Borgo Storico di Manarola
Borgo Storico di Manarola
Borgo Storico di Manarola
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Borgo Storico di Manarola
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
164 within 5 kms
Attractions
160 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
517 reviews
Excellent
385
Very good
108
Average
19
Poor
3
Terrible
2
CraigH0901
Adelaide, Australia1,242 contributions
Sept 2022
We stayed at an Air BnB in Manarola and just spent bits of time poking around the main town area. We went for a swim in the protected swimming 'pool' at the end of the main area. Had a fantastic meal in a hatted michelin restaurant at a very reasonable price. Saw many wonderful buildings and shops. The town is planned with one main street down the centre that is broad and easy to negotiate. The boat/bus tours can assemble and not block the entire place. There is a tunnel leading to the train station to go to the other towns in Cinque Terre.
Written 16 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ROCruiser
Claremont, CA4,569 contributions
Nov 2019
This has to be the most crowded village out of the five. Tourists from all over the world stopped by to see the picturesque setting with colorful buildings. It was quite a walk from the train station down to the harbor. It was drizzling when we were there but did not dampen our spirit. Absolutely stunning! Walk up to the scenic viewpoint for the best view.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PetDim
Madrid, Spain443 contributions
June 2021 • Family
As described you will expect a timepiece preserved 5 years ago.
Unfortunately you will find a place with beautiful scenery and an industry that is fighting for every euro. Everything is made for tourists, everything is on sale for tourists. The charm is gone, the market is open.
Even for post COVID period it was overcrowded. And no traditions at all. Everything is hospitality. Definitely locals live better but they’ve lost their roots.
Tourists there are everywhere- even laying on concrete ground, because there’s no beach with sand
Unfortunately you will find a place with beautiful scenery and an industry that is fighting for every euro. Everything is made for tourists, everything is on sale for tourists. The charm is gone, the market is open.
Even for post COVID period it was overcrowded. And no traditions at all. Everything is hospitality. Definitely locals live better but they’ve lost their roots.
Tourists there are everywhere- even laying on concrete ground, because there’s no beach with sand
Written 1 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deezy1
Houston, TX309 contributions
Mar 2022
I really enjoyed this town. The beauty and charm, is everything! We strolled up these streets, shopping and just looking around. It's one of my favorite towns, of Cinque Terre. You have to make your way down to the water, to get a great perspective of the beauty of this place.
Written 27 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bandit-One
Lucerne, Switzerland10,202 contributions
July 2020
The other day we've visited Vernazza. Today we drove along the beautiful coast again (a fun drive, if you dare) to wonderful Manarola.
For us it's about on par with Vernazza. These two are definitely the best of the five villages of Cinque Terre.
Compared to Vernazza this village doesn't have a big piazza or port at the sea. But there are other wonderful sights. One of it is the rocky beach where many locals gather to sunbathe or to swim. Then there's the way leading up to this viewpoint, where you get a wonderful view of the village. With its old and charming buildings, all the colours, the oceans splashing against the rocks. It's an amazing sight. The Cinque Terre is a place you MUST visit at least once in your life.
Due to Covid there weren't as many visitors as usual, but compared to the rest of Italy there was still quite the crowd. But most arrived by train obviously, since the only nearby parking lot was quite deserted.
It's a wondeful village to explore. With lots of fun shops, restaurants and small lanes. Be sure to walk to walk the whole village up until the very top (a bit steep at times). Nice views from there as well. Loved it.
For us it's about on par with Vernazza. These two are definitely the best of the five villages of Cinque Terre.
Compared to Vernazza this village doesn't have a big piazza or port at the sea. But there are other wonderful sights. One of it is the rocky beach where many locals gather to sunbathe or to swim. Then there's the way leading up to this viewpoint, where you get a wonderful view of the village. With its old and charming buildings, all the colours, the oceans splashing against the rocks. It's an amazing sight. The Cinque Terre is a place you MUST visit at least once in your life.
Due to Covid there weren't as many visitors as usual, but compared to the rest of Italy there was still quite the crowd. But most arrived by train obviously, since the only nearby parking lot was quite deserted.
It's a wondeful village to explore. With lots of fun shops, restaurants and small lanes. Be sure to walk to walk the whole village up until the very top (a bit steep at times). Nice views from there as well. Loved it.
