One Day in Cinque Terre, Italy: Cruise Port Stop with Kids!

Last Updated on September 14, 2026 by Tori Pines

I have been to a lot of incredible places in my life. But one day in Cinque Terre with my family might genuinely be one of the most beautiful, magical, perfect days I have ever experienced.

We docked in La Spezia as part of our Mediterranean cruise and spent the entire day exploring the Cinque Terre with our three year old and eleven month old, and it was one of my biggest dreams come true. The colorful villages spilling down the cliffs into the turquoise sea, the coastal trail carved into the rock, breakfast right on the water, pizza on a beach chair in Monterosso with the Mediterranean stretching out in front of us.

I’ll be honest, I was afraid one day in Cinque Terre would be far too short. And while I would obviously have loved more time, I was pleasantly surprised with how much we could actually fit into a port day! Here is exactly how we did it, everything you need to know about getting from the La Spezia cruise port to the Cinque Terre villages, and all my tips for making one day in Cinque Terre with kids as magical as possible.

But note: this itinerary is not just for people with kids. This would be a perfect plan for anyone visiting Cinque Terre from a cruise ship or as a day trip from somewhere else in Italy, like Florence or Milan. It’s a super realistic way to see as much of Cinque Terre as possible in one short day!

Getting from the Cruise Port to Cinque Terre

La Spezia Port

La Spezia is the port city that serves as your gateway to the Cinque Terre, and getting from the cruise terminal to the villages is easier than you might think. Here are your options:

Taxi to the Train Station (Our Recommendation)

Taxis wait right outside the cruise terminal and a ride to La Spezia Centrale, the main train station, costs around €15 and takes about 10 minutes. This is exactly what we did and it was by far the easiest option with a stroller, a baby carrier, and two little ones. The train station is uphill from the port and in the summer heat, the taxi is absolutely worth the cost. Once you’re at La Spezia Centrale, hop on the Cinque Terre Express train to the villages.

That being said, on the way back to the port at the end of the day I recommend talking back to the port. It was a lovely downhill walk on mostly pedestrian only roads filled with shops and was so wonderful.

One Very Important Tip: Book your Via dell’Amore time slot in advance before you even board your cruise ship. Access to the Via dell’Amore is limited to a maximum of 100 people every 15 minutes and requires a mandatory reservation in addition to your Cinque Terre Card. Time slots book up fast in the summer. Book at viadellamore.info or through the Cinque Terre Card portal as early as possible.

Walking from Port to Station

La Spezia Centrale is about a 25-minute (uphill) walk from the cruise terminal. It’s a nice walk along the waterfront if you’re not in a hurry and the weather is pleasant, but with little ones and a stroller in the summer heat, I’d recommend the taxi.

The Cinque Terre Express Train

From La Spezia Centrale, the Cinque Terre Express train runs frequently to all five villages, with the first stop being Riomaggiore just minutes away. The combo Cinque Terre Treno Card covers your train rides between all five villages for the full day along with access to the Via dell’Amore coastal trail, and costs between €22 and €35 per person depending on the season. Children ages 0 to 3 travel free and children ages 4 to 11 receive a reduced rate. Buy your card at the La Spezia Centrale train station or in advance online. This is genuinely the best value for a full day of village hopping.

Ferry

A lovely, more scenic alternative to the train is taking a ferry from the La Spezia port area directly to the villages. Ferries run seasonally and connect La Spezia to Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, and Monterosso, arriving via the sea which gives you gorgeous coastal views on the way in. A beautiful option if you want a more relaxed, scenic journey. Note that ferry schedules can vary and they don’t run as frequently as the train, so check times in advance. A one-day ticket is $42 per adult and you can hop on and hop off as many times as you want that day. Getting to the boat from the cruise terminal is a super short easy walk.

Private Tour

Another amazing way to spend one day in Cinque Terre is by a private tour. It’s definitely more expensive and offers less flexibility. But it is super easy and relaxing and with this 8 hour tour you get to spend time in three of the villages and learn about them along the boat ride there.

Other Ports

It is possible to visit Cinque Terre from the Genoa cruise port or the Florence (Livorno) port. But the travel will take quite a bit longer, so I recommend doing a guided tour or private driver for the quickest and easiest transfer time! Find a Florence tour here or a Genoa tour here!

