Our 4 Favorite Beaches in Cinque Terre Italy
We recently returned from visiting Cinque Terre, Italy as a family, and we had a great time. Cinque Terre has been on my mind for YEARS but I was too intimidated to try visiting with kids.
However, after hours and hours of research, I realized we could combine walking through villages with time at the beach, and I booked our tickets.
We spent 3 days in the Cinque Terre, walking through the villages, completing this super cute Cinque Terre scavenger hunt and spent time in the water EVERY DAY. Our kids had a blast, and spending time at the different beaches in Cinque Terre, Italy helped us enjoy our time way more than if we hadn’t played at the beach at all (this goes for both the kids and us adults).
In this post, I’m not going to cover every single place to get in the water in the Cinque Terre. Rather, I’m going to cover our favorite beaches/the ones that I feel are worth your time.
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Things to Know For a Good Time At These Cinque Terre Beaches
- Most of the beaches are VERY PEBBLY (with some smaller sections of sand). Our kids didn’t mind, but as adults, it was pretty miserable not having water shoes. I HIGHLY recommend packing some sandals/shoes that you can get wet.
- Boat trips are an amazing way to swim and snorkel in the Cinque Terre. We have friends who visited the Cinque Terre with kids, and their highlight was a Cinque Terre boat trip past all of the villages with stops for swimming and snorkeling + focaccia snacks and other goodies. To see available boat trips in the Cinque Terre, I suggest checking out Viator and Get Your Guide.
- Always bring along your swimsuit. The Cinque Terre gets HOT. We visited in May, and temperatures were nowhere near what they reach in July/August, and we were still pretty hot. Even if you aren’t planning to visit the beach one day, throw your swimsuit in your bag just in case you change your mind.
- Some of the beaches offer umbrella rentals while others don’t. If that’s important to you, you’ll want to visit the Monterroso al Mare beach.
- If you love cliff jumping, visit the Manarola Harbor! One of the beaches on this list is more of a boat ramp surrounded by giant rocks that you can jump from. It’s so fun!
Map of our favorite Cinque Terre Beaches
*Use this interactive map to discover our favorite Cinque Terre beaches. Click on the full-screen icon in the top right corner to have this map open in your own Google Maps app or click on the arrow in the top left corner to see a pullout list of all points on the map*
The 4 Best Cinque Terre Beaches (in our Opinion) + 1 Extra Nearby Beach!
As I mentioned above, this is NOT an all-inclusive list of where to swim in Cinque Terre, Italy. There are a couple of additional random beaches, but these are the ones that I think are the best beaches in Cinque Terre.
For example, there is another beach I’ve seen mentioned that is covered in boulders that you have to perch atop (could be cool, but not ideal). And you occasionally run into recommendations for a hidden, potentially nudist beach, which isn’t our jam.
All that being said, here are the top Cinque Terre swimming spots that we recommend!
1. Monterosso Beach
If you’re looking for the most traditionally beachy of beaches in the Cinque Terre, Monterosso Beach is the one for you!
Monterosso Old Town (Monterosso al Mare) and Monterosso New Town are split by a tunnel, with each town having its own beach. However, the big, pretty rock outcropping is on the left-hand side of the new town Monterosso Beach.
On Google Maps, the rock is called Scoglio di Monterosso, or if you’re looking at the water, it’s on the left-hand side of the beach.
Both of the beaches have options for umbrella rentals along with space without umbrellas.
There are usually super cute orange and green umbrellas for rent by the rock, however, they weren’t there when we visited (so sad).
Had we wanted an umbrella, there were still tons for rent at the other end of the beach but we preferred to be by the beautiful rock outcropping, so we went sans umbrella.
The beach is VERY PEBBLY, which was so painful to walk on. Our kids didn’t seem to mind, but we grown-ups were pretty miserable anytime we had to walk around.
It was pretty entertaining watching people walking in and out of the water, grimacing in pain, trying to keep as much weight off their feet as possible (so we didn’t feel like the only ones).
If we had had some water sandals/shoes, our beach experience would have been perfect.
Our kids LOVED playing on and around the huge rock. They gathered tiny sea snails, played with sticks, and had a blast.
Lining the beach, you’ll find lots of eateries, gelato stands, and even some shops selling beach essentials. Just on the other side of the tunnel from the rock is the ferry dock, which we hopped on to visit Vernazza after our day at Monterosso Beach.
