The best Cinque Terre photo spots
Last Updated on 18th February 2022
Cinque Terre is a beautiful stretch of coastline in north west Italy comprising the five small coastal villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. Each village has its own special character. From the extensive sandy beach resort of Monterosso al Mare, to the pretty harbour village of Vernazza. From the quiet rocky cliff-perched village of Corniglia, to Manarola with its iconic photo location looking back across the bay. Finally Riomaggiore with its pretty harbour and pebble beach. All five villages make for great Cinque Terre photo spots.
All five villages lie within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the ‘Cinque Terre National Park’. From top to bottom takes just 14 minutes by local train, cutting through tunnnels within the mountainside. Alternatively there are numerous boat trips between them.
The whole area has become a Mecca for photographers, bloggers and THAT “picture postcard” view in Manarola? With inspiration from Polkadot Passport and Route Perfect Blog we went to seek out those coveted best photograph spots for ourselves. The camera I used for the images below is a Fuji X-T10, superseded now by both the X-T20 and XT-30
… and I’d love to personally answer any questions you may have about this post! 🙂
Buy some of these Cinque Terre prints in my Etsy shop
Thinking that some of the images in this post might look good on your wall? Then you’re in luck! I’m now selling 12″ x 8″ unframed versions of the Manarola, Vernazza and Riomaggiore prints on high quality FB Distinction paper in my Biggsytravels Etsy shop.
ArbaSpáa is my preferred partner in Cinque Terre for trips and hotels. Click on the logo below to see what they have to offer.
Monterosso al Mare photo spots
Monterosso al Mare is the most northern of the five villages but is only a short train ride away from the others. As it’s the only sandy beach resort in the area so it’s time to take some symmetrical beach parasol shots looking out to sea and leave the narrow alleyway and harbour shots to the other villages as you head south along the coast.
The toughest leg of the “half -open” walking trail is from Montorosso to Vernazza. As you begin to climb out of town you’ll have a few chances to take photos looking back towards the beach through gaps in the hedges. Just wipe the sweat from your eyes before taking aim.
Vernazza photo spots
The walk is amazing in its own right. However a key shot is towards the end of the walking leg from Monterosso al Mare after about 1.5h as you descend down into Vernazza. There are a few designated viewing platforms (normally with a short queue). But we found this section below the telegraph wires with the top of the castle below the horizon being the best spot.
You can’t miss the village’s Castello di Vernazza castle and you can climb up it too for a small fee. Perfect for some panoramic shots! This one was taken on my iPhone.
Afterwards you can stroll down and along the harbour wall. Look back towards town with its lovely array of boats in the foreground.
Buy a 12″ x 8″ unframed version of this Vernazza print in my Biggsytravels Etsy shop.
Corniglia photo spots
We didn’t walk the extra 1.5h from Vernazza to Corniglia so this photo comes from Route Perfect Blog instead. We took the short 5 minute train ride from Vernazza. In doing so so missed this lovely shot of the hillside as walkers approach it.
Once in Corniglia there are some nice pictures of the shop frontages, displaying among things lots of yellow lemon bath soaps! Wiggle through the streets and you come to a school playground and then up some steps (Google link) you sit atop the cliff edge looking straight down to the sea or across to Manarola in the distance.
Manarola photo spots
Manarola contains THE shot that has made the region famous and was ultimately the reason that we headed to Cinque Terre in the first place. Our minds were made up when my friend Rob blogged at hornblowertravels that it was his favourite place in the whole wide world! A bold statement so we had to find out for ourselves. Check out the key location for amazing Cinque Terre photo spots in the image below.
Some of the best viewpoints in Manarola
PLEASE NOTE number (3). This is the Cimitero di Manarola (Manarola cemetery). In Italian culture cemeteries are considered a sacred place where people pray and pay respect to the dead. Certain codes of conduct are required (and expected); no one speaks aloud, no food or beverages are consumed and NO PHOTOS are taken. Please act responsibly (and respectfully) and follow these rules.
So where is the “key” Manarola place to stand?
Opposite the main bank of pastel-coloured town buildings is a walkway that takes you around the headland. These photos below were all taken at (1) on the main walkway below the Nessun Dorma bar (2). Some people instead took their photos on the tip of the headland. We moved a bit further down the slope so we could get closer to the sea wall. The view of the buildings in Manarola changes throughout the day of course.
The Nessun Dorma bar (2) is a great place to take a photo. Try a strawberry smoothie while you cool down thanks to the fence-mounted mist sprays. There’s no bad spot here either!
The view of the bay gets the most attention of course. However just around the headland is a barrier where you can look out to sea. Also watch the sunset if you’re not too preoccupied with all those pastel-coloured buildings!
Riomaggiore photo spots
Another harbour town but with slightly more going on compared to Manarola. Also it has the benefit of a small pebbley beach when photo time is over.
It also provides another of the best Cinque Terre photo spots! I loved this one from the seawall looking back towards town with a few boats bobbing around on the foreground. Take some shots later in the evening to catch some softer colours and increase the chance of there being more boats in the foreground.
Buy a 12″ x 8″ unframed version of this Riomaggiore print in my Biggsytravels Etsy shop.
Head up to the Castello di Riomaggiore to take a nice shot down onto the town. Plus at the Castello’s base there’s a chilled out viewing spot with some steps, by a cross under the welcome shade of some trees.
