Pisa and Cinque Terre

Leaning Tower Area

Our travel journey continued to Pisa, Italy. To be honest, we only wanted to visit Leaning Tower of Pisa lol. We took a bus to visit the tower, with 24-hour transport ticket. It was quite surprising knowing that the leaning tower is not really crowded compared to other tourist attractions in Italy. The area has 3 main buildings, with 2 cathedrals within the area as well as the tower. It was still too early to go home, then we decided to have a visit to Cinque Terre instead. What an impulsive decision hahah. We consider this place as it's only 1-2 hours journey from Pisa to Cinque Terre, and also the day was long as it was still summer.

Aesthetic wall at Riomaggiore

We took a train to La Spezia, and then bought a day ticket for exploring Cinque Terre. The ticket also includes free wi-fi on each train station within the area, also free toilet service. This region comprises of 5 areas with its own uniqueness. The first area is Riomaggiore. This is the closest area from La Spezia. When you arrived, you'll have to follow a pedestrian tunnel that will direct you to the beach. There will be beautiful colourful houses along the beach, and you can also swim or sunbath in this area. The second area is Manarola. For me, this is the best area to enjoy Cinque Terre's beautiful houses as it has cleaner area and more beautiful landscape. I spent more time here other than 4 areas in Cinque Terre. This could be a redemption as I failed to visit Santorini heheh.

Typical pedestrian tunnal

Manarola

The third area is Corniglia. This spot is mainly just beach, but you can still enjoy its beauty. When you got to Cinque Terre, make sure you visit all the 5 areas for complete pleasure. Toilet is available at the train station of each area. The forth one is Vernazza. This place also has beautiful scenery to be enjoyed. This is the second area I love the most after Manarola, as it has beautiful colourful boats along the shore. When you visit one of the areas in Cinque Terre, have a sit and buy their local food there. It will be more relaxing to have meals while enjoying the sun. The last one is Monterossio al Mare. This spot has the most beautiful beach compared to other places in Cinque Terre. This is the best spot for swimming as well as sunbathing. However, the beach is pretty crowded but the water is pretty clear and the sand is also white yet tempting. What I love the most about Cinque Terre is, the spot of the attraction is only within walking distance from the train station. Therefore, you don't need to give big effort on climbing or such. If you wanna save more money, you can always have McDonalds at La Spezia train station (like we did for breakfasting). We only spent one whole day to enjoy Cinque Terre, but it's totally worth it.

Vernazza

Monterosso al Mare