Cinque terre how long do you need

Again, the trail was closed. Would we ever get to hike the main Cinque Terre trail? Once again, we had the option to either hike up and over another mountain, this hike being twice as long as the first one we did, or take the train to Corniglia. We chose the train. We still had a long, hot day in front of us and Kara was already beginning to run out of steam.

To get from the train station into Corniglia you have to climb this long series of wide steps into town. It still felt like we were hiking even though we had just taken the train! To get from Corniglia to Vernazza we hiked on dusty, rocky paths, up and down endless stone steps, and through many more vineyards. The views were spectacular. Towards the end of this portion of the hike Kara kept warning us that her feet were going to explode. Finally, we made it to the most beautiful town of the Cinque Terre, Vernazza with all feet intact.

Vernazza is beautiful, and it was extremely crowded during the brief period of time we spent there. All of these towns can be explored in less than a half an hour, but be prepared to walk up and down some steep inclines. We wandered away from the main street through Vernazza and went to Alberto Gelateria for a much needed break.

This was the best gelato we had so far, and it was so good that we went back for seconds. Finally, it was time for the final hike to Monterosso. This is the most strenuous stretch of the Cinque Terre, another mountainous hike lasting 3 km. Fortunately, Kara got her second wind.

Two hours later, a very sweaty, tired family of four arrived in Monterosso. It was time for that much deserved swim! Once in Monterosso we plopped down at the beach for a much needed swim in the ocean. This was the perfect way to end our hike. So, what do we think about the hike now that it is over?

It was a great experience, the views were incredible, and there was something very cool about hiking through the hillside vineyards. Cooler temperatures would have made the hike more enjoyable, but it was July, so it was going to be hot. The heat just made the gelato and the swimming that much more enjoyable.

For anyone who wants to see the Cinque Terre and have an active, adventurous day, hiking the trail is a great option. As for our favorite town, Monterosso was the winner. Monterosso is the largest of the five towns, and with its two beaches, multitude of water sports, and its wonderful energy, we loved it here. Vernazza was the prettiest, Corniglia was the quietest, Manarola had a great harbor, and Riomaggiore was the best place to sit and watch the sunset.

From May through September, the cities and the hiking trails can get very crowded. If you visited or hiked the Cinque Terre during the summer months in recent years, how was your experience?

We would love to hear about your experience and it would help future readers know what to expect during their visit. Let us know in the comment section at the end of this article. We give tips and advice how to keep costs low but still enjoy the best that the Cinque Terre has to offer. The hike can be done in either direction. To get the hardest hiking over with first, start in Monterosso.

Once you reach Corniglia, and assuming all of the trails are open, the easier sections will be at the end. For those who are very ambitious, there are trails that go even higher into the mountains for some of the best views of the area. The Cinque Terre information points in each town have maps of these trails.

There are different options for buying the Cinque Terre Park Card. There are also multi-day passes available. For more information click here. Water bottles can be refilled at the public water fountains in each town. We drank gallons of water out of the public fountains all throughout Italy.

As with our experience, trails close frequently. The day before our hike the trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola was open. There was a rockslide during the night which covered part of the trail, making it inaccessible. Check with the information offices before starting any hike for trail closures. Sections of the trail are true hiking. What better way to cool off than a swim in the Mediterranean Sea! This is a small, budget hotel. It was very basic, with small rooms, an interesting bathroom you actually had to walk through the shower to get into the bathroom , but it was only a five minute walk to the train station.

If you are traveling on a budget, consider staying in La Spezia to save money. Planning a trip to Italy? Read all of our articles in our Italy Travel Guide. Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hi, we hope to be in Cinque Terre this August. Of the two hikes between Corniglia to Vernazza and Vernazza to Monterosso, which would you recommend if we only did one?

I have an almost 5, 6, and 8 year old with me, and our limit is about 4 miles at a time because of the 4 year old. Of course we then want to get a paddle boat for some awesome beach time at the end. I think the views are better between Corniglia and Vernazza. If I remember correctly, you get great views along the entire coastline from this part of the trail. Then take the train to Monterosso. And we have such great memories of those paddle boats.

