the first trains arrive and after the crowds disappear. In the early morning and evening, it becomes a completely different place, and staying overnight lets you enjoy that quieter side. There are also plenty of excellent restaurants and wine bars packed into a very compact centre.

The trade-off is that accommodation is limited and books up incredibly quickly. Hotels are mostly small guesthouses and apartments rather than full-service properties, and reaching many of them involves climbing steep staircases.

Read more: The Complete Guide to Vernazza, Cinque Terre

Vernazza also gets some of the biggest daytime crowds in Cinque Terre, so if you visit in peak summer, expect the village to feel very busy from late morning until the afternoon.

Accommodation Recommendations: La Malà, Casa Catò

Corniglia

Best for: Repeat visitors, hikers

Perched high above the sea, Corniglia is the only one of the five villages that isn’t directly on the coastline. It sits atop a cliff, reached from the train station by the famous Lardarina, a staircase of nearly 400 steps, or by a shuttle bus that runs between the station and the village.

While Corniglia is undeniably charming, I generally don’t recommend staying here. Even with the shuttle bus, getting yourself and your luggage to your accommodation is more hassle than it’s worth, particularly if you’re arriving by train or moving between hotels. It’s also the smallest of the villages, with fewer restaurants, shops, and accommodation options than elsewhere in Cinque Terre.

Read more: The Complete Guide to Corniglia, Cinque Terre, Italy

That said, Corniglia has its own appeal. It’s noticeably quieter than the other villages, especially in the evenings, and offers some of the best panoramic views over the coastline. If you’ve visited Cinque Terre before or you’re looking for a slower, more local atmosphere away from the biggest crowds, it can be a rewarding choice.

Accommodation Recommendations: Locanda il Carugio

Manarola

Best for: couples, hikers, first-time travelers, a quieter overall experience

Manarola is my favourite village in Cinque Terre and one of the very best places to stay. It’s incredibly picturesque, with colourful houses tumbling down towards the harbour, dramatic cliffs, and some of the most memorable sunset views anywhere on the Ligurian coast. Despite its popularity, it still manages to feel intimate once the day trippers leave.

Accommodation here is stronger than in most of the other villages, with a handful of genuinely lovely boutique guesthouses, stylish apartments, and small hotels. There are plenty of excellent restaurants and wine bars, and it’s a fantastic base for exploring the rest of Cinque Terre by train.

The main drawback is the terrain. Like most of the villages, expect steep streets and plenty of steps, particularly if your accommodation sits higher up the hillside. It also gets very busy during the day, especially around the harbour, though the atmosphere changes completely in the evening when things quieten down.

Accommodation Recommendations: La Torretta Lodge

Read more: The Complete Guide to Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy

Riomaggiore

Best for: Younger travellers, swimmers, and anyone looking for a lively atmosphere with easy train access

Riomaggiore is the southernmost village in Cinque Terre and has a lively, energetic atmosphere. Its colourful houses, steep main street, and picturesque harbour make it one of the region’s most recognisable spots, and it’s particularly popular with younger travellers thanks to its bars and evening buzz.

The harbour is also one of the best places in Cinque Terre for swimming, with flat rocks perfect for sunbathing and easy access into the crystal-clear water.

Read more: The Essential Guide to Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

Personally, I found Riomaggiore the hardest village to enjoy during the middle of the day. Its narrow streets simply don’t cope well with the volume of visitors, and it can feel crowded and overwhelming in peak season. If you stay here, the best moments are early in the morning and after most of the day trippers have gone home.

Accommodation is a mix of guesthouses, apartments, and small hotels, but like elsewhere in Cinque Terre, expect plenty of steep streets and stairs to reach many properties.

Accommodation Recommendations: The Sunset Line, Hotel Marina Piccola

La Spezia

Best for: Budget travellers, road trippers who need parking, families, and anyone looking for the most convenient base with easy train connections.

Now onto the two gateway towns of the Cinque Terre. First up is La Spezia, the main transport hub for the region and one of the most practical places to stay. While it lacks the postcard charm of the five villages, it’s only around five minutes by train to Riomaggiore and offers a huge advantage when it comes to logistics.

La Spezia has by far the widest choice of accommodation, from budget guesthouses to stylish boutique hotels, along with good restaurants, supermarkets, parking, and much better value than staying inside the national park. It’s also an excellent base if you’re planning to explore beyond Cinque Terre, with easy access to Portovenere, the Gulf of Poets, and even Pisa or Lucca as day trips.

The obvious downside is that you miss the magic of waking up inside one of the villages. You’ll also be travelling into Cinque Terre alongside the day trippers each morning (unless you get going really early), rather than already being there before the crowds arrive.

Accommodation Recommendations: The Poet Hotel, Hotel Firenze e Continentale, Le Ville Relais

Levanto

Best for: Longer stays, road trips, families, and travellers looking for better value

Levanto is another good gateway town and one of the best alternatives to staying inside Cinque Terre. Just one train stop north of Monterosso, it has a broad sandy beach, an attractive historic centre, and a much wider choice of hotels and apartments than the five villages.

It also feels far more like a real Ligurian town, with a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of excellent local restaurants.

It’s a particularly good choice if you’re driving, as parking is much easier than within the national park, or if you’re planning a longer stay and want more space, better value, and easier logistics. The train journey into Monterosso takes just a few minutes, making day trips effortless.

Much like La Spezia, the trade-off is that you’ll miss the unique experience of staying within Cinque Terre itself. You’ll be arriving alongside many of the day trippers each morning rather than already being there before the crowds.

Accommodation Recommendations: Park Hotel Argento, Hotel Palazzo Vannoni

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