As the weather turns cold, and the snow flies (yes you read that right , it’s only October 3rd and we’ve already had a dump of snow) I often find myself daydreaming of my Italian adventure.  I don’t know if you understand just how magical that trip really was.  Perhaps it was the fact that Kammy and I are like soul sisters, that we were in the most beautiful places in Italy, or that we both have been through a lot this past year… either way it was unlike any trip I’ve ever been on.  I hope these city/travel guides inspire you to save your pennies and spend your money on adventures and experiences not things.

A while ago I did a poll on my Instagram asking if you guys liked a narrative or quick to-the-point style of blog and the majority said to-the-point.  I get it, we’re all busy so I will try to make this as short and to the point as possible but you know me, I’m a bit of a chatterbox so it’s a little mix of the two!

Cinque Terre Travel Guide

Where we stayed:
If you’re not aware, Cinque Terre is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. In each of the 5 towns you’ll find colourful houses and vines that cling to steep terraces, harbours that are filled with fishing boats and restaurants that turn out the most epic seafood pasta.  As amazing as it would have been to stay in one of the 5 towns we decided against it simply because it was a lot more expensive.  So, my sister/ travel agent suggested we stay in La Spezia, a small town a short train or boat ride away from the 5 towns.  We ended up booking a package that included 3 nights at the hotel (CDH Hotel La Spezia) unlimited transportation by train between Levanto and La Spezia and the use of an ecological shuttle between the five villages.  We took the train between the towns and it wasn’t that expensive, I would suggest doing the same. It also included 2 breakfasts, and 2 dinners.  Although we decided to opt out on the dinners as we didn’t want to cut our days short in the 5 towns, I would say this package was still well worth it.  This package cost $368 per person… very reasonable if you ask me.  If you’re interested in learning more about this I would suggest messaging my travel agent, she was very helpful with the entire process.

How we got around:
So if you’ve been following along on this recap city by city, you may be wondering how we got from Florence to Cinque Terre.  The answer is  by  train.  We originally thought we would fly but when it came down to it we decided against it to save some money and I’m happy we did.  The train was easy, affordable and it made for some pretty hilarious travel adventures!

The first time we went out to explore the 5 towns we took a boat and I would suggest doing the same thing as you can get some pretty amazing views!  After that we stuck to the train.

Where to eat:
Everywhere! Haha, I know it sounds so cliche but it’s true… it is pretty hard to get a bad meal in Italy.  Typically I will spend a lot of time researching places I want to eat, but this time we didn’t and we had some of the best meals ever.  We spent the day exploring and when we felt hungry we would find a spot near where we were and we ate there.  We did end up going to this restaurant twice because it was so delicious and it had a pretty epic view.  If you want dinner with the BEST view of the sunset in Manarola check out Nessun Dorma Cinque Terre.  Kammy and I decided to pass as the wait was so long both times we went but we heard nothing but amazing things about it!

What to do:
Explore, take a million pictures, swim in the ocean, meet new people, and go dancing!  Again, Kammy and I didn’t really have too much planned this trip.  We just new we wanted to relax, take it al in, have some laughs, eat some delicious food, drinks some great wine and see what adventures we could find!  I would suggest checking out all 5 towns though as they are all a little different but other than that don’t plan too much.  Let the day and the people you meet guide your adventures- relax and go with the flow!


I hope this inspires you to head  to Cinque Terre! You won’t regret it! If you’ve already been, I’d love to hear about your favourite spots in this beautiful region!