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Why Vernazza is the best town in the Cinque Terre. And thoughts on Rampant Tourism

Why Vernazza is the best town in the Cinque Terre

Why Vernazza is the best town in the Cinque Terre.

Vernazza, one of the 5 villages in the Cinque Terre, is idyllic in many ways. In other ways it is another example of rampant tourism.

Geographically it is gorgeous. The town is built up on the steep cliffs that surround the harbor. Pastel colored houses, small windy alleys decorated with potted plants, laundry hung out to dry from green-shuttered windows. A small fort on the harbor. It is a walker’s delight, each alley seems to bring yet another beautiful view on the town and harbor. A photographer’s dream, Vernazza is ideal, picture-perfect Italy. in our opinion it is the prettiest town in the Cinque Terra (Rick Steves agrees with us).

 

harbor in Vernazza, Italy. Why Vernazza is the best town in the Cinque Terre

views of Vernazza. Why Vernazza is the best town in the Cinque Terre

views of Vernazza. Why Vernazza is the best town in the Cinque Terre

 


 

 

The problem is that it is far from being undiscovered. There are lots of tourists, especially on weekends, but also on weekdays when daytrippers come in. Only on weekday evenings do you get a sense of what Vernazza was like before mass tourism. Forget about trying to find a room last minute – I booked 3 months in advance and even then I had many rejections before finding anything. Restaurants and bars are jam packed at mid-day with daytrippers, you may even have to make a reservation to sit down for lunch.

stairs in Vernazza, Italy. Why Vernazza is the best town in the Cinque Terre

views in Vernazza, Italy

views of Vernazza, sunset

 


 

.
Anyway, forgetting about all the tourists we still really enjoyed Vernazza. It is a beautiful spot, one of the most beautiful anywhere. We climbed a lot of steps, took tons of photos, and drank beer / wine / expressos while people-gazing. The gelatos were also great. Vernazza was still many of the things I expected coming here.

 

 

Below: Lots more photos. I couldn’t stop taking them here.

canon views, Vernazza. Why Vernazza is the best town in the Cinque Terre

pretty town of Vernazza Italy

Drinking wine in Vernazza, Italy

 


 

 

harbor Vernazza, Italy

colors in Vernazza

colorful Vernazza Italy


harbor views, Vernazza Italy

 


 

 

Practical Information:

I really, really recommend staying at least one night in Vernazza and seeing the town after all the day trippers have left. We stayed at Alessandro Carro Affittacamere which was good (not great, but good). A few recommendations: Affittacamere Elisabetta (good prices, comfortable place, incredible views), La Polena – Affittacamere (much of the same views but higher end), MaDa Charm Apartment Terrace & Carugio (in the heart of the town, high end, very nice). Finding a place in Vernazza can be difficult so book early.

Organized Tours. You really can’t stay a night in Vernazza? Then I recommend taking an organized tour.

 

 

Have you been to Vernazza?

 


 

 

Related: A Local’s Travel Guide to Italy

Related: 3 Days in Florence

Related: 12 Surprising Places to See (that you may never have heard of)

 


Ps. If you find our blog helpful, please consider using our links to book your flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals. Have a look at our Travel Resources page.

 

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Filed Under: EUROPE, ITALY

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Celina Fox

    May 28, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    What amazing photographs! We have three nights in the Cinque Terra towards the end of June and would have made it longer except for all the accounts of how touristy and crowded the area now is. I hope the beauty of the area will make up for the jadedness of the locals though – I will let you know if this is the case. Thanks for making such a lovely blog.

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      May 29, 2015 at 11:12 am

      Hi Celina. Please let me know how you find it, it’s been a few years since we went. I think you’ll love how pretty it is though 🙂

      Reply
  2. Paula Wheeler

    April 28, 2015 at 10:31 pm

    I intentionally bypassed Cinque Terra & Positano when I went to Italy – not because I do not want to see them, but because I want to experience them with my guy – when I have one (lol) – it’s just a romance thing. Fantastic photo’s – sure makes it hard to wait! BTW, I found Italy in at the end of Sept into Oct a great time to visit – low tourist season and great weather.