Written 6 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlbertSalichs
Manresa, Spain22,069 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
Borgo Storico di Manarola is literally the old town of Manarola, one of five tiny towns located in Cinque Terre National Park, in Spezia Region, in the North of Iitaly. We came here in August-2019 and we walked around the old town, really very nice. The best part is Punto Bonfiglio, where you can arrive following the coastal path. From here the views of the town are superb! Really wonderful! The walk, the views of the town, the sea and the dramatic coast are great!
Also, we came here with my daughter 3 years old and near this point (Punto Bonfiglio), there is a little children park, so all people (adults and children) can enjoy here.
(See also Parco Nazionale Cinque Terre)
Also, we came here with my daughter 3 years old and near this point (Punto Bonfiglio), there is a little children park, so all people (adults and children) can enjoy here.
(See also Parco Nazionale Cinque Terre)
Written 8 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Philippe B
Toulouse, France5,930 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
This village is typical from Cinque Terre: colorful, steep with narrow streets and terraces, dominated by a beautiful church and facing the sea. You should firstly walk up and down (from the harbor to the church and the other way round), then try to find the track on the opposite side of the mountain to get the nicest broad view of the village.
Written 4 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mairwen1
United Kingdom11,165 contributions
May 2022
Manarola is only tiny but it is one of my favourites of the five Cinque Terre towns. Even if you have a very tight itinerary, you can make a brief stop here because it is small enough that all the main sights are within easy walking distance of each other.
We had four nights in Cinque Terre so we could afford to spend several hours in Manarola, which was ideal. The two absolute highlights were swimming in the harbour port and the Manarola Vineyard Walk.
We had about 4 hours here which was plenty of time to do the following:
i) lunch at Trattoria Dal Billy - beautiful views and fresh seafood
ii) Next did a short looped walk of the town, stopping at Piazzale di Papa Innocenzo IV where the towns historic sights are clustered - the Gothic Church of St Lorenzo (1338), the 14th century bell tower and a small 15th century oratory.
iii) From here we found the start of the Vineyard Walk - a 30 minute hillside hike through the vineyard terraces surrounding Manarola. The views were stunning.
iv) We ended up back at the harbour where we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and sunbathing on the dramatic black rocks surrounding the small port. A perfect day.
HIKING TO MANAROLA: We walked from Riomaggiore to Manarola along the very strenuous and steep 531 Path. It was not easy going. Unfortunately the easy Via Dell’ Amore path is closed. I don’t know why so many sites seem to indicate that it’s still an option because it’s been closed for over 12 years. Officially, its due to re-open in 2024.
We had four nights in Cinque Terre so we could afford to spend several hours in Manarola, which was ideal. The two absolute highlights were swimming in the harbour port and the Manarola Vineyard Walk.
We had about 4 hours here which was plenty of time to do the following:
i) lunch at Trattoria Dal Billy - beautiful views and fresh seafood
ii) Next did a short looped walk of the town, stopping at Piazzale di Papa Innocenzo IV where the towns historic sights are clustered - the Gothic Church of St Lorenzo (1338), the 14th century bell tower and a small 15th century oratory.
iii) From here we found the start of the Vineyard Walk - a 30 minute hillside hike through the vineyard terraces surrounding Manarola. The views were stunning.
iv) We ended up back at the harbour where we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and sunbathing on the dramatic black rocks surrounding the small port. A perfect day.
HIKING TO MANAROLA: We walked from Riomaggiore to Manarola along the very strenuous and steep 531 Path. It was not easy going. Unfortunately the easy Via Dell’ Amore path is closed. I don’t know why so many sites seem to indicate that it’s still an option because it’s been closed for over 12 years. Officially, its due to re-open in 2024.
Written 28 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deathramps
Manchester, UK42 contributions
Aug 2020
Me and my boyfriend have just got back from a trip to Cinque Terre on the Liguria coast. We decided in advance that we would stay in Manarola - as it looked like it was nicely placed in between and we could visit the other 4 towns relatively easy. The other option for us was to hike between each town and spend a night at each one.. but the hike is quite difficult (and v warm in August), and between some towns it is very much a steep incline followed by a sudden decline.. not really an easy stroll, so doing this with large backpacks would have been very difficult.
