The third largest town on the Cinque Terre, Vernazza is considered by many travellers to be one of the most beautiful towns on the coast. Nestled in a narrow valley, the town drops gently along one main street from the vine-covered hills to a small rocky peninsula. On it, an 11th-century castle rises among pastel-coloured houses with a beautiful view of the sea.
Vernazza's beauty and popularity comes with its downsides - in high season and at weekends, you'll find yourself wandering the streets of the town along with the crowds of other tourists.
Best sightseeing
Cinque Terre is all about beautiful views, and Vernazza is one of the places where you'll enjoy the best. We bring you 3 tips for the best views in Vernazza:
- The walking trail to Monterosso (view map) - the most popular view appearing on many promotional materials. From a height of about 60 metres you will have the harbour with its colourful houses, Doria Castle and the church of Santa Margherita in the palm of your hand.
- From the watchtower (show map) - the view directly from the other side can be seen from the small watchtower (about 80 metres above Vernazza) at the beginning of the hiking trail to Corniglia
- From the harbour (show map) - a popular view of the colourful centre with its church is from the harbour
Sights
Vernazza has two main landmarks. The most visible one, towering on a 70-metre-high cliff above the sea and the historic centre, is the medieval Castello Doria Vernazza.
A defensive fortress stood here as early as the 11th century, while the current form of the castle, used mainly by the Pisans, probably dates from the 13th to 14th centuries. You can visit the castle for a fee 1,50 eur or just enjoy the divine views of the sea.
The other landmark of the town is the originally Romanesque church of San Margherita, dating from the 11th century and rebuilt in the 18th century, one wall of which grows right out of the sea shore.
Accommodation
Thanks to its central location on the Cinque Terre, Vernazza is a popular and surprisingly the cheapest place to stay. Even so, prices in high season are in the range of 92 eur 147 eur per night in a 2-bed room.
The vast majority of offers are private apartments and guesthouses, there is only one classic hotel Gianni Franzi **.
Of the best value for money accommodation we would recommend the guesthouse Vernazza Vacation right in the centre or the DonnaBarbara apartment in the harbour.
Beaches and swimming
Vernazza is not the best destination for a beach holiday. Right in the centre you'll find a very small sandy beach by the harbour, which is only good for getting your feet wet at most, while under the high cliff east of the centre you can stop at a small very rocky beach with a rocky entrance to the water.
However, we recommend visiting the latter beach, if only because it has an interesting natural tunnel through a massive rock.
How to get there?
All the villages in the Cinque Terre can be reached mainly by train, the track here is mostly tunnelled, as is Vernazza station. Its entire platform is located in a tunnel, except for a short central section located on a bridge over the main street.
The Vernazza station is practically right in the centre of the village, and you can walk to the sea in about 5 minutes.
Only Trenitalia trains run here, you can find connections and buy tickets online at trenitalia.com or on the Trenitalia mobile app (Google Play / App Store). For regional trains, which are the vast majority to Vernazza, just buy tickets from the ticket machine at the station.
- Pisa - 1-2 times per hour always with a change in La Spezia, the journey takes around 2 hours and costs from 9,20 eur, from March to November 15,20 eur
- Genoa - 1-2 times per hour usually with a change in Sestri Levante, journey takes about 1.5 to 2 hours and costs from 14 eur
- La Spezia - 1-2 times per hour, the journey takes up to 20 minutes and costs 2,70 eur, from March to November 10 eur
- Manarola - 1x per hour, the journey takes 7 minutes and costs 2,40 eur, from March to November 10 eur
- Corniglia - 1x per hour, takes 3 minutes and costs 2,10 eur, from March to November 10 eur
- Riomaggiore - 1x per hour, takes 10 minutes and costs 2,40 eur, from March to November 10 eur
- Monterosso al Mare - 1x per hour, takes 4 minutes and costs 2,10 eur, from March to November 10 eur
- Milan - about once every 2 hours the fastest connection (3.5 hours) with a change in Levanto from 12,60 eur, from March to November 22 eur and above
What to see around
Discover all the places to see in Cinque Terre.
