Current status of Cinque Terre

I'd check out Rick's update on CT on the homepage- but I think Vernazza is still mostly bad shape - I think you can get off there, but still much to be done to clean up- I think Monterosso is for the most part up and running...the trails tho, I think may still be closed...

Sharat, The "old town" section of Monterosso has made remarkable progress in recovering from the floods. A number of businesses have re-opened, so you should have a nice visit there. Vernazza was damaged to a much greater extent so has not recovered to the same point, however a few businesses have re-opened and many more will be running later this spring. Have a look at This Website for more detailed information on Vernazza. As you'll be travelling in mid-March, I'm not sure if you'll be able to visit along the hiking trails though? Local authorities have announced that they plan to have all the hiking trails re-opened by Easter, and hopefully they'll be able to achieve that. However, at present only the famous Via dell'Amore (Riomaggiore - Manarola) is open, and that will likely be the same in mid-March. You'll probably have to visit each of the towns via train, which is VERY EASY. Note that a Park Pass is compulsory to hike ANY of the trails (you can purchase that when you arrive there). NO, you won't have to make reservations for the trip from La Spezia to Riomaggiore. That's a Regionale train so no reservations are possible. Simply buy a ticket and BE SURE to validate it in the yellow machine (time & date stamp) prior to boarding the train. The ride from La Spezia to Riomaggiore is only about 10-minutes, so be prepared to disembark quickly. When you board the train, make a note of the method for releasing the door. Sometimes it's a Pushbutton, sometimes a Lever. If you have a copy of the Italy Guidebook available, there's good information there on the various options for train travel in the Cinque Terre. Happy travels!