The only natural harbour of the five: boats pulled up in a little square, café tables on the water, a church on the rocks and a medieval tower above. The picture on every Cinque Terre poster.
Vernazza grew rich as a sea port in the Middle Ages, and the harbour still shapes everything: one main street running down a ravine to a piazza on the water.
At the water's edge, the church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia stands on the rocks, its bell tower rising over the boats. Above the harbour, the round tower of the 15th-century Doria castle costs a couple of euros to climb and looks straight down on the piazza.
The classic photograph is taken from the coast path about ten minutes towards Monterosso. When that stretch is closed, you can still reach the viewpoint as far as the ticket barrier. For a swim, use the tiny harbour beach or the rocks behind the breakwater.
In October 2011 a flood buried the main street four metres deep in mud. The village has been rebuilt with care, and today there is little sign of it, except in the photographs on café walls.
Arrive before 9am or after 5pm to see the village rather than the queue.
Walk down the single street from the station to the harbour.
Look into Santa Margherita on the rocks and watch the boats come in.
Climb the lanes and the tower for the view straight down on the harbour.
Walk up towards Monterosso to the viewpoint for the classic shot.
Swim off the rocks, then a glass of Cinque Terre white on the piazza.
Regional trains every 15 to 30 minutes; hop-on boats from late March to early November.
Rooms are few and book out early; sleeping here means having the harbour to yourself at night.
Check the park's website for which coast path sections are open before you walk.
Cinque Terre practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