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      April 29, 2015 at 6:54 am

      Thanks Paula. You’re right, we really enjoyed visiting both Prague and Split in April. Low season is actually a very good time to see Europe. Shame about Cinque Terra, hope you get to go. Maybe you should go by yourself, you might meet a nice Italian gentleman like that guy standing there outside the cafe with a glass of wine in his hand 😉

      Reply
  3. Amy Timoney

    April 28, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    Sad to hear about this. When my friends and I went while backpacking after we graduated college in 2001, it was still quaint and filled with very friendly people and the food was A-mazing (not to mention the samples of different flavors of grappa as well as their local white wine). I can still taste the foccacia made in the tiny shops in the villages of the Cinque Terre. It is still stunning, thankfully, as evidenced in your wonderful photos.

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      April 28, 2015 at 5:49 pm

      That sounds really nice Amy…hmm, I wonder if still like that in the off-season? Unfortunately was so packed with tourists and the quality was mostly blah..Just beautiful though.
      Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂

      Reply
  4. Corinne

    February 27, 2015 at 7:37 am

    I’ve not been to Cinque Terre, mainly because I think it will be too touristy…I like less-known places…but I have to admit. It is gorgeous!

    Reply
  5. Lori

    July 18, 2014 at 8:37 am

    Wow – this is a truly spectacular photo essay. Loved it!

    Reply
    • admin

      July 18, 2014 at 12:22 pm

      Thanks Lori!

      Reply
  6. Valen-This Way Paradise

    July 9, 2014 at 2:47 am

    Yes, the tourists for me made it the worst place I’ve ever visited. I guess I’m lucky!! And, for me, the food has a lot to do with how much I enjoy a place, and I found it quite terrible here. We definitely had similar experiences.

    Reply
  7. Sherry

    April 22, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    Now you have me really jealous!!! I was only able to explore one town, thinking that a day trip would be enough for us. So far I’ve seen Monterosso. Wish I could explore all four of them, particularly Riomaggiore for its cliff sides. The Italian Rivera is so quintessential Italy.

    Reply
  8. Helen Anne Travis

    January 11, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    Beautiful photos. We stayed in Riomaggiore while visiting Cinque. It’s not quite as popular as Vernazza. Still, the village was so much more pleasant in the evenings when all the daytrippers left.

    Reply
  9. Mandy

    September 22, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    That’s really interesting! We visited on a rainy afternoon in March and I found Vernazza to be charming and the locals helpful in letting us in out of the rain and serving us food during the afternoon break. Now that I’ve read your account I will definitely make sure to visit out of season again – anything to escape the hoards of tourists! It is definitely true that tourism and overseas visitors are beginning to ruin certain places but I guess these places become popular for a reason.

    Reply
    • admin

      September 22, 2013 at 7:13 pm

      Thanks Mandy – I think next time we’ll go in the off-season. I’ve never been to Europe in the winter, would love to see with snow on the ground. And yes, people always friendlier towards tourists when there’s less of us around 🙂

      Reply
  10. Marina K. Villatoro

    August 16, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    Sometimes I hate reading travel blogs, I’m constantly seeing these unbelievably storylike places that I’m dying to go to yesterday, but know I’m not possible to see until we’re ready for that part of the world!

    Gorgeous town.

    Reply
    • admin

      August 16, 2013 at 2:35 pm

      Hi Marina, I started reading your comment and thought “yikes, she hates my blog…” I’m sorry I brought travel lust to your heart, I’m sure you’ll get out there someday!

      Reply
  11. Jennifer

    August 15, 2013 at 3:02 pm

    Cinque Terre is pretty, but it isn’t my favorite place in Italy. It’s definitely not the off-the-beaten-path gem that Rick Steve’s professed it was many years ago.

    Reply
    • admin

      August 15, 2013 at 3:26 pm

      I agree Jennifer, definitely not off the beaten path. But so beautiful!

      Reply

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Hi! We are Frank & Lissette from Canada. We sold our home in 2014 and have been travelling the world ever since.

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