There are 2 paths to get up and both are straight up small narrow stairways! Meandering past shops,…read morehomes in the cliffside and daily life! You will get your steps in to get to the entrance! The views at the top!!!!!!! Photos do not capture at all. Please know it does cost to enter about 2.5 euro each

It costs €2 per person to enter the castle, and it's totally worth it. You can climb all the way up…read moreto the highest point in the area and oversee the entire village. I think it's totally worth it.

During our Mediterranean cruise we booked an excursion to Portofino & what more can be said? Expect…read morejust WOW! As u enter the port u are just speechless with the amazing scenery, Mother Nature really put some effort here. We docked & had time to explore, such a lovely area, lots of high end shops, souvenirs & plenty of places to eat, the price here is the scenery & it did not disappoint!

Porto di Portofino is a beautiful small Italian fishing village and holiday resort famous for its…read morepicturesque harbour and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. It is located just a half hour boat, train, or car ride away from the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. Potofino is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line it's shore. With a short hike up to Castello Brown or Brown Castle, you can get a awesome view of the port of Portofino and the surrounding area which is ideal for the best photographs! References to Portofino date all the way back to 29 AD. After 1229 it was part of the Republic of Genoa. In 1409 Portofino was sold to the Republic of Florence by Charles VI of France, but when he was ousted from Genoa, the Florentines gave it back. In 1815 it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, from 1861, it became part of the unified Kingdom of Italy. Notable residents include King Richard I of England in 1190 and Pope Gregory XI in 1377 along with several famous politicians, writers, painters, actors, and actresses. The Statue of Christ of the Abyss was placed underwater on 29 August 1954 in the inlet at a depth of 17 metres or 56 ft. This statue was placed to protect fishermen and scuba divers and in memory of Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, who died in 1947. In 1999, Universal Studios recreated a full-scale replica of Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA, but it is missing all the mountains and yachts. In 2001, Portofino inspired a recreation of the seaside town around the harbour at Tokyo DisneySea in Chiba, Japan. In 1959 Dalida released an Italian song "Love in Portofino" which Andrea Bocelli reissued in 2013. In 2017, Ferrari named one of their new V8 sports cars after Portofino. The weather on my visit in August was pretty hot but not cloudy and the town was not too packed with tourists that you couldn't move along the town shops and paths, which was ideal. For those with extra time, you can take a tour of Castello Brown. I highly recommend taking a boat trip to enjoy the beauty of this town and the surrounding area from the water! If you're anywhere near Genoa, Portofino is a must see! I highly recommend visiting for a day trip!

Though we were staying in Monterosso, we decided to explore all 5 villages, starting with…read moreRiomaggiore first. It's the most southern and has a small harbor and a little beach. We wanted to stay as close to the water as possible to catch the breeze but no such luck. Water was still and it was scorching hot. We had our hand held fans and took shade as much as possible due to heat warnings. Which meant for us to take cutesy pictures on the rocks and admire all the pretty houses that sat along the cliff side hills. This is a really pretty village and quite lively too.

Heading down the Italian Rivera aka Cinque Terre Riomaggiore is the most southern of the 5 towns…read more Very cute and romantic place with loads of charm, restaurants, bars, goods etc. Great hike from Manarola to Riomaggiore and a amazing but physically challenging hike from Riomaggiore to Portovenere. Here are some great links https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/riomaggiore https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/footpaths-cinqueterre https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-timetable

Monterosso has a medieval historical center which lies on the summit of the hill of San Cristoforo…read more You find the old town through the tunnel from the Train Station. The old town is made up of mainly pedestrian cobblestone streets with narrow crooked lanes lined with shops and restaurants and the brightly colored tower houses that you find in the other towns of the Cinque Terre. The other part of Monterosso is the residential district which spreads along the beach of Fegina. During the 12th and 13th centuries there was an increase in population and families began to move down the hill to be closer to a water supply which was a stream that is no longer there. The part of the village, known as Monterosso Vecchio or Old Monterosso has remained practically intact. In Medieval times, many fortifications were built in this village to protect it from pirate attacks. The remains of these can be found today in the old part of Monterosso, with 3 of the original 13 defense towers are still standing. Torre Aurora (Dawn Tower) separates the old part of the town from the new part and is found on a headland. The remains of the castle of Monterosso is found on the hill of San Cristoforo. Today you can see the remains of the walls, three circular towers and a square tower and these are part of the cemetery of the Church of St Francis. Gayle and I enjoyed the hike up here from Town to see for ourselves.