I hope you and your kids have a great time in the Cinque Terre! Cheers, Julie. We returned last week from hiking in the Cinque Terre. Being August it was of course very hot, and although we are keen walkers, we found some of the steep uphills rather a struggle. We walked from Monterosso to Vernazza and then on the Corniglia. Tip: on the latter section there is an isolated bar at the top of the climb — most welcome! The stretch between Corniglia and Riomaggiore is sadly still closed. We started in Camogli, a beautiful town, and did a day walk from there to Portofino ditto with interesting stops on the way.

Next stop was Bonassola OK but a walk from there was of little interest. And then we hiked on to Monterosso!

We realised that it would have been better to organise the trip ourselves — more flexibility to choose the places we wanted to see — and the paths are clearly marked, so the elaborate route notes were unnecessary. One more thing. Because the Blue Trail was closed, we visited Manarola and Monterosso by boat. On the same day we also visited Portovenere, which is not one of the five towns, but just as good, interesting, beautiful and lively.

Well worth a visit or even an overnight stop. Wow, lots of great tips here. Thanks so much! Sounds like you had a cool trip, walking from town to town along the coast.

Hello both of you adventurous travelers! A friend and I are headed to CT towards the end of September. But, if trails are closed in and out, is that a mistake? Please let me know what you suggest. And if you have wonderful trails off the beaten path, wonderful places to stop on a hike, etc.

I could use any advice you have. Thank you! Hello Laura. I think it is fine to stay in Manarola. No matter where you stay, you still have to leap frog or hike the high trail to get from Manarola to the other towns. Right now, it looks like the trail from Manarola to Riomaggiore is closed, but you can hike the high trail, like we did.

The low trail from Manarola to Corniglia is also closed, just like it was for us in I suggest looking at this website , which lists the trail closures, and has more info on the hiking routes. Hopefully that website will give you some more info. Julie, Excellent site. Thank you so much. I have never traveled Italy. We my husband, and another couple 4 adults are traveling May We have decided to drive since we are heading to Lake Como and Switzerland after and a car seems most convient.

I have three questions. We would like to do part of the hike. We are staying in Manarloa. What part do you recomend, it seems like several parts are closed. Are there boats you can rent, i cant seem to find any information on that, and that seems like a fun option to see the towns from a differnt view.

Thank you for your help.. There are also shorter sanctuary walks run steeply uphill from the villages. You can get them in villages and from huts at the start of each section of the path. If you are driving around, you can park in La Spezia or Levanto then catch the train into the Cinque Terre. The trains are the easiest way to get to and around the Cinque Terre, running between La Spezia and Levanto and stopping at each village. You can also connect to Genoa, Pisa, Rome and beyond.

It only takes about five minutes from one village to the next. Trains run up to three times an hour in each direction from 5am— You can also rent a boat or take a sailing trip. It goes brilliantly with the local white wine. The hills behind the villages are covered in vineyard terraces and you can do a tasting at some of the wineries.

Not too much! Also pack a water bottle as there are free water taps in each village where you can refill it. And if you get stuck English is widely spoken around the Cinque Terre. Looking for somewhere to stay in the Cinque Terre? Hello Lucie! A great travel guide :. Its a very informative blog. Thanks for your article which has given me some good tips about the Cinque Terre. I am going there on Thursday, driving in from Menton in France. I don't know what to expect regarding the crowds.

As it was very easy for me to book some accommodation just a few weeks ago, I hope there will be less people. It looks like a wonderful place and I know many people who have been there who think so too. Thanks again. Hope you have a great trip — I'm hearing that Italy is fairly quiet at the moment so you should hopefully get to see it without the usualy peak season crowds!

Click the star next to the title of the map to add this map to your Google Maps account. In the morning, take a train to Monterosso al Mare. We started our day at around 8 AM with a short 20min train ride from La Spezia , where we were staying, to the furthest village of Cinque Terre — Monterosso.

You can, of course, also opt to stay at one of the Cinque Terre villages or at the nearby town Levanto which is also on the same train route. You can find the Cinque Terre train schedule here. Monterosso al Mare , the most Northern of Cinque Terre villages, is the most visited in Cinque Terre, mainly due to its sand beach. Monterosso has the only somewhat noteworthy sand beach in Cinque Terre, so it attracts many tourists in summer. When we visited, on a late-October morning, the beach was completely deserted.

