The first thing you need to know is that Corniglia is a hill town. There are 2 ways up, you either walk up somewhere between 350-400 steps or take the small bus up which is free if you have a Cinque Terre card or you can opt to pay 2.50 euros. The bus driver will check your card.The queue for the bus was already long so we opted to walk up.It seemed never ending but we got there.The village itself is quite small with not a lot of attractions.You only need around 1 hour here.We prepared to walk down when we saw the bus stop and only 6 people in the queue.The bus down the hill was quick and when we got to the bottom there were many people waiting.If you have mobility issues you could seriously miss this village.There is not much to miss and you can spend more time in one of the other villages.

Corniglia is the smallest of the 5 Cinque Terre towns. It’s quite tiny, with just a handful of sights. For those with a very tight Cinque Terre itinerary, Corniglia is usually the town that people tend to skip. This is understandable because, not only is it the smallest but it’s also the least accessible. The town sits high up in the hills and it’s a trek from the train station. If arriving by train, you have two options - either climb the 377 steps that lead up to the town or catch the small shuttle bus (free with a Cinque Terre Pass and €2.50 otherwise). Although it’s fair to say that Corniglia doesn’t have any ‘must-see’ sights, it has the all the charm and atmosphere of a small Italian town. It is also a lot less crowded and bustling than the other more popular and visited towns. One of the beauties of Corniglia is that it is small enough that you can easily explore all the main sights within a very short time. We spent 2 hours here which was plenty of time to see the Gothic church of San Pietro built in 1334 and the small Oratory of Santa Caterina and to stroll along Via Fieschi, the main thoroughfare. The highlight of the day was discovering the Santa Maria Belvedere, a clifftop lookout with a stunning view over the Ligurian Sea and the Cinque Terre coastline. Here we found a small bar, Bar La Terza Terra where we could sit on the outdoor terrace, drinking Aperol Spritzes while enjoying the magical view and soaking up the atmosphere. It really was as lovely as it sounds.