IVA: 0% on a private let, 10% on a managed let, 22% on an agency fee
A villa let directly by its owner under the Italian locazione breve (short-let) regime carries no IVA. A villa let professionally with hotel-like services (housekeeping, a concierge desk, a chef included) can carry 10 percent IVA on the accommodation, and a separate agency or concierge fee carries 22 percent IVA. On a $52,000 managed headline, a 10 percent IVA line is $5,200. Ask in writing which regime applies before comparing two villas, because the locazione breve private let and the managed-with-services let can differ by a five-figure tax line.
Tourist tax: €3 per person per night, capped at three nights
The imposta di soggiorno in the Cinque Terre comuni of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, and Riomaggiore was standardised at 3 euro per person per night from 2025, capped at the first three nights, with children under 12 exempt. The Gulf comuni such as Portovenere and Lerici set their own comparable rates. For a party of ten the capped line is roughly 90 euro for the stay, a small number. The manager collects it and remits it to the comune; confirm the exact rate for your specific pocket, because each comune sets its own.
Service and concierge: 5 to 15 percent where billed separately
Some villas bundle the host, the concierge, and the housekeeping into the headline; others bill a management or concierge fee of 5 to 15 percent plus 22 percent IVA on that fee. The fee covers the meet-and-greet, the pre-stock, the train and boat planning, and the in-stay support, which matters more here than most places because the car-free villages need a plan. Verify whether the headline is inclusive of the host and the housekeeping or whether they are a separate line.
Staff: housekeeping standard, chef and driver extra
The better Gulf and hill estates include housekeeping several times a week, a villa manager or host, and pool and garden maintenance in the headline, with a chef and a driver billed separately. Smaller hill villas include a clean once or twice a week. A daily cook runs 180 to 320 euro per day. Verify the bench and the hours in writing. A villa with its own parking and a willing driver-host is worth a premium here, because the logistics of the car-free coast are the whole challenge.
Evening chef: €400 to €800 per service plus food at cost
An independent evening chef runs 400 to 800 euro per service plus food at cost for ten, in line with the Italian Riviera. Food cost lands at 60 to 120 euro per person depending on protein (the local anchovies and sea bass, Ligurian pesto and focaccia, the Genoese dishes) and the wine. A daily cook runs 180 to 320 euro per day. The Cinque Terre DOC whites and the sweet Sciacchetra are the house pours worth asking for, the Sciacchetra a genuine rarity worth the splurge for a special dinner.
Restaurant nights: €45 to €160 per head
The village seafood rooms in Monterosso and Vernazza run 60 to 110 euro per head before wine, the Portovenere and Lerici rooms up to 160 euro, and the trattorias in the hills and Levanto 45 to 80 euro. A long anchovy-and-pesto lunch in a village runs 40 to 70 euro. A family of eight at a Portovenere seafront room with wine can clear 900 euro. Book the marquee village tables one to two weeks ahead in August, when every seat on the water is taken.
Boat day: €900 to €3,500 per day
The private boat along the Cinque Terre coast is the canonical outing and the best way to see the five villages from the water without the train crowds. A day-charter boat with a skipper runs 900 to 2,000 euro for a group, a larger crewed yacht for a Gulf-and-villages day 2,500 to 3,500 euro plus fuel and a tip. The boat also reaches the swimming coves the trails and the trains do not, and a Portovenere-to-Monterosso run is the classic itinerary. Public ferries run between the villages for a fraction of the cost.
Train, boats, and trail cards: €20 to €100 per person
The Cinque Terre Treno Card covers unlimited Cinque Terre Express train travel between the villages and the trail access in the national park, useful for a day of village-hopping and walking. A single day card runs around 20 to 35 euro per person depending on the season, and the famous Sentiero Azzurro coastal trail charges a separate access fee where it is open. Budget a modest per-person line for the trains, the trail cards, and the public ferries across the week, the everyday transport of the coast.
Transfers: €200 to €380 by road from PSA or GOA
There is no Cinque Terre airport. Pisa (PSA) and Genoa (GOA) are each about 90 to 110 km, roughly 90 minutes to two hours by road to La Spezia, and Florence (FLR) is a common entry by train. A private car or V-Class from either airport to a Gulf or hill villa runs 200 to 380 euro each way. La Spezia Centrale is the rail hub, with the Cinque Terre Express to the villages every 15 to 30 minutes in high season. Most groups fly into Pisa or Florence, transfer to a villa near La Spezia, and use the train and boats from there.