We took the train from La Spezia where our hotel is to Vernazza. The train was clean and the…read moreeasiest way to get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. It was raining when we were there so the ferry wasn't an option with the choppy water. Vernazza is beautiful. I think it's my favorite of Cinque Terre. From the train station down to the harbor was a short walk with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and gelato shops. The buildings are so colorful. Walk down to the harbor to look back at Vernazza to see all the colorful buildings lined up next to each other. It's a gorgeous sight.

Coming from Monterosso on the Blue Trail, this was the first town you come to. Vernazza had the…read moremost breathtaking aerial view with the small harbor and quintessential Italian seaside community feeling to it. We descended down into Vernazza, and I immediately adored its vibe. I loved the tiny stone streets packed with stores and restaurants on either side. There are plenty of places to eat and shop and lots to explore here. We were in for a long day hiking, so we just went and sat by the water in the harbor and watched the kids play and swim. It was picturesque. If we were to return to Cinque Terre, this would definitely be one of the towns to spend more time in.

Village number three of five. Manarola was one of the villages we visited in the Cinque Terre. We…read moretook the train from Riomaggiore to Manarola to attend a pesto making class we booked on line. We didn't know which direction we had to go to get there so we decided to follow the crowd. Well that idea didn't work either because there were people everywhere. We saw some stairs that led up to a hill and that's when we realized we were headed in the right direction. This hill was quite the work out but the views from the top were absolutely stunning. Great location for a pesto making class and even better views of the Ligurian Sea and the Italian flag at the top was the icing on the cake.

We took the train from La Spezia where our hotel is to Manarola. The train was clean and the…read moreeasiest way to get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. It was raining when we were there so the ferry wasn't an option with the choppy water. Manarola is beautiful. The buildings are so colorful. The main street from the train station down to the harbor was a short walk with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and gelato shops. Lots of little boats out in front of the shops along the path too. Walk down to the harbor to look back at Manarola to see all the colorful buildings lined up next to each other. Then take the path to the left and hike up to the top of that hill to take a look back at Manarola. It's not as colorful as Vernazza but just as beautiful.

Another of the 5 towns of Cinque Terre. Great hike but the town is like the others...but even less…read moreso. I must advise you if you are taking the train and you expect to walk with you luggage to town....there are a set of monster stairs you will have to climb...probably 1000 stairs and 300-400 feet of elevation gain. People do it...but if you are not in shape.... welp I told you so. Still a cool little town.

Cornigila was our third coastal town on our Blue Trail Hike coming from Monterosso. It also awarded…read moregorgeous aerial views from the trail, as did the others. Unlike Monterosso and Vernazza, however, the town central is much more compact with very narrow streets. We followed a path leading through town to a vantage point on the other side, but the walk through the town was cramped and not as enjoyable as the other towns we visited. We found a great restaurant up on the mountainside that served up some delicious local wine and charcuterie and enjoyed the day. We made the mistake of getting distracted from our Blue Trail Hike and descended all the way down to the station, which was an ungodly number of vertical steps worse by far than the hike through the mountains we'd just undertaken. We got to the bottom only to realize that to ascend into the town again you either wait in the long bus line of people getting off the train or you walk back up..so we walked back up and found our trailhead again. It's probably my least favorite of the towns, but it's definitely worth visiting if you're up for the long wait for the bus or a little cardio coming from the train station.

You can reach the Castle of Riomaggiore by climbing the steep road from the railway station or up…read morethrough the Town from the boat dock. Next door is the pretty Oratory of San Rocco and both are worth the walk for the views and yet another history lesson. Work on this fortification began in 1260 and it was then passed on the City of Genoa in 1276. The castle has a square base with the longest sides overlooking the sea. The outer wall has two circular towers with the entrance located between them. A narrow external staircase leads up to the tower where there is a large clock. Over time the castle has been renovated and until few years ago it housed the town cemetery. The castle on a hill divides the two little valleys of Rio Maggire and Rio Finale and from here you get a stunning panoramic experience.

We climbed everything we physically could during our two days at Cinque Terre. The views are…read moreamazing. All are wonderful!