When planning your Italian itinerary, make sure you have enough time in the Cinque Terre, so you can go on a boat tour.
The Cinque Terre is among the most breathtaking coastlines of Italy, and the colourful fishing villages look different from the sea.
On this page I offer you different shared tours, some of them starting from Manarola, others leaving from Monterosso or La Spezia.
These are small group guided tours, with maximum 10-12 participants, away from the crowds. I personally love shared tours as I always enjoy meeting other travellers, but if you prefer
some privacy and you'd like to share a boat only with your loved ones, family and friends, I recommend renting a private boat in the Cinque Terre.
The following three tours with a Ligurian motorboat (gozzo) start from the little harbour of Manarola.
You will admire the beautiful Cinque Terre coastline from the sea,
while your skipper will be telling you some legends and stories about the five villages and the Cinque Terre National Park.
He will make you understand why this area is so special, the real essence of the Cinque Terre.
There are three companies I recommend, depending on availability, all of them are amazing.
Going on this tour was one of the highlights of our summer.
You can choose from three different tours: a late morning tour, an afternoon tour and a sunset cruise. The afternoon tours and the sunset tours you can book online
directly on my website. To book the morning tour, please contact me directly. Also, if you don't find availability online, please write to me, I might still find
availability for you. If you can't decide which one to book from the boat trips below, I am happy to help you.
Available every day from April 1 to October 31.
Meeting in Manarola.
Minimum 1, maximum 10 participants.
In English or Italian.
Price includes: boat trip with skipper and drinks on board.
You should bring: sunglasses, hat, swimsuit, towel, camera and pullover depending on the weather.
If you might get seasick, you can buy medication at the pharmacy.
During this beautiful sunset boat tour, you will first explore the coastline of Corniglia,
Vernazza and Monterosso,
discovering caves and grottos as well. Depending on the weather, you will spend a short time in Monterosso, the biggest Cinque Terre town, or make a swim stop.
Later you will stop at Punta Mesco, in front of Monterosso, to watch the sunset with a welcome drink in your hand.
On the way back, you will see Riomaggiore and the suggestive Via dell'Amore from the sea and then return to Manarola.
Meeting point: Manarola, late afternoon. Departure between 4.30PM and 6.30PM, depending on the time of sunset.
Duration: 2.5 hours.
Price: 90 EUR/person. (45 EUR for children aged 2-13 years.)
This afternoon Cinque Terre boat trip is dedicated to the sea, nature and snorkeling in exclusive places, accessible only from the sea.
First you will see Corniglia from below, which is the smallest of the Cinque Terre towns, sitting on top of a promontory.
After discovering various caves and grottos, you will admire Vernazza and Monterosso from the sea.
On the way back, you will also see
Riomaggiore and the Via dell'Amore from the boat.
In April, May and October the tour includes a stop in Monterosso. Between June and September there will
be a stop for swimming and snorkeling in the beautiful, clear waters, but no stops in the villages. The program also depends on the weather and the
sea temperature.
Meeting point: Manarola, 2:00PM.
Duration: 2.5 hours.
Price: 90 EUR/person. (45 EUR for children aged 2-13 years.)
Similarly to the other tours, during this morning boat tour you will also cruise all along the Cinque Terre coastline, see the Cinque Terre National Park
and the five colourful fishing villages from the sea. Your skipper will tell you about the history of the Cinque Terre, why it
is a UNESCO world heritage site and also local stories. I encourage you to ask questions, as you can learn so much about local life from your local guides and skippers.
In case of suitable weather and sea temperatures, you'll be swimming and snorkeling in the crystal clear water of the Ligurian Sea.
Even if you only have one or two days in the Cinque Terre, you should allow time for a boat trip. Just sit back with a glass of prosecco in your hand, feel the wind in your hair
and enjoy the view of one of the most beautiful coastlines of Italy.
Meeting point: Manarola, 10:00AM.
Duration: 2.5 hours.
Price: 90 EUR/person. (45 EUR for children aged 2-13 years.)
Cinque Terre sunset cruise with dinner, from Monterosso
The sunset cruise starts late in the afternoon from Monterosso. It's a really relaxing evening tour, also perfect if you like taking photos, as lights are beautiful at this time
of the day.
You will sail along the entire coast of the Cinque Terre while enjoying an abundant aperitivo with focaccia, pesto, anchovies, bruschetta, white wine,
prosecco, spritz, beers and soft drinks. You will admire the five villages from the sea with the possibility of taking stunning photos.
