Cinque Terre in 3 days

The largest village, with the park's main sandy beach, anchovy shops in the old town and the Gigante statue carved into the rock at Fegina.

The cliff path linking the five villages; the Monterosso to Vernazza stretch takes about two hours of steep ups and downs above the sea.

A tiny harbour framed by ochre houses, a church at the water's edge and a watchtower above; the harbour square is best at aperitivo time.

Set 100 metres above the sea on a vine-covered headland with no direct sea access, so quieter; its lanes lead to the Santa Maria viewpoint.

Pastel tower houses tumble down to a rocky cove where locals dive; the view from Punta Bonfiglio at sunset is the classic Cinque Terre picture.

The cliff path between Manarola and Riomaggiore reopened in 2024 after more than ten years of work: an easy twenty-minute walk above the sea.

The steepest village, its main street dropping between walls of coloured houses to a tiny marina; at dusk photographers gather on the jetty.

Genoese tower houses below Doria Castle, San Pietro church on its wave-battered rock and Byron's Grotto, all within a UNESCO-listed site.