After a short stop at the tourist information center to enquire which sections of the Cinque Terre hike were open we set towards Vernazza. Before you reach the start of the hiking trail, you pass the old town center of Monterosso. The small town square has that typical laid back feel of the villages along the Mediterranean. An obligatory statue in this case of Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi in the middle surrounded by trees offering some very welcome shadow yes, even in October!

There are some restaurants and little shops here, as well as a little playground. A very cozy place! The Monterosso — Vernazza hike starts here, just behind the communal building.

Once on the trail, you cannot really go wrong — there is just one path. The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza took us 2 hours. We were hiking together with our three kids age and they did just fine. However, some parts of the trail are quite steep and also a bit narrow, so you have to keep an eye on the children.

Vernazza is one of the most picturesque villages of Cinque Terre. There are several stunning viewpoints from the Cinque Terre trail, some minutes before you reach the village coming from Monterosso. Even if you are not hiking the whole trail, you could walk to these viewpoints from Vernazza. Vernazza itself is a colorful little village bustling with life.

By the time we reached the village it was around 11 AM and really hot. Time for a gelato! There are several gelaterias, as well as many restaurants and shops in Vernazza. You can rent a kayak, go swimming, or just hang around and soak in the atmosphere. TIP: refill your water bottles in Vernazza and buy some local food to take with you for a picnic along the trail. This will save you lots of time and money. After refilling our water bottles in Vernazza we continued further on the Cinque Terre trail to Corniglia.

The hike between Monterosso and Vernazza leads mainly through the vineyards and the forest and has more shadow. This section of the hike — Vernazza to Corniglia — is probably even more impressive than the hike from Monterosso to Vernazza.

The trail is more open and you can enjoy incredible views over Vernazza at first and the Ligurian coast almost all the way!

But oh so warm in the middle of the day! You can, of course, continue further and have lunch in Corniglia. We did both — a small picnic along the way followed by pizza in Corniglia. Located high on the hill it is the only Cinque Terre village that cannot be reached by boat. So if you are coming by train, you will need to go up a couple of hundred stairs to get to the village.

After our pizza lunch in Corniglia, we walked down the stairs to catch the train to Riomaggiore. Good to know: In the past, you could hike the whole Cinque Terre trail between Monterosso and Riomaggiore. But due to some mudslides a few years ago, the paths between Corniglia and Manarola and between Manarola and Riomaggiore have been closed. So now you can only walk the two sections that I described here. It seems that there are no immediate plans to reopen the rest of the trail….

There are some other trails connecting the villages, but they are higher up the hill and more strenuous. If you want to do that, make sure to ask for the up-to-date information at a local tourist information center. After a long wait due to two canceled trains , we finally got on the train and in just a few minutes we arrived in Riomaggiore. If you look at the map, you will see that we skipped one of the most beautiful villages — Manarola — at this point.

But there is a good reason for it. We wanted to go to Manarola at sunset, so we decided to head to Riomaggiore first. We wasted an hour waiting for the train in Corniglia and it was also going to get dark at around 5 PM in the period when we visited. So upon arrival, we went straight to the most beautiful place — the tiny waterfront area of Riomaggiore.

If you have more time, you can explore the old town with busy shopping streets. Our last stop of the day in Cinque Terre was Manarola. One of the most beautiful villages in the world! We arrived in Manarola about half an hour before sunset. Just enough time to walk through the village and get to the scenic viewpoint — the best place to be at sunset in Cinque Terre.

TIP: If you want to see the beautiful Cinque Terre villages at sunset from the water, you can also opt for this nice sunset boat tour.

It starts in Monterosso and sails past all the Cinque Terre towns offering great sunset views. Afterwards, we had dinner at Nessun Dorma — a very good simple restaurant with some the best views in Manarola. It was the perfect end to a beautiful day in Cinque Terre. After dinner, we took a train back to La Spezia. And one train was canceled again low season? So by the time we reached La Spezia, it was after 9 PM.

A long, but a very beautiful day in 5terre. If you only have a day in Cinque Terre, one of the best ways to see a lot in the shortest time possible is to go with a local guide. So, this is our suggestion for a one-day Cinque Terre itinerary. As I said, there are many ways to explore this beautiful coastal area. And remember, we visited Cinque Terre in late October — the beginning of November, when it gets dark at around 5 PM for more info, please check our guide to Italy in November.

If you come in spring or in summer you will have much more time, so you can certainly make this exact same trip in one day and have some time left for a swim.