The Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast, two of Italy’s most famous shorelines, are located almost at opposite ends of the country, albeit both on the west coast.
Cinque Terre, five exquisite fishing villages connected by rail, boat, and hiking trails, lie between Genoa and La Spezia in the north. The Amalfi Coast, on the other hand, is an impossibly picturesque stretch to the south of Naples.
So which should you visit? It’s not an easy decision, as both are gorgeous, but fortunately, there’s no wrong answer. The best choice is to make a repeat trip to Italy to visit whichever remarkable destination you miss this time.
This conundrum of Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast is one that’s best approached step-by-step. Both are bucket list destinations and both will fill you with a sense of wonder.
Weather & Best Times to Visit
Monterosso
When considering whether to visit the Cinque Terre, comprising the five villages of Monterosso, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, or Riomaggiore, or Amalfi Coast on your next trip, one of your key considerations should be the timing of your vacation. As two of the most popular holiday destinations in Italy, it’s important to know what to expect when you arrive.
If experiencing the Cinque Terre’s gorgeously organic architecture or disembarking at the Amalfi harbor without a crush of fellow visitors is important to you, then the shoulder seasons are the best times to visit either destination.
Manarola
On top of the thinned-out humanity, you can also expect excellent weather. In May, Liguria, the northern region where you’ll find the Cinque Terre, sees highs of around 68°F. Also called the Italian Riviera, it’s typical for spring in Liguria to be dry, with the mountains on the border with France providing a barrier to wet weather.
Arrive at the beginning of fall, and daytime highs rise ten degrees above what you’ll experience in late spring. Best of all, the clear, clean sea usually has a water temperature north of 70°F, making for a very pleasant swim.
In Southern Italy, where you’ll find the Amalfi Coast, the situation is even more appealing. Daytime highs in late spring can soar to 76°F although, as with the Cinque Terre to the north, dives into the sparkling Tyrrhenian are still a little bracing. Temperatures remain steady into September, with the seawater warmed up and perfect for taking a dip on Positano Beach.
Amalfi Town
Choose to travel to either destination during summer in Italy and you’ll find that the conditions are glorious. Expect highs of 80°F in July and August while exploring the shady caruggi alleyways of the Cinque Terre.
During the corresponding period in the Amalfi, the mercury will be higher by another few degrees. Both destinations, set in astonishingly attractive coastal settings, benefit from cool breezes off the sparkling sea.
Such blissful weather does, however, bring crowds. The snaking Amalfi Coast Drive can become clogged with traffic, which, on the plus side, gives you plenty of time to enjoy the views.
Monterosso
The Cinque Terre doesn’t have the same issue with traffic as the Amalfi. This is mainly due to its limited road network, ensuring that anyone intrepid enough to try to make the journey by car will, due to the narrow roads and extremely limited parking, probably come to regret it. Routes by sea and rail are well-served and generally preferable.
Where the Cinque Terre becomes busy in the summertime is on its feted hiking routes. The longest, which connects all five pastel-pretty fishing villages, is called the Sentiero Azzurro. With the higher temperatures as well as the increased number of visitors, a shoulder season visit makes sense on whatever side of the “Cinque Terre vs. Amalfi Coast” debate you fall.
Read: Best Things to Do in Cinque Terre
Location
Amalfi Town
With location, it’s another win/win when you’re trying to decide on Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast.
The Amalfi is located in the southern Italian region of Campania. Home to a huge array of other big-ticket Italian destinations, a trip to the Amalfi sets the scene for a mouthwatering multi-destination proposition.
Capri
The lemon-fragranced town of Sorrento is a 40-minute drive north, while an hour beyond sees you arrive at the engaging city of Naples with its pizza, beaches, and historic Spanish Quarter. Catch a ferry to visit the volcanic island of Ischia or the super-chic isle of Capri.
Just as tempting is the Cinque Terre’s situation in the north. The towns of the Italian Riviera are charming, with the Cinque Terre being just one particularly picturesque part to be discovered.
Portofino
A scenic boat ride away from the Cinque Terre is the beautiful fishing village of Portofino and its glamorous neighbor, the town of Santa Margherita with its belle epoque hotels and sizable red shrimp. Further west is the mesmerizing medieval center of Genoa, and just a short drive on you arrive at the border with southern France and Provence.
Head east, and you arrive at the engaging, under-the-radar-gem of La Spezia. Meanwhile, bordering Liguria to the south are the rolling hills, vineyards, and Renaissance treasures of Tuscany. To the north, you’ll find the epic food culture of Piedmont with its famous Barolo wines.
History
Piazza del Duomo, Amalfi Town
Both the Amalfi Coast and the Cinque Terre have histories with interesting similarities. In the late Middle Ages, the Cinque Terre was controlled by the powerful Republic of Genoa. Preceding this was the Duchy of Amalfi, the first of the Italian maritime republics that had its heyday between the 9th and 11th centuries.
Since Genoa was the center of its eponymous republic—the city’s Rolli Palaces are gilded monuments to its wealth and influence—there is a dearth of major historical sights in the Cinque Terre.
The villages themselves are the historical treasures to marvel at and explore. Although that’s not to say there aren’t beautiful churches with incredible sea views to visit around the towns, such as the 11th century Madonna di Montenero, near Riomaggiore.
With the Amalfi, it’s a little different. In the central Piazza del Duomo of the Italian coastal town of Amalfi itself, the Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea’s gilded facade is striking, particularly when it shines in the afternoon light. Inside its crypt, you’ll find medieval relics, including the skull of St. Andrew.
Atrani
Also in Amalfi, up a series of jinking staircases, you can reach the classical arches of the monumental cemetery, located on the walking route to neighboring Atrani.