We stayed in a lovely room in an Air BnB - Ca de Capun painters room hosted by Franco. I would definitely recommend, if you are looking for a decent priced room in the heart of the town. It is right above a restaurant, and the nearest possible point from the train station (but not loud despite this - just a bit of a noisy bottle bank which might wake you). The only thing this lacked, which in hindsight I should have booked, is a space with a small kitchen. The restaurants were unbelievably busy! This took us by surprise, as we searched for a place to eat the night we arrived - it was around 21.00, which I guess is a popular time to eat in Italy, but it was crazy busy. You basically can't get a table unless you book, so definitely book the night before if you want to guarantee you can eat in the evening. It is nowhere near as bad in the day for some reason - so my advice would be to eat big during the day and have a light supper. There is a supermarket, and a couple of take-out services (but these were also quite busy!!). The trip was during the covid pandemic, and so the extra safety measures probably didn't aid the situation, with a lot of restaurants operating at a reduced capacity...but it certainly wasn't a relaxed case of "rock up and decide what you fancy in the evening" - you had to plan. If you are lucky enough to get a table, here is my recommendation...
Ristorante Marina Piccola - AVOID. It looks v pleasant, situated right by the harbour but the staff were incredibly rude, particularly one male waiter. We asked for a table, he said "we're full", I responded with "how long do we need to wait" to which he ignored me and walked away. A more hospital female waitress suggested we can eat inside, as there was no chance we could have a space on the terrace with the sea view. We accepted, and went inside, to which the male waiter looked annoyed to see us and literally threw a bag of bread on our table. The room had a canteen vibe about it, with bright lights and no air con - definitely not the ambient Italian vibe you would hope for. We didn't get as far as eating - but if you want to avoid getting abused for no reason, don't bother with this place.
Bar La Plancia - Cafe providing a good spot for a croissant and espresso in the morning. Would recommend.
La Scogliera - fine. The staff were accommodating, which is hard to come by here if you are a tourist. The food was good, but not exceptional.
Il Poriticciollo - probably the best meal we had here, but definitely need to book in advance. The waiter was a bit rushed off his feet, but it is nice food!
Bar Corbani - lovely little spot for breakfast, definitely try the iced cream coffee, it was dreamy.
Cantina Burasca - totally rude man. Lovely spot on the hill, but the waiter was abrupt and rude to us, flippantly throwing his hands around and muttering Italian under his breath.
In terms of day trips, we walked from Manarola to Corniglia (~2 hours or so each way). This was a very pleasant walk, but quite a steep incline to begin with as you climb up many steps to the sleepy village in the hills Volastra. We planned to go to one of the lovely wine bars en route, but sadly they were all shut 11.00-14.00 opening times apparently.
Manarola to Riomaggiore was good too - much shorter than to Corniglia, but basically straight up and then down!
We reached Monterosso and Vernazza by train - you could walk to Vernazza, but the trail is €7.50 per person IN CASH.
A quick summary of the villages, in case you are struggling to decide whch to use as a base:-
1) Riogmaggiore - stoney beach, and nice harbour. Lots of fried seafood take outs, but not a fantastic restaurant scene. Train station is about 10 min walk from the main harbour.
2) Manarola - harbour, restaruants and station all very close.
3) Corniglia - lovely little square, and lots of nice places to eat. The harbour is a steep climb down from the main town though.
4) Vernazza - most going on, but probably a bit too busy. Station, harbour and restaurants close together - bit like Manarola, but more busy.
5) Monterosso - least scenic, but hotels and market make it seem like it would be best for families opposed to couples.
All in all, it is definitely worth visiting Cinque Terre - it is an area of outstanding beauty and Italian charm... but it is undoubtedly taken a large hit from tourism which tarnishes it slightly. It is expected, but you will have to queue / wait / book things in advance, and deal with locals who may be adverse to accommodating tourists. 3 days would be enough to enjoy all 5 villages in my opinion.