The skipper will make a stop in a beautiful bay, where you can enjoy a refreshing swim or snorkel in the unspoilt and crystalline water.
Sanitized masks and snorkels are available on board.
In the meantime, the crew will prepare a tasty dinner based on grilled fish (swordfish, tuna or prawns) with tomatoes and bruschetta. You'll finish your meal
with a homemade tiramisu. On request vegetarian and celiac option is also available.
On the way back you will try luck with trolling fishing, while sailing further away from the coast to enjoy a different perspective on the villages and
to admire the sun setting into the sea. At the end of the boat tour you'll return to Monterosso.
In case of rough sea along the Cinque Terre coast, the tour will be moved to the protected and splendid Gulf of Poets, with departure and return to
the Port of La Spezia. In that case there will be a discount of 20 EUR/person.
Available every day from April 11 to October 30.
Meeting point: Monterosso. Time to be confirmed, it changes during the season.
Duration: 3 hours.
Price: 180 EUR/person. (120 EUR for children aged 3-12 years.)
Minimum 2, maximum 12 participants.
In English or Italian.
Price includes: evening boat tour with English speaking skipper, snorkeling equipment, drinks and dinner on board.
You should bring: bathing suit, towel, sweatshirt, water, sunglasses, hat, camera.
Cinque Terre boat tour with lunch, from Monterosso
You will leave at 11:00AM from Monterosso and sail along the Cinque Terre coast, looking at the villages from the water.
The skipper will choose a beautiful spot where you will stop for swimming and snorkeling while the crew prepares lunch on board.
They will serve you local products like focaccia and pesto, bruschetta and anchovies, followed by Muscoli alla Marinara and a
main course of grilled fish or prawns. For dessert you'll enjoy a homemade tiramisu. Vegetarian or celiac option is also available.
Water, soft drinks, beer, prosecco and wine is available during the entire duration of the tour.
After lunch you will cruise further and you will stop in another bay for more swimming and snorkeling in the turquoise water.
Sanitized snorkeling equipment is available on board. You can also try trolling fishing.
You will finish the boat tour in Monterosso around 3:30PM.
Available every day from April 11 to October 30.
Meeting point: Monterosso, 11:00AM.
Duration: 4.5 hours.
Price: 230 EUR/person. (150 EUR for children aged 3-12 years.)
Minimum 2, maximum 12 participants.
In English or Italian.
Price includes: boat tour with English speaking skipper, drinks and lunch on board, snorkeling equipment.
You should bring: bathing suit, towel, sweatshirt, water, sunglasses, hat, camera.
Get on board in the harbour of La Spezia and cruise in the Gulf of Poets. You will soon reach Portovenere and its marine protected area.
You will take part in a tour of the three islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto), make swim stops and enjoy the spectacular sunset with a light dinner
in the strait of Portovenere.
In case of excellent weather and sea conditions the dinner can also be held near the island of Tino. The light dinner,
which will certainly include spaghetti with muscles, will consist of local food and wine.
I have personally tried this tour, together with my family, and it was an unforgettable experience. Picturesque sunset, wonderful crew,
fun swimming off the boat and great food! I love this traditional fishing boat, one of my favourite boats in the area, you can also book it for
private boat tours of the Cinque Terre or the Gulf of Poets.
Available every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from April 1 to October 30.
Meeting point: La Spezia harbour, 5:00PM.
Duration: 3.5 hours.
Price: 120 or 145 EUR/person, depending on the season. (97 or 112 EUR for children up to 9 years old.)
Minimum 4, maximum 13 participants.
In English or Italian.
Price includes: boat tour with English speaking skipper, drinks and dinner on board, snorkeling equipment.
You should bring: bathing suit, towel, sweatshirt, sunglasses, hat, camera.
A brand new sunset cruise with one of the most beautiful boats of the Cinque Terre, a traditional fishing boat.
This new boat tour has been created with the passion of local men, their love for the sea and fishing.
During this 3-hour tour you will make a couple of swim stops in hidden areas, only reachable by boat. While admiring the sunset, you can enjoy some Cinque Terre wine on board, along with some
bruschetta topped with tomatoes and local anchovies.
Your skippers will tell you about the Cinque Terre, the sea around here, and also explain about the traditional fishing in the area. They are truly passionate, and having this boat was the dream of their lives.
Towards the end of the tour you can also see what is in their net today.
Available every day from April 15 to October 30.