Besides these ostentatious shows of wealth and power in Amalfi, the coastlines of both destinations are dotted with medieval watchtowers. Many of these have been renovated, and several—such as in the Amalfi Coast town of Cetara—have been transformed into museums.
Outdoor Adventures
Path of the Gods
Lace up your hiking boots. The Amalfi Coast and the Cinque Terre are both famous for their walks that ramble past skinny agricultural terraces shaded by olive and fruit orchards. Before the arrival of the Amalfi Coast Drive, locals would use these paths to walk between towns to trade goods and visit family and friends.
The Amalfi Coast’s most famous route is the Path of the Gods, the “Sentiero degli Dei”. This high-altitude hike in Italy offers spellbinding coastal vistas.
Connecting the seaside village of Positano with the inland town of Bomerano, the Path of the Gods is a mostly downhill path accessible for moderately fit hikers. Completing it usually takes around three hours.
Meanwhile, the Cinque Terre is home to one of the best hikes in Europe—the Sentiero Azzurro, which knits the villages together. As the Cinque Terre has a smaller geographical footprint than the Amalfi Coast, it’s possible to hike from southerly Riomaggiore to northernmost Monterosso via all five villages.
This moderately difficult hike can be completed in under five hours, however, the temptation to break the journey in B&Bs and magnificent trattorias ensures that it usually takes longer.
Monterosso
Whichever side of the “Cinque Terre vs. Amalfi Coast” debate you’ve fallen, no doubt you’ll want to cool off at the end of your incredible walk.
Both finish points for each of the hikes—at Positano on the Amalfi Coast and Monterosso as one of the Cinque Terre—have beaches offering easy access to the sea. At Monterosso, on the eastern side of the beach, it’s also possible to plunge in from the rocks at height.
Riomaggiore
Naturally, you’ll also feel the urge to take a boat out. In the Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore and Monterosso offer kayak and dinghy rentals. You can find the same, as well as guided tours, at Atrani and Amalfi in the south.
Sunset boat tours in both locations are highly recommended, with a glass of chilled prosecco and warm sunlight probing the translucent sea and kindling the colors of the coastal buildings. The Amalfi also offers boat tours that explore its luminously beautiful sea caves, such as the Grotta dello Smeraldo close to Conca dei Marini.
Beaches
Monterosso
The beaches in both the Amalfi and the Cinque Terre should be thought of as more added extras than the central focus of a vacation there.
However, if you’re looking for a beach in the Cinque Terre, your first stop is in Monterosso. It’s the only one of the five towns of Cinque Terre with a significant beach. The other four have picturesque harbors and only scant traces of pebbly beach.
Monterosso, however, beats the trend of the Italian Riviera’s pebbly beaches and offers a primarily soft, sandy mix lapped by diamond-clear breakers.
If you’d like to rent one of the colorful loungers, you’ll have to pay at the local stabilimento or “beach club”. If you’d prefer not to, you can find space on the spiaggia libera or “free beach”.
Positano
However, regarding beach options, Amalfi does offer increased choice. The Italian beach that shines the brightest—despite its composition of gray shingle—is that of Positano. As the many speedboats and yachts moored offshore attest, it’s one of the Italian summer’s most glamorous destinations.
Prefer something a little more relaxed? Maiori, an hour’s drive south of Positano, offers the largest beach in the Amalfi Coast. Best of all, it’s sandy. The result of a landslide that transformed the seafront in the mid-20th century, it’s no surprise that, after seeing the tiny beaches of its neighboring towns, its swathe of sand looks almost a little out of place.
Minori
And then there’s Minori. Next door to Maiori, it also offers a good-sized beach, as well as a dose of laid-back Italian living. Once you’ve finished basking on the south-facing beach, Minori’s lovely palm-lined promenade is also the location of some of Italy’s most delicious pastries.
Food
Limoncello
Italy is known for its regional specialties. As both destinations fall within the country’s national borders, you know that whether you visit the Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast, you’ll eat well.
If lemon is one of your favorite flavors, make a beeline for the Amalfi. This area is renowned for its outsized lemons infusing everything from creamy linguine sauces to the famous limoncello liqueur.
The Amalfi also offers a broader range of culinary experiences than the Cinque Terre. The gamut runs from family-run trattorias to multiple Michelin-starred establishments with stunning sea views.
One of the best is Glicine, found within the five-star Hotel Santa Caterina in Amalfi. The hotel is also renowned for its signature, zingy Spaghettini al Limone Sfusato di Amalfi dish.
Delizia al Limone
Another essential lemony morsel is the Delizia al Limone—an iced sponge cake dome filled with lemon custard. One of the most outstanding examples is found in award-winning pastry chef Sal de Riso’s café and shop on Minori’s promenade.
Pesto
Meanwhile, in the north, the Cinque Terre offers a deliciously accessible regional and hyper-local take on Italian cuisine.
Genovese cuisine dominates the menus and you’ll find wonderfully fresh pesto as well as the typical twisted trofie pasta. Look out for Cinque Terre specialties such as the cheese and herb-filled ravioli called pansotti.
Another local specialty is the wine. Cinque Terre DOC is a crisp, straw-yellow glassful that is the perfect choice for a selection of lightly fried seafood.
In the Amalfi, taking a tour of the Marisa Cuomo winery is a superb way to discover the Amalfi’s unique viniculture as well as one of its most awarded white wines, Fiorduva. If the winemaker’s husband catches you in the reception, look forward to being proudly shown the picture memorializing when Pierce Brosnan visited the winery.
Read: Best Things to Do on the Amalfi Coast
Ferry to Cinque Terre
Decide between Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast and set off on a cruise to Italy. Browse our cruise itineraries and book a memorable vacation to a destination bursting with culture, history, and amazing cuisine.