We stayed in a lovely room in an Air BnB - Ca de Capun painters room hosted by Franco. I would definitely recommend, if you are looking for a decent priced room in the heart of the town. It is right above a restaurant, and the nearest possible point from the train station (but not loud despite this - just a bit of a noisy bottle bank which might wake you). The only thing this lacked, which in hindsight I should have booked, is a space with a small kitchen. The restaurants were unbelievably busy! This took us by surprise, as we searched for a place to eat the night we arrived - it was around 21.00, which I guess is a popular time to eat in Italy, but it was crazy busy. You basically can't get a table unless you book, so definitely book the night before if you want to guarantee you can eat in the evening. It is nowhere near as bad in the day for some reason - so my advice would be to eat big during the day and have a light supper. There is a supermarket, and a couple of take-out services (but these were also quite busy!!). The trip was during the covid pandemic, and so the extra safety measures probably didn't aid the situation, with a lot of restaurants operating at a reduced capacity...but it certainly wasn't a relaxed case of "rock up and decide what you fancy in the evening" - you had to plan. If you are lucky enough to get a table, here is my recommendation...
Ristorante Marina Piccola - AVOID. It looks v pleasant, situated right by the harbour but the staff were incredibly rude, particularly one male waiter. We asked for a table, he said "we're full", I responded with "how long do we need to wait" to which he ignored me and walked away. A more hospital female waitress suggested we can eat inside, as there was no chance we could have a space on the terrace with the sea view. We accepted, and went inside, to which the male waiter looked annoyed to see us and literally threw a bag of bread on our table. The room had a canteen vibe about it, with bright lights and no air con - definitely not the ambient Italian vibe you would hope for. We didn't get as far as eating - but if you want to avoid getting abused for no reason, don't bother with this place.
Bar La Plancia - Cafe providing a good spot for a croissant and espresso in the morning. Would recommend.
La Scogliera - fine. The staff were accommodating, which is hard to come by here if you are a tourist. The food was good, but not exceptional.
Il Poriticciollo - probably the best meal we had here, but definitely need to book in advance. The waiter was a bit rushed off his feet, but it is nice food!
Bar Corbani - lovely little spot for breakfast, definitely try the iced cream coffee, it was dreamy.
Cantina Burasca - totally rude man. Lovely spot on the hill, but the waiter was abrupt and rude to us, flippantly throwing his hands around and muttering Italian under his breath.
In terms of day trips, we walked from Manarola to Corniglia (~2 hours or so each way). This was a very pleasant walk, but quite a steep incline to begin with as you climb up many steps to the sleepy village in the hills Volastra. We planned to go to one of the lovely wine bars en route, but sadly they were all shut 11.00-14.00 opening times apparently.
Manarola to Riomaggiore was good too - much shorter than to Corniglia, but basically straight up and then down!
We reached Monterosso and Vernazza by train - you could walk to Vernazza, but the trail is €7.50 per person IN CASH.
A quick summary of the villages, in case you are struggling to decide whch to use as a base:-
1) Riogmaggiore - stoney beach, and nice harbour. Lots of fried seafood take outs, but not a fantastic restaurant scene. Train station is about 10 min walk from the main harbour.
2) Manarola - harbour, restaruants and station all very close.
3) Corniglia - lovely little square, and lots of nice places to eat. The harbour is a steep climb down from the main town though.
4) Vernazza - most going on, but probably a bit too busy. Station, harbour and restaurants close together - bit like Manarola, but more busy.
5) Monterosso - least scenic, but hotels and market make it seem like it would be best for families opposed to couples.
All in all, it is definitely worth visiting Cinque Terre - it is an area of outstanding beauty and Italian charm... but it is undoubtedly taken a large hit from tourism which tarnishes it slightly. It is expected, but you will have to queue / wait / book things in advance, and deal with locals who may be adverse to accommodating tourists. 3 days would be enough to enjoy all 5 villages in my opinion.
Written 17 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael K
San Jose, CA1,107 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
From the ground level, the pastel colored houses in Manarola look similar to other Cinque Terre villages. But to get a unique perspective, you need to hike up the hill a little. One good vantage point is along the vineyard trail with the entrance close by San Lorenzo Church. Along the trail you will get a good view of Manarola with the bell tower standing out among the houses. Do not take the detour midway through the trail for a view of Corniglia. That detour is steep and slippery and the view at the top is no better than what you can see later on on the main vineyard trail. At the end of the vineyard trail after passing the cemetery and arriving at Punta Bonfiglio, you will be rewarded with another great view of Manarola. Also along the trail on Punta Bonfiglio you can see Corniglia in the distance.
Written 5 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing