Cinque Terre Italy for families: how to explore the coastline with young kids

Vernazza, one of 5 costal cities. Def lost Levi for a sec in the maze of alleyways.

Cinque Terre: Where every town is uphill, every tourist has swamp ass, and every kid wants to go home by 10 a.m. 🍑🔥😩

Not a swamp ass fan? How about this one:

Cinque Terre: The ultimate test of love, patience, and whether your partner actually packed the snacks. 🥖💔😵

If you’re traveling through Italy with young kids and thinking about stopping in Cinque Terre—do it. Just know what you’re getting into. These five cliffside towns are gorgeous, but they weren’t designed with strollers or snack breaks in mind. That said, with the right pacing (and expectations), you can make it an awesome experience.

Here’s how we tackled Cinque Terre Italy with little kids—what worked, what didn’t, and why we skipped some towns entirely.

Cinque Terre Italy for families

First, some real talk: even “medium season” is busy and there ain’t no “low season”.

We went in May, what our Airbnb host called “medium season”—right between the chill of spring and the chaos of summer. Weather was perfect. Crowds? Somewhat manageable… as long as you hit the towns on weekdays. Weekends felt like Disneyland, just with better views and food.

Also, this wasn’t our kids’ first rodeo, but still, train travel between towns was draining. We planned rest days between exploring. Think beach hangs, hot tub time, and movies in the Airbnb. Best not to have every day be go-go-go.

Nuts-to-butts in Manarola.

Our game plan

• Day 1: Setup + chill: stock up on groceries, get familiar with the area around our Airbnb, unpack, and chill.

• Day 2: Riomaggiore + Manarola: easy to pair up. These towns are close and relatively mellow with kids.

• Day 3: Rest day: beach, hot tub, screen time, and familiar meals. No shame. Everyone recharged.

• Day 4: Vernazza + Monterosso al Mare: bigger towns, more to see, but more walking too.

• Day 5: Rest day: rinse, repeat. 

We skipped Corniglia. It’s perched way up on a cliff with a steep staircase. We didn't spend much time in Riomaggiore as well. Beautiful? Probably. Worth it with three kids under six? Prob not.

Where we stayed: Cavi di Lavagna

We found a gem of an Airbnb about an hour by train from the first town. Think Victorian vibes, tons of space, a big ol' grill and a hot tub, and ocean views from the balcony. It was three stories with its own private elevator, which the kids broke halfway through our stay. The beach was a 10-minute walk away—mostly smooth little pebbles instead of sand, clean, and uncrowded. The icing on the cake was that the host offered to drive us places fo freeeeee.

Was it “in” Cinque Terre? Nope. But it cost $1,800 for 5 nights for a big family (6 adults, 3 kids), which is how you make this kind of trip work while staying on budget.

Getting around: beautiful, but confusing AF

Trains are the main way to hop between towns—and they are chaotic. You’ll feel like you’re doing a live-action puzzle every time you try to buy tickets and getting bum-rushed every time you get on the train. Expect to pay around 30€ per day for a family of five. There’s also a train and trek card, this might be worth it if you're hopping multiple towns and hiking between a couple.

Avoid taxis if you can. There’s one main number: +39 0185 392096. It’s a monopoly, and the pricing feels like it. A 10 min ride was 35€.

Highlights from the towns

Riomaggiore (pronounced rigmarole)

We were originally going to skip this town but the train we were on didn’t stop at Manarola. So.. we had to do the Via dell’Amore walk to Manarola—20€/adult, kids under 6 were free. Honestly? Not worth the price. But it’s an easy, scenic path, and good for young walkers.

Manarola

Great views from this short trail. It's steep, but worth it.

Lunch: Nessun Dorma — solid drinks (Aperol and sangria), okay food, unbeatable views.

Bonus: There's a park right next to the restaurant. Great for before and after the meal.

Vernazza

Charming alleys, colorful buildings, and a beautiful harbor. We walked up the trail toward Monterosso to take a pic of the city. My wife did the full hike. Two hours, tons of steps, and she said she wouldn’t do it again.

Monterosso al Mare

Great for families. Promenade for snacks and gelato, then beach time. Pebble beach = no sand stuck in every crevice. Huge win. Plus, from the shore, you can look out and see the four other towns. Pretty cool.

Travelling slow

FI lets us travel slow. Exploring Cinque Terre Italy as a family was about spending time together in beautiful places—without burning out.

Trips like this are why we retired early. When you make work optional, you can travel without the stress of cramming everything in. You can take that midweek train. You can rest when the kids need it. You can build memories instead of rushing through them.

So if Cinque Terre is on your list—go. Go with kids. Go at your family’s pace and skip the stairs if you want. 

And for people who want more flexibility and freedom, start by finding your why.

This post is part of our 'finding our why' series, sharing real-world stories of why families choose financial independence and early retirement with kids.