Amalfi Coast vs Cinque Terre: Maps and Data

Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre are the two of the most popular, maybe after Rome and Venice, but you have definitely heard of them not once. Planning a first or even second trip to Italy one may be pondering over whether they need to choose between these two destinations or combine them. How far they are from each other and how similar and/or different they are. Let’s do a full rundown on Amalfi Coast vs Cinque Terre and validate the choices.

Is Cinque Terre similar to the Amalfi Coast?

The short answer is “No” — except being the Italian regions and popular tourist destinations, in terms of style and experience, they are very different for 2 areas within a single country. Let’s take a look at the data:

	Amalfi Coast	Cinque Terre
Location	Southern Italy, Campania region	Liguria region, Northwestern Italy
Area	112 km2 / 43 mi2 with 50 km / 31 mi coastline	39 km2 / 15 mi2 with 12 km / 7.5 mi coastline
Towns	Amalfi, Atrani, Cetara, Conca de’ Marini, Furore, Maiori, Minori, Positano, Praiano, Ravello, Scala, Tramonti, and Vietri sul Mare.	Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore
Islands	Capri, Ischia, Procida (Campanian Archipelago)	Palmaria, Tino, Tinetto (near Portovenere)
Population	30,000 residents	4,000 residents
Amount of tourists	5 million annually	2.5 million annually
UNESCO status	Yes	Yes
Accommodation	Luxury hotels and resorts	Guesthouses
Transportation	Driving (winding roads), buses, ferries	Best accessed by train; cars are not practical
Nearest Airport	Naples	Pisa, Genoa

So we can see how different the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre are: different locations, areas, and populations.

An interesting fact is that Cinque Terre, having a population 9 times smaller than the Amalfi, hosts only twice less tourists. The explanation is that the areas target different kinds of tourists and, thus, offer different kinds of accommodation in general. Amalfi Coast targets those seeking an upscale vacation destination and Cinque Terre is oriented on rustic budget-friendly experiences.

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Famous Attractions and Experiences

In terms of atmosphere, the Amalfi Coast is all about Mediterranean glamour, luxurious beaches, and lush gardens. On the contrary, the vibe of Cinque Terre is about rugged charm, colorful houses, and well-organized hiking trails.

Both areas are UNESCO heritage sites and are full of various landmarks, here’s the list of top attractions for each area:

Both regions feature steep terraces used for cultivating vines, but the varieties are different. The Amalfi Coast specializes in Falanghina and Aglianico wines, while Cinque Terre focuses on Sciacchetrà.

The cuisine in both regions is based on seafood, but targets different audiences: Amalfi is mostly about fine dining in Michelin-starred restaurants, while Cinque Terre eateries feature simpler dishes like pesto or focaccia.

Map of the towns of Amalfi coast and Cinque Terre

Below is a map showing the locations of the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre, two of Italy’s most famous coastal regions. The Amalfi Coast stretches along the Tyrrhenian Sea, while Cinque Terre sits on the Ligurian coast.

This map pinpoints all the key towns in both regions, helping you plan your travel route and distances between destinations like Positano, Amalfi, and Monterosso.

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Hiking in Cinque Terre vs Amalfi Coast

The key difference between hiking in Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre is that the latter charges a small fee for trail access.

As of 2025, Cinque Terre offers 2 types of cards: Trekking and Treno (train), which is very handy allowing you to hike only in 1 direction and catch a train on the way back. The trekking card gives access to all paths, except Via dell’Amore (Path of Love), which is paid separately. All kinds of cards can be purchased online in advance.

All trails within Cinque Terre basically fall into 2 large systems: Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Path) and Sentiero Rosso or Alta Via (High Trail). The Blue Path, which is closer to the coast is supported by Cinque Terre’s cohesive trail network. The combined distance of Cinque Terre National Park trails is 120 km / 74.5 mi.

Sentiero Azzurro

Alta Via

Via dell’Amore (Path of Love)

As we can see the Path of Love is very strict. The administration limits the amount of tourists due to maintenance issues, so all visits are done in batches. It can only be done in 1 direction from Riomaggiore to Manarola, you cannot spend there more than 30 minutes to walk the 900 m / 2950 ft distance. So it’s not an opportunity to get lost in nature.

Amalfi Hiking Trails

As for Amalfi Coast, it is not particularly praised for the numerous hiking routes, there’s only 1 that’s always highlighted — Path of Gods or Sentiero degli Dei.

The trail can be extended to Positano by descending 1700 steep stairs from Nocelle, adding ~1.5 km /~0.9 mi. However, the hiking trails of Amalfi Coast are not limited to the Path of Gods, here are few more to add to the list:

Valle delle Ferriere (Valley of the Mills)

From Amalfi to Pontone and back

Sentiero delle Formichelle (Path of the Little Ants)

From Tramonti to Minori

Sentiero dei Limoni (Path of the Lemons)

From Maiori to Minori

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Camping

The wild camping rules in Italy are vague and vary from region to region. In Cinque Terre, it’s definitely a “no” because it is a National Park. You will need to find a designated campsite that is outside Cinque Terre. Camping at a beach on the Amalfi Coast will most likely result in a fine.

The campsites close to the Cinque Terre are located in Levanto, Deiva Marina, Moneglia, and Framura.

In general, the campsites in Southern Europe are targeting camper-vans, and offer a wide range of amenities: WI-FI, swimming pools, restaurants, kids’ playgrounds, laundromats, and refrigerator rentals. So it’s more a family vacation, not a survival experience.

Camping directly on the Amalfi Coast is limited as a campsite requires some space. However, some options varying in comfort can be encountered: from tent pitches to bungalows.

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Sea Exploration

It is well known that the best shots of the Amalfi Coast are done from the sea. Earlier we published a 7-day boat itinerary, which can be easily done without renting a boat, but hopping the ferries instead.

Ferries are available in Cinque Terre as well, they operate between Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, and Riomaggiore (Corniglia is skipped). The trips are a lot shorter compared to the Amalfi Coast, the full loop takes 3-4 hours with short stops.

However, the major reason to get on a boat at the Amalfi Coast is to explore its islands: Capri for its Blue Grotto and Ischia for its thermal springs. Procida is less popular, but it’s worth adding on a longer itinerary, especially for those on a hunt for filming locations. Il Postino (The Postman) (1994) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) were filmed there.

Surprisingly, Cinque Terre has its own Blue Grotto, though less famous than the Capri’s counterpart. It is located on Palmaria Island, a short ferry trip from Portovenere. The archipelago includes 2 smaller islands — Tino and Tinetto, which are accessible by private boat tours.

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Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre: Which Should You Visit?

Drawing a line to the comparison, here’s a biased recommendation for the occasional choice. Of course, there will be many who chose Cinque Terre for their honeymoon or managed to do Amalfi Coast on a budget. Yet there’s a certain alignment:

Romantic getaway	Amalfi Coast
Family vacation	Amalfi Coast
Budget travelers	Cinque Terre
Adventure seekers	Both
Foodies	Amalfi Coast
Hiking enthusiasts	Cinque Terre
Photographers	Both

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Shared Experiences: Wineries, Lemon Groves, and Crowds

Throughout this post, we’ve been looking at how different both of these destinations are. Let’s finally see what they have in common. The steep grape terraces and family-run wineries, coastal hiking routes, UNESCO heritage status, wide popularity, agritourism, ferries, and that’s probably it.

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