If you want to do a boat trip in the Cinque Terre to enjoy snorkeling and sunbathing, this boat trip leaves from Monterosso! Our friends RAVE about their boat trip- I wish we could have made it happen!
RELATED: If you’re visiting the Cinque Terre with kids, be sure to take along this super cute Cinque Terre Scavenger Hunt. Our kids LOVED it!
2. Riomaggiore Beach
Riomaggiore Beach was a lovely surprise. This beach can be hard to miss if you’re not looking for it because you need to walk along the water away from the harbor and past the ferry dock before you stumble upon it.
At first glance, the beach looked too rocky to enjoy, but as we got closer, we noticed plenty of spots to sit on smaller pebbles.
We hadn’t even planned to get in the water this day, but I’m so glad we did. Riomaggiore ended up being our kids’ FAVORITE beach. Playing here, to them, was an epic adventure.
They LOVED scrambling on the rocks, finding walking sticks, and being chased by small waves.
Don’t let the fact that this beach isn’t a long stretch of white sand deter you. It’s flanked by beautiful cliffs, has stunning water and perfect rocks for sunbathing.
3. Manarola Marina
By far, our most perfect Cinque Terre day was in Manarola. We arrived in Manarola early in the morning to a quiet, cool village. Then we attended an amazing pesto class at Nessun Dorma, followed by an afternoon harbor swim in the Manarola Marina.
Manarola is absolutely stunning and hanging out in the harbor, soaking up the sun and jumping from the water’s edge felt like a dream.
The harbor has a boat ramp so you can easily walk into the water that way, or if you’re a thrill seeker, you can jump off of the huge rock in the middle of the harbor.
Sunbathers dotted the rocks around the marina, hopping in to cool down and watching the cliff jumpers.
The rocks at the bottom of the boat ramp are pretty slippery, but there is a handrail secured in the rock to give you an extra hand.
If you’re looking for a unique experience in the Cinque Terre, I definitely recommend swimming in the Manarola harbor- it was one of my favorite things we did.
RELATED: If you’re visiting the Cinque Terre with kids, be sure to take along this super cute Cinque Terre Scavenger Hunt. Our kids LOVED it!
4. Vernazza Harbor Beach
Full disclosure, we didn’t swim at the small, Vernazza Harbor Beach, however, we had full intentions to do so.
Vernazza Harbor is home to a small beach that we’ve seen many people recommend for swimming. The harbor is also lined with flat rocks that are perfect for sunbathing.
We had already gone swimming the day we visited Vernazza and weren’t feeling up to getting in the water again.
Plus, the day we visited, the beach was looking a little muddy towards the water so it didn’t look very inviting. However, I don’t think it always looks like that.
There is another beach you’ll see on the map in Vernazza that is somewhat similar to the Riomaggiore Beach (pebbly, big rocks, etc). However, we didn’t see this other beach, but it may be a good option!
Beaches Near Cinque Terre, Italy
When we visited the Cinque Terre with kids, we stayed just a 5-minute train ride from the Cinque Terre in a town called Levanto. It was the perfect place to stay as our Airbnb was more affordable, the town was much quieter than the Cinque Terre, plus it was beautiful in its own right!
On our last day in the area, we opted not to go back into the Cinque Terre and instead played at the beach in Levanto.
5. Levanto Beach
Levanto Beach is just a 5-minute train ride from the Cinque Terre on the same line that connects all of the other villages (super easy to get to). The beach is about a 15-minute walk from the train station, however, we were staying in Levanto so we just walked from our accommodations.
The beach is another pebbly beach (bring your water shoes), but the water is beautiful, and the hills lining the beach are gorgeous.
There are typical Italian mansions and gardens on the hills, and it’s a lovely area.
On the day we visited, they were doing some construction so the beach wasn’t lined with cute, colorful umbrellas as it usually is in the summer.
Had it been lined with umbrellas, it would have elevated the experience and I think been even more beautiful.
If you are only going to visit one beach in the Cinque Terre area, I wouldn’t have it be Levanto Beach. However, if you have an extra day and you’re looking for something to do, Levanto Beach is a great option.
If you’re visiting the Cinque Terre with kids, be sure to take along this FREE super cute Cinque Terre Scavenger Hunt. Our kids LOVED it!
And those are our favorite Cinque Terre swimming spots! Let me know if the comments below if you have any questions, and I’ll be sure to get back to you.
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