Cinque Terre Boat Tour: A Must See View of the Five Lands

A boat tour of Cinque Terre is a great way to experience the stunning scenery of the region from a different perspective.

The rugged cliffs, turquoise waters, and colorful fishing villages of this UNESCO world heritage site look even more spectacular when seen from the sea.

I highly recommend you join a boat tour in Cinque Terre. It will give you a much more unique perspective of the area, and most importantly, give you a break from the crowds. It’s a small boat – only 8 on our cruise – so you’ll have space and uninterrupted views.

You can join other larger boats for full-day tours along the beautiful coastline or catch the ferry boat from La Spezia, which takes you through Portovenere and the Island of Palmaria in the Gulf of Poets and past the five towns from the water.

We saw some of those boats coming in and out and they were packed with people – like hundreds. Personally, I’d rather pay the extra money for a more personalized experience. It doesn’t work out to be that much more.

Where to Buy Cinque Terre Boat Tours

We almost missed what ended up being our favorite experience in Cinque Terre. I had booked a Cinque Terre boat tour last minute, after hearing it was one of the top things to do there.

Thankfully, they had space on their afternoon tour for the 24th of June. I mentioned that date to them in two emails; then when they asked me to confirm the date to confirm the booking, I brain farted and put July 24th.

I was booking so many things at the time, it must have just all gotten jumbled up in my head! Always get someone to double check for you!

I did not catch that error until we arrived at the meeting point in Manarola and checked in with Daniele. I could tell he was nervous, and something was wrong. He asked to see the email thread and then showed me the error!!

I was shattered! He was wonderful and told us to hold steady in case he had some no shows, but unfortunately luck was not in our favor.

It turned out that Daniele later had a last-minute cancellation of four for his sunset boat tour, but because we did not have Wi-Fi, I missed his email until we were in Riomaggiore when it was too late!!

But not to worry as we found a miracle solution not long after in Manarola.

After a few hours of sadness over my mistake, I wandered past a shop front in Manarola advertising a boat tour.

Luckily, they had space for their boat tour the next day! It cost me €45 more than Daniele’s price, but I was so happy to get on and rectify my mistake.

The moral of the story is that it’s cheaper to book your tour online, but you must make sure you check your details carefully as tours get booked up and it’s not always possible to book them last minute. This was the tour we ended up doing.

You can also book a private boat tour of Cinque Terre, which would be much more relaxing and intimate, albeit more expensive.

Our Experience On A Cinque Terre Boat Tour with Captain Cosimo

Our skipper for our boat tour of Cinque Terre was Cosimo, who immediately started the boat trip with, “I think you’re going to love my playlist.”

Hit play and I heard the very recognizable first notes of Sweet Caroline!! (In case you’ve missed that memo, it’s my name!!)

I turned and gave him a thumbs up and a grin, and he nodded back as if to say, “I got you!”

With each new song that ranged from the sixties Frank Sinatra to eighties Gloria, and to the modern, Can’t stop the feeling, Cosimo beamed, signaling that he loved the song with a quick touch of his hand to his chest.

As I grew up with many of these golden oldie tunes from my parents, we sang along together. Frank Sinatra was obviously his favorite.

After all my years of travel, it’s the memories of the connections we make with other humans that linger long. There’s no better way to connect with other humans than singing along to music. It is our universal soul language.

Captain Cosimo’s business is the sea. He takes small groups out three times a day in his boat, and sometimes from his sailing boat in La Spezia where he lives. But often that sailboat is just for his pleasure.

A reason he loves the winter in Cinque Terre is that he gets the sea to himself as the crowds disperse and the temperatures drop.

In July, the outside air and water temperatures are matching – 80°F/ 26°C – perfecto. In August the sea temps can reach 87°F/ 30°C

With the boat chasing the breeze and the shade cloth above, we didn’t feel the intensity of the sun that fries you when on land.

What’s Included

The boat tour comes with some snacks – not much, just some Italian pretzel cookie looking things – and a cooler full of beer, wine, water, and soda.

Cosimo was enthusiastic in encouraging us to have some prosecco and wine and kept reminding us throughout the trip to fill up our glasses.

The wine was Spanish and Italian wine, but not local to Cinque Terre. Those bottles are expensive, as Cosimo said “very difficult to grow” as he pointed to the vineyards clinging to the steep mountain faces.

Another side of Cinque Terre to be amazed by. It piqued my curiosity to research how those grapes do with all that salt spray, as the Mediterranean Sea is very salty – good for keeping you afloat while swimming.

Craig and I had a couple of glasses of Cinque Terre wine at lunch in Vernazza a few hours earlier just to try it and it was surprisingly very good.

Attractions on A Cinque Terre Boat Tour

A boat tour allows you to access some areas that are not easily reachable by land, such as secluded beaches and coves. There are many top attractions on a Cinque Terre boat tour, such as…

Five Lands from the Sea

The boat tour takes you into all five of the towns in the Cinque Terre National Park; Corniglia, Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza.

Our boat tour left from Manarola, the second of the five towns. So, our cruise started by going south to the first, and oldest town, Riomaggiore.

As Cosimo told us, this village is about 1000- 1500 years old, as told by the church that stands in the village.

We then cruised back past the Cinque Terre towns of Corniglia, Cosimo’s favorite, Vernazza, and our favorite Monterroso., and back to our starting point, Manarola

Cosimo pointed out features to us along the way, such as the Love Trail – the hiking trail that passes through all five towns and is currently closed in a couple of sections due to landslides.

He also pointed out how the Cinque Terre villages look with Christmas lights (with photo on his phone), showed us the small village of 25 people right up on the hilltop, where old World War II bunkers were, and fancy hotels and bars.

There was also the 400 steps people have to walk from the train station to the hilltop town of Corniglia, and the very important kelp underwater that produces the oxygen that keeps this national park thriving. 

Open Sea Swims

We had three swimming stops on the boat tour. One just offshore from Corniglio, which I was happy about as it was the only one of the five towns, we did not step foot on. So, I feel as if I can say we visited.

Cosimo jumped in the crystal-clear waters with his go pro and took footage of us all jumping off the boat which he turned into a video with music and sent it to our WhatsApp instantly.

Our third swim came just before returning to Manarola. It was our last swim for the rest of our European trip, so we all dived in to soak up that saltiness.

You can also go snorkeling if you have gear, or you can just swim around and let fresh Ligurian Sea cool you down.

Sea Cave Swim

We then stopped for a little pirate exploration in a sea cave. He sent us on our way with a flashlight and we swam into the cave for five minutes to check it out.

I was so happy Savannah decided to join us. She’s a major Outer Banks (the Netflix show) fan so for her it felt like she was on a quest to find treasure.

It was great to see how much she’s grown in confidence as that was something in past years, she’d be too afraid to do.

That’s why I love traveling with kids. It pushes their comfort boundaries a bit, gives them opportunities they’d never normally do, and so they get to know themselves more and develop confidence.

It also helps them to see the world is not as scary as it sometimes makes you think.

When we turned around at Monterosso Beach – our favorite – we were able to see an expansive view of all five towns at once. I wish I could have captured it on camera, but some landscapes are just better left for your eye in real life.

We cruised back a little further from the rocky shoreline, which was an incredible perspective.

I enjoyed contemplating these five little towns perched on tiny hillsides right next to the sea. One false move of the sea or land at Mother Nature’s blessing and they’d either crumble or be washed away.

Enjoy the rest of our Cinque Terre boat tour through our photos!

FAQs About A Boat Tour of Cinque Terre

Here is what people usually ask us about a Cinque Terre boat tour excursion…

Final Thoughts

The two-hour Cinque Terre boat trip was over just as soon as it began. There was probably no reason to stay out any longer, as we saw and did plenty, but I easily could have cruised around for another hour singing songs with Cosimo and a glass of fruity local wine.

We alighted with a high five and headed back into the tiny town of Manarola for dinner and sunset views.

Cosimo turned back right around after dropping us off for his sunset cruise. We saw him cruise by from our viewpoint above on the clifftops! I swear I heard, “I did it my way” wafting up with the breeze!

Click here for more ideas on things to do in Cinque Terre!