Our One Day Cinque Terre Itinerary with Kids

Taxi to the Train Station

We took a taxi straight from the cruise terminal up to La Spezia Centrale because it’s uphill and we wanted to arrive at the train station looking and feeling fresh and ready for a beautiful day. Best decision we made. Ten minutes, €15, absolutely worth every euro. We grabbed our Cinque Terre Treno Cards at the station, boarded the train, and were on our way.

Train to Cinque Terre

It really is such a quick journey to get to the first town, Riomaggiore. If you buy the ticket in advance like I recommend, then you just find the correct train (ask someone who works there) and jump on. You can sit anywhere you want and you’ll be there in a few short minutes!

Riomaggiore: Breakfast on the Water

Our first stop was Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the five villages and the first stop on the train from La Spezia. And the moment you emerge from the train tunnel into the village, it genuinely takes your breath away. Colorful houses stacked on top of each other cascading down the cliff to a tiny harbor below, boats bobbing in the water, the Ligurian Sea shimmering in the morning light. It is exactly as beautiful as every photo you have ever seen.

We found a wonderful spot right on the water for breakfast, called La Conchiglia, sat down with espresso and pastries and the most incredible view, and just soaked it all in for a little while. It was such a beautiful way to start the day.

Now, one important heads up for families with strollers, Riomaggiore is gorgeous but it is not particularly stroller-friendly. The village is built on a steep hillside and there are quite a few stairs and narrow passages involved in getting around. A baby carrier is really helpful here, but a stroller was still necessary for us since we would be walking the trail later. We spent a pleasant hour in Riomaggiore before making our way to the main event of the morning.

The Via dell’Amore: The Most Beautiful Walk

From Riomaggiore we walked the Via dell’Amore, the famous Path of Love, to Manarola. And I need to take a moment here to just say, this path is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my entire life.

The Via dell’Amore is a roughly 950-meter paved cliffside path carved into the rock connecting Riomaggiore and Manarola, classified at the lowest difficulty level in the Cinque Terre park system. It is flat, wide, and completely accessible for strollers and physically challenged visitors. The walk takes about 20 to 25 minutes at a comfortable pace, with no steep climbs, no exposed scrambles, and no sections requiring hiking boots. It is literally the perfect Cinque Terre trail for families with young children. 

And the views. Oh my goodness, the views. The path is cut directly into the cliff face with the Ligurian Sea crashing below you and the coastline stretching out in both directions and it is just so unbelievably stunning. We walked it at a slow, peaceful pace, stopping constantly for photos and just to stand there and look, and it was one of those travel moments that feels completely surreal. I felt like such a nerd with a massive grin across my face the entire time. I’ve dreamt of this moment for YEARS.

To access the Via dell’Amore you need a Cinque Terre Card with your Via dell’Amore time slot pre-booked. The path is open from 9am to 9pm during peak summer season and is one-way from Riomaggiore to Manarola. Book your slot well in advance, especially in the summer months when it fills up fast.

Note:

Cinque Terre is known for it’s hiking trails. But the rest of them are true, dirt trails that are very dificult and have a lot of elevation gain required. And while I cannot wait to hike them someday, it was not realistic with small kids. But if that’s something that you can manage, I highly recommend! And if you’re in Positano or somewhere on the Amalfi Coast, check out the similar Path of the Gods trail there!

Manarola: The Viewpoint and a Little Shopping

The Via dell’Amore deposits you right into Manarola, which might be the most photographed village in all of the Cinque Terre and honestly the most stunning. It is just impossibly pretty. Colorful buildings tumbling down to a rocky harbor with the most vibrant turquoise water below and the cliffs stretching out on either side.

We walked up to the famous Manarola viewpoint, which is one of the most iconic photo spots in all of Italy and for extremely good reason. The view of the village from above with the sea in the background is jaw-droppingly beautiful and it is the perfect spot for family photos. Manarola’s viewpoint is also much more accessible than a lot of Cinque Terre viewpoints, so it works really well with kids. Takes just a minute and is paved!

After photos we did a little shopping through the village, picking up a few souvenirs and just enjoying the atmosphere of wandering this extraordinary place with our girls. Then we hopped back on the train toward Monterosso, the largest and northernmost of the five villages, for the rest of our day.

Monterosso al Mare: Beach Club, Pizza, and the Most Perfect Afternoon

Monterosso is the most family-friendly of all five Cinque Terre villages and the one I would most recommend for families with young kids, especially if a beach afternoon is part of your plan. Monterosso is the only village in Cinque Terre with a proper sandy beach, which makes it uniquely wonderful for families and the best town in the Cinque Terre for little ones.

Honestly, I hadn’t planned on coming here. It’s the least “photogenic” town of the five, and not my top priority. But my husband LOVES a moment to relax on the beach so once we saw the two villages on my list to see we decided after all the work of carrying the girls around we would treat ourselves with a relaxing afternoon at the beach. And looking back, I am SO glad we did this. It was stunning and relaxing and wonderful and actually the best memory I have from the day. Plus….come on. It’s insanely photogenic.

We found a beach club, grabbed lounge chairs, ordered pizza from Barabba In White, and spent the rest of the afternoon eating and swimming and just living our absolute best lives. The pizza at our beach chairs was incredible. The water was warm and calm and absolutely perfect for our toddler and baby to splash around in. The mountains rising up behind the village and the Mediterranean stretching out in front of us created this incredible, surreal backdrop for what was genuinely one of the most enjoyable afternoons I have ever had as a parent.

Note:

The beach clubs fill up fast here. So wander down to the end of the beach (to the right when you exit the train station) and check there for chairs if you arrive in the afternoon like we did. But they are cash only, so come prepared!

By the time we reluctantly packed up and hopped back on the train to La Spezia for the taxi back to the ship, we were all sun-kissed and full and so completely happy. This day was absolutely perfect from start to finish and I would do every single second of it again.

Tips for One Day in Cinque Terre from a Cruise Ship

Book the Via dell’Amore in advance

This is the most important tip on this entire list. Time slots fill up fast and you cannot just show up without one.

Buy your Cinque Terre Treno Card at La Spezia Centrale

You can buy it at the station on the day, but arrive early to give yourself time. The card mentioned above covers all your trains between the villages for the full day plus access to the Via dell’Amore trail.

Take a taxi from the cruise terminal to the station

It’s uphill, it’s hot in summer, and you have a stroller. Spend the €15 and start your day feeling fresh rather than sweaty and exhausted.

Start in Riomaggiore and work your way north

This is the most logical route when coming from La Spezia and means you walk the Via dell’Amore in the correct one-way direction from Riomaggiore to Manarola before continuing north by train.

Bring a baby carrier for Riomaggiore

The village has stairs and narrow passages that are tricky with a stroller. If you have a baby with you, be sure to bring the Mabē Baby Carrier with you. It’s my all time favorite baby carrier and worth every single penny.

End the day in Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso is the most family-friendly Cinque Terre village with the only proper sandy beach in all five towns, the best beach clubs, and a flat waterfront area that is much easier to navigate with a stroller than the other villages. It’s the perfect place to spend a relaxed afternoon with kids.

Don’t try to see all five villages

With kids and limited cruise port time, trying to visit all five villages will leave you exhausted and rushed and you won’t enjoy any of them properly. Pick two or three and do them really well. Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Monterosso is a perfect combination. I honestly was shocked we could see three and have plenty of time at the beach too! It was perfect.

Allow plenty of time to get back to La Spezia

Italian regional trains can run up to 20 minutes late, so do not gamble your cruise connection on the very last possible train. Give yourself a significant buffer and take an earlier train than you think you need.

The Cinque Terre is crowded in summer

Get to Riomaggiore as early as possible for the best experience and the shortest lines at the Via dell’Amore entrance. It is worth setting the alarm and getting everyone up EARLY.

Additional Things to Do in Cinque Terre with Kids

Vernazza

Many people consider Vernazza the most charming of all five villages, with a beautiful central piazza right at the water and a gorgeous little harbor. It’s worth a stop if you have time between Manarola and Monterosso.

Ferry between villages

If the train feels like a lot with little ones, the seasonal ferry is a really lovely way to move between villages with stunning sea-level views of the cliffs and colorful houses from the water. Kids absolutely love it. It’s transportation and a fun activity in one!

Gelato in every village

This is non-negotiable. Get gelato in as many villages as you can manage. The lemon gelato in the Cinque Terre is exceptional and perfectly refreshing in the summer heat.

Nessun Dorma in Manarola

Perched above Manarola with that iconic view of the village spilling down to the sea, Nessun Dorma is a wine bar and aperitivo spot serving bruschette, local cheeses, anchovies, and generous boards of Ligurian produce paired with wine and spritzes. Perfect for grazing with a view when the light starts to turn golden. One of the most loved spots in all of Cinque Terre for good reason.

But the ultimate activity is their pesto making class. I highly highly recommend doing this with kids. It would be so much fun! Sadly they are closed on Tuesdays and of course that was the day we were there so it wasn’t an option for us.

The Manarola Viewpoint at sunset

If you happen to have a later port day and can time it right, watching the sun set over Manarola from the viewpoint is one of the most spectacular things you can experience in Italy. Absolutely unforgettable.

Places to Eat in Cinque Terre with Kids

Beach club pizza in Monterosso

Honestly the most perfect meal we had all day. Order a pizza at your beach lounge chair and eat it in the Mediterranean sunshine with your feet in the sand. The spot we ordered from was called Barabba In White.

Breakfast in Riomaggiore

Right by the harbor, enjoy a coffee and a pastry at La Conchiglia with incredible views over the water, the mountains and the cute village.

Nessun Dorma, Manarola

Wine bar and aperitivo spot perched above the village with the most breathtaking views. Bruschette, local cheeses, wine, and spritzes with a front row seat to one of the most beautiful views in Italy. Go for an aperitivo in the late afternoon when the light is golden. But sadly they’re closed on Tuesdays, the day we were there.

La Cantina del Pescatore, Monterosso

A tiny, beloved cafe restaurant in Monterosso serving tomato pesto bruschetta, focaccia, salads, pesto toasts, cheese and wine, and delicious homemade lemon granita. Perfect for a casual lunch or an aperitivo.

Street focaccia

Ligurian focaccia is a regional specialty and you will find wonderful local bakeries in every village. The forno in Monterosso’s old town is particularly beloved and the fresh focaccia is absolutely incredible. Grab some for the train between villages and thank yourself.

Packing List for One Day in Cinque Terre from a Cruise Ship

• Umbrella Stroller with Double Wheels: Bring it, but know its limits. Monterosso is the most stroller-friendly village. Riomaggiore has many stairs so park it near the station.
• Mabē Baby Carrier: Absolutely essential for Riomaggiore and any of the steeper village areas.
• Swimsuits and a beach bag: If Monterosso is on the itinerary, you absolutely want to swim. Pack suits and have them accessible.
• Turkish Towels: Lightweight and compact for the beach afternoon.
• Sunscreen Stick and Sunscreen Powder and Sun hats: The Cinque Terre sun is intense especially on the Via dell’Amore with no shade. Reapply often and keep hats on the kids.
• Comfortable walking shoes for adults: The Via dell’Amore is flat and paved, but you’ll do a fair amount of village walking too. Wear shoes you trust.
• Good sandals or water shoes for kids: Especially for Monterosso where the water entry can be a bit rocky.
• Cash euros: Many smaller restaurants, gelato shops, and vendors in the villages are cash preferred. Have enough for the day.
• A pre-downloaded Cinque Terre map: Phone signal in the villages can be patchy. Download your maps and trail information before you leave the ship.
• Snacks from the ship buffet: The train between villages is short but kids get hungry constantly. Have snacks ready.
• A portable battery: You will take more photos today than any other day of your entire cruise. Your phone will die. Bring a backup.
• Your Cinque Terre Card with Via dell’Amore time slot pre-booked: Have everything loaded and accessible on your phone before you arrive.
• Your ship’s all-aboard time saved prominently: And take an earlier train than you think you need. Italian regional trains can be delayed and you cannot miss your ship.

One Day in Cinque Terre with Kids

This one day in cinque terre from a cruise with kids was absolutely perfect. Not perfect in spite of doing it with a toddler and a baby, but perfect because of it. It was totally exhausting, but watching our three year old’s eyes go wide at the colorful houses, carrying our eleven month old along the Via dell’Amore with the sea crashing below us, letting the kids splash in the warm Mediterranean water at Monterosso while we ate pizza and watched the mountains behind the village turn golden in the afternoon light. These are the moments you travel for.

One day in Cinque Terre from a cruise ship is absolutely doable with kids and it will be one of the most extraordinary days of your family’s travel life.