The southernmost village and the busiest after dark: tall houses packed into a ravine around a harbour the size of a tennis court, with a castle and a church at the top and the Via dell'Amore starting at the station.
Riomaggiore is the first village you reach from La Spezia, and many visitors never get further. It has the energy to match.
From the station tunnel, the steep main street runs down to a harbour where boats are pulled up on the ramp between the houses. The brochure view is from the rocks along Via San Giacomo, which curves round above the water to the south side of the harbour.
At the top of the village are the castle and the church of San Giovanni Battista. Fossola, a pebble beach five minutes south, is open when the rockfall fences allow. An hour uphill, the sanctuary of Montenero looks down on the coast all the way to Portovenere.
The dive centre is on the marina, the bars stay open later than anywhere else on the coast, and the Via dell'Amore starts at the station.
Start low, climb high, and end with an evening on the harbour.
Walk through the station tunnel to the foot of the main street.
Go down to the harbour and round Via San Giacomo for the classic picture.
Climb the stairs to the castle and San Giovanni Battista at the top of the village.
Walk up the old path to Montenero for the view to Portovenere.
Back down for a drink on the harbour as the lights come on.
Eight minutes by train from La Spezia; hop-on boats call from late March to early November.
The dive centre on the marina runs trips into the marine reserve.
Lots of rooms and the liveliest evenings; light sleepers should pick upper streets.
Cinque Terre practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
