Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre in Italy: where to sleep, what to do ?

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre in Italy: where to sleep, what to do ?

Last update : 20/08/2023

Riomaggiore is the first village of the Cinque Terre, on the La Spezia side. Riomaggiore was one of our favorite villages in Cinque Terre, along with Manarola. This ancient fishing village was founded in the 8th century (yes, nothing less 😱). The funny thing is that it looks as if the village’s little houses are propped up against each other, as if to keep from falling over. The facades of this village are painted in bright colors, from yellow, orange or red.

We arrived via Riomaggiore Station, late in the day. Although the village is quite small, it is separated into two parts, the “heights” part of the town and the jetty part, from where you’ll have a superb view of the village. To reach the heart of Riomaggiore, simply cross a tunnel (157 meters long) which you access as soon as you exit the Station.

Summary

Visiting Riomaggiore, where to stay?

Pepita Di Rio

This duplex apartment offers stunning views and a bright, clean ambience. The large terrace is bathed in morning sunshine and has a table and sun loungers for relaxing. The place is ideal for a couple, but might be a little small for three or four people over a long period. Another great thing about this place: the famous “Il Rio Bistrot” restaurant, awarded a Michelin star in 2019, is just 20 meters from the apartment

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What to do in Riomaggiore

1. Riomaggiore pier

The promenade isn’t huge, as the village is relatively small. Climb to the heights of the jetty, and you’ll have a fairly distant view of the village to enjoy all its colors. The view “from the sea” is by far the best for admiring Riomaggiore. 😍
We advise you to go to Riomaggiore at the end of the day to see the sunset on the colorful facades of the village houses. The result was magnificent, as the houses are all in reds and oranges. We had settled on the rocks near the water to enjoy the sunset, an unforgettable moment!

2. Riomaggiore’s downtown streets

The town is really small, like all the villages of the Five Lands for that matter. This was one of the things that surprised us most at the start of our stay. You’ll have circumnavigated each village in no more than 2 hours! If you climb to the very top of the street, you’ll be able to admire Riomaggiore Castle and the church of Saint Jean Baptiste from afar.

3. Riomaggiore Castle

Riomaggiore Castle was built in 1260 by village lords. Of the original construction, which dates back a little 🤪, the two round towers still remain. It has been renovated over the years and is now mainly used for exhibitions. You can get there very easily from the town center or from the train station, simply climb a stone staircase and follow the signs.

4. Hiking in Riomaggiore, the Via Dell’Amore

Normally, you can take the superb hike ” Via Dell ‘Amore “, which links Riomaggiore and Manarola. It’s a very pleasant trail, and the shortest of all the Cinq Terre trails (allow 25 minutes for the hike). At the time of our visit, the trail was closed for renovation, but will reopen in 2021. But in the meantime, in 2019, the first meters of the Manarola side, should reopen! This path, known as the “lovers’ path”, was carved out of the rock in 1926. When it reopens, go ahead and tell us if it’s worth it! 😉

5. Parc Naturel des Cinq Terre

Riomaggiore, like the other 4 villages of the Cinque Terre is in the Cinque Terre Natural Park and the sea is protected all around. It is said that rare animals can be found here… Well, we didn’t see any! But fishermen are forbidden to go there, as there are said to be dolphins and even … whales! We hope you’ll be luckier than us and catch a glimpse.

6. Cinque Terre vineyards

The Cinque Terre produce a lot of white wine, rather dry. The village heights are covered with grape varieties! We discovered a whole little metal circuit which is actually used by the winemaker to move around and catch all the grapes in this very hilly area, great to see.
You can get a better idea of the breadth of grape varieties by doing one of the hikes between the villages of the Cinque Terre!

Visiting Riomaggiore, where to eat?

Il pescato Cucinato

This address in the city center offers fried fish cones, shrimp, calamari but also small fried vegetables. 🐠All with a glass of white wine as an aperitif. Don’t forget to book, as the address is quite coveted, and understandably so: seeing people walk past with their cones in hand makes you want to 😋

Plan to go early to avoid the queues, and be careful after 8pm, there’s not much left! Count €6 for a small cone and €8 for a large one. An affordable alternative for a meal in the heart of the Cinq Terre. 😋

Visiting Riomaggiore, how to organize your trip well?

How to get to Riomaggiore

To find the best mode of transport to your destination, we recommend you always look on the OMIO comparator. This will give you an overview of all available modes of transport. You’ll be able to compare prices very easily.

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How to find the best hotels to visit Riomaggiore and the Cinque Terre

In order to find the best hotels and benefit from the best conditions (security, cancellation…) we go almost exclusively through Booking.com for our trips. We recommend that you take a look at the available hotels before you leave. You can filter them according to their ratings. The customer reviews are very numerous and recent, which means you can avoid unpleasant surprises when traveling!

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