Meeting point: Manarola, 6:00PM. (Time changes according to the sunset time.)
Duration: 3 hours.
Price: 130 EUR/person.
Minimum 4, maximum 10 participants.
In English or Italian.
Price includes: sunset boat tour with English speaking skipper, local wine and bruschetta on board, fishing experience.
You should bring: bathing suit, towel, sweatshirt, water, sunglasses, hat, camera.
Reviews
Watch this video made by a friend of mine during the sunset cruise. They were lucky to see a group of dolphins.
My wife Sara and I were visiting Cinque Terre for our one year wedding anniversary, and wanted to spend one day out on the water.
We met Daniel in the morning and joined the rest of the group for our boat tour.
Daniel was amazing, and had plenty of interesting facts to share about the coast and each individual town.
Being from Cinque Terre he was also able to recommend where to (and not to) eat/drink/shop, etc.
After quite some time, my wife and I wanted to go swimming. It was May, so the water was still a little bit chilly...
but Daniel took us to a "private beach" that we hopped off the boat and swam to.
Before we knew it, the entire group (including Daniel) were in the water swimming.
That, combined with a ride along the coast with music playing and wine in our hands...was one of the most magical parts of our trip to Italy.
We spent two weeks on vacation, and our day with Cinque Terre Travel and Daniel was by far one of the most memorable.
I would more than recommend this tour to anyone visiting Cinque Terre.
Thank you!!!!!!
Phil
Hello,
It was disappointing not to be able to paraglide but we had a fabulous time in Cinque Terre,
a lot in fact due to the great sunset cruise! What was most enjoyable was the intimacy of only having 5 passengers on a small boat.
We all had a great time and truly enjoyed Daniel's history of the villages and his warm and welcoming personality!
Thank you for all of your help!
Kind regards,
Maureen
Dear Tamara,
we thought the boat trip with Daniele from Manarola was simply wonderful.
He was a entertaining guide who explained the history of the Cinque Terre very well.
He was also very friendly and laid back. We liked the fact that we were able to snorkel as well.
We thought it all went smoothly, also thanks to your efforts. Nothing but praise, therefore.
Sebastian
We had an absolutely wonderful experience. It was truly one of the highlights of our stay on the Italian riviera. The boat was perfect, Dannielle was accommodating,
informative, funny and charming, and we especially loved the swimming coves we stopped at along the way with the waterfalls and caves.
I will likely be taking more of my wine clients to Cinque Terre in the future and when I do, I will certainly book this boat tour again. Thank you so much!
Rachel
Great sunset boat tour. Highly recommended.
Terry
Hi Tamara,
Thank you for reaching out! We had a wonderful boat cruise!! We loved our guide. He was fun and interesting!
Alicia
The boat tour was fantastic, and Daniele was awesome!! I would recommend it to everyone!
Sean
Hi Tamara,
The sunset cruise with Tony was the highlight of our trip to Italy. He was really friendly and funny, and the sunset over the sea was so picturesque.
A boat tour in the Cinque Terre is a must for everyone travelling there.
Steven
We truly loved the lunch boat tour from Monterosso. Delicious food and great swimming. Highly recommended.
Chiara
Hi Tamara,
Thank you so much for organizing the sunset cruise for us. The villages looked amazing in the evening lights, and we also had lot of fun with the skipper.
My parents are travelling to the Cinque Terre next summer, I will surely tell them to book this tour with you.
Diana
Tamara,
We are so happy you have convinced us to do the sunset tour with fishing. We only had a short time in the Cinque Terre and we had to rush a little to
make this tour happen, but it was the best part of our day. Their wine and the bruschetta was very nice, and we also got lucky with the fishing!
Lorenzo seems to know everything about the sea, if I understood well, he studied marine biology.
Thanks again for all your help with this.
Paolo
Tamara! Our dinner boat tour from Monterosso was the absolute highlight of our Cinque Terre trip. The food was much better than in the restaurant where we
had dinner the previous night, everything so fresh. For the kids the best part was the snorkeling, it was hard to get them out of the water.
Thanks again for your help booking this boat tour for our family.
All the best,
Erika
The sunset cruise was fantastic, and Tony was great, a really fun guy. I recommend his tour to everyone.
Sam
Tamara, I am so happy in the end we have decided to do the boat tour instead of taking the Cinque Terre ferry.
We saw the long line at the ferry stop in Vernazza. Our skipper was very funny and we loved swimming off the boat, away from the crowded beach.
Thanks again for your recommendation!
Alain
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