Cinque Terre photo spots … in summary
Cinque Terre is gorgeous and I can see why my pal Hornblowertravels has it as his favourite place in the world. We went to Cinque Terre at the very beginning of June. This was just before peak season and certainly encountered busy train stations during the day.
However by staying in one of the villages overnight you can enjoy the early evening and sunset relatively undisturbed. All the hordes of day-trippers from Pisa and Florence have gone home by then. This is perfect for photography really as that’s when you’ll most likely be taking all of your best shots! But do check out my other post about going up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
… and of course there are may other Cinque Terre photo spots out on the boats as well as off of the main routes between the villages where you can take great pictures that nobody else will have! Advice from local tour operators like ArbaSPáa is to stay a little longer so you can view more of the hidden gems rather than just seeing the same sights as everybody else 🙂
Happy adventures and let me know if you find some even better Cinque Terre photo spots?!
Check out my tips on taking better starburst and sunset photos too 🙂
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The question would be, is there a bad spot to take pics there? 🤔 seems like it’s gorgeous from every angle 😍
Yes it was certainly very beautiful! The Amalfi Coast nearby sounds amazing too. That might be the next place to go. Although even though these are the most common places to take pics sometimes it can be nice to find your own special locations that nobody else knows about too 🙂
Amalfi coast is spectacular!
I have been there last month! What was your favorite terre? Please give me your opinion on my photos 😊
I probably favoured Manarola and Vernazza but they’re all lovely in their own way. WIll check out your pics
Absolutely love that shot of Manarola at sunset!
Glad you liked it Becky. We literally sat there for hours watching the scenary change
Thank you for your information. We will be in Cinque Terre in August, peak time. We have 3 nights. Do you suggest a sunset boat tour for pics or best to stick to the paths
Hi Margie – We didn’t go on the boat … but wish we had 🙂 A lot of them sail to Portovenere which is 10km or so east along the coast. That place looks beautiful too and a sunset cruise would be amazing I’m sure. Most people on foot like to see the sunset at Manarola (lots of enthusiasts with tripods) as the buildings go through all the colours of the rainbow as the sun goes down. Not sure about boat availability at peak times so be mindful of booking in advance maybe nearer the time?
Do I need a cinque Terre card to access the photo shot areas that you posted of Manarola or Vernazza (looking bottom to the view) and how long is the walk from each of the train stations? Thanks.
Hi Nigel – according to https://www.tripsavvy.com/cinque-terre-cards-1547267 “if you plan only to visit the villages but not use any of the connecting paths, then you do not need the card. Therefore all views in my post are accessible WITHOUT the card except for the 2nd ‘Monterosso al Mare’ view (with the green vines in the foreground), the 1st ‘Vernazza’ view (looking down onto the harbour below) and the 1st ‘Corniglia’ view (surrounded by green mountains).
Here’s some approximate timings too 1). Monterosso al Mare train station to beach = 1 minute walk. To the viewpoint = 20 minutes walk (plus CT card). 2). Vernazza train station to Castello di Vernazza/harbour = 4 minutes walk. To the Vernazza viewpoint = 8 minutes walk (plus CT card). 3). Corniglia train station to the long distance shot = unknown (plus CT card). To the ocean shot = 20 minutes (but includes a pretty STEEP and long staircase). 4). Manarola train station to all its shots = 9-11 minutes walk. 5), Riomaggiore train station to harbour/Castello di Riomaggiore = 8-10 minutes. Hope that helps 🙂
Thanks for your reply Biggsy, I am pretty much tight on my schedule. We plan to start our day early from Florence and same day we have a flight back to London from Pisa Airport so we have to make it back at Pisa by 4.30pm. As from what I have researched, the trail from Riomaggiore – Manarola – Corniglia is closed until 2021. However the rest of the hiking paths Corniglia – Vernazza -Monterosso) are still open. I am not sure if I’ll get time to hike those paths as they are around 1.5hours each.
I am more into exploring Riomaggiore, Manarola and Vernazza by train as I believe I can cover it all more faster. As for Riomaggiore I wouldn’t need a CT card to take photos at viewing spots however with Manarola I am aware that part of the hiking trail is still open and I believe this hiking trail was number 1 box in your above post. The box1, box2 and box3 are all free viewpoints (no need of CT card) is that correct? If so I believe I would only need a CT card for the Vernazza viewpoint looking down at the harbour.
I have also researched and found that trains are usually on strike and to check it on https://www.cgsse.it/web/guest/scioperi-in-tempo-reale I cant see anywhere on this website if there will be a strike. I will be going to CT on 27th sep 2019.
I believe I have pretty much planned my itinerary except for where to eat. I will be trying out Nessun Dorma (hopefully I dont have to wait in a queue for long) but is there any other restaurants you would suggest or which towns have good restaurants? I am a big fan of seafood and Italian cuisine,
Thanks again. Really appreciate your responses and helping me understand.
Hi Nigel – glad I could help. Yes … you would only need a CT card for the Vernazza viewpoint looking down at the harbour. There “may” be other benefits to buying the card too like free buses (rather than the train) but you would need to check this yourself. It’s been 2 years since we were last there but I’m sure there will be a LOT of great restaurants. Nessun Dorma was lovely and of course has THAT view 🙂
Thanks. That was very helpful information.
Love all these spots! Wish we could visit there sometime soon.
Likewise! Seems very strange not being “allowed” to go somewhere rather than just it being a case of no money or no holiday from work left which are the usual reasons:)