Porto Venere the sixth Cinque Terre town

Porto Venere is not included within the Cinque Terre train line and famous walking route, but it is certainly worth the detour because the sixth Cinque Terre town was our favourite!

Yes, the five famous towns are beautiful and the walks are scenic. But EVERYONE walks those tracks! We are pleased we walked the Cinque Terre tracks, but we didn’t feel as though it was a true adventure. If you are looking for more of a challenge, we recommend trekking to Porto Venere!

With typical colourful buildings of the region, plus a castle, and medieval town – Porto Venere has it all!

How do I travel to Porto Venere the sixth Cinque Terre town?

You can travel to Porto Venere by foot or bus. We accepted the challenge of a hike beginning from our hostel in Biassa. So with a hand drawn map by the staff at our hostel and our ponchos, we set off into the drizzly rainy weather. Yes it wasn’t ideal, but we figured the horrible weather would simply just have to add to the adventure.

The walk started off with a rather large number of very old steps. We have no idea what the history behind the steps is, but they were very cool! Our first marker to confirm we were on the right track was the pub! Unfortunately it was still a tad early, so rather than stopping for a beer we continued onwards. The beginning of the walk wasn’t too difficult and we even came across some mountain bikers. However, the next stage was a bit more of a challenge. Fortunately for me and my fear of heights, the low cloud (and pouring rain) blocked our view from the steep cliff edge we walked along. Plus due to the rain, the track was slippery and it did hurt when I fell over!

Note: Unlike all the other Cinque Terre towns, you do not have to pay to use the walking track to Porto Venere. We recommend walking to Porto Venere and then catching a bus back to your accommodation.