Visiting the Cinque Terre: when to go, budget and itinerary

Monterosso, furthest north, is the only one with a real sandy beach and hotels. Vernazza, the most photogenic, is built around a natural harbour. Corniglia, perched 100 metres above the sea, is reached by 382 steps or a shuttle. Manarola drops to a rocky inlet where people dive in, and Riomaggiore, to the south, has the best sunset from its harbour. Half a day per village is plenty.

The Sentiero Azzurro, the coastal path, links the villages in 5 to 6 hours in total, but sections often close after heavy rain: check the day's status before setting off. The Cinque Terre Card, around 18 euros a day, covers the paid trails and unlimited train travel. Higher up, the ridge paths (no. 1) are free, harder, shaded and empty, with views over the whole coast.

From Easter to October, a boat service runs along the coast and stops in four of the five villages: it is the finest approach and an alternative to the packed train. For swimming, Monterosso has sand, the others rocks and ladders. Portovenere and Palmaria island, at the southern end of the listed site, are reached by boat from Riomaggiore or La Spezia.

The dry-stone terraces, some 7000 kilometres of walls in total, produce a dry white wine and a rare straw wine, sciacchetra, best tasted in a village enoteca for around 6 euros a glass. Local cooking centres on trofie with pesto, Monterosso salted anchovies and focaccia eaten warm from the oven. Expect 15 to 25 euros for a seafood pasta with a sea view, noticeably more in Vernazza in high season, where a harbour-front table is booked days ahead.