Cinque Terre hiking

Hmmm, hiking the CT in November, the weather will be your first concern and the weather will be the primary determinant of how enjoyable a use of your vacation time hiking in the CT in November turns out to be. Since none of knows what the exact weather will be then, you'll want to be flexible and prepared for iffy weather for activities like hiking that are weather dependent and keep you outside for long periods of time. If it has rained or is windy, the steeper trails may be closed or, if open, not so enjoyable. The CT and many other parts of Italy are not really warm weather / or primarily outdoor activity places in the winter. Many go to Italy in the winter but they go for other reasons.

Personally, I prefer to go south to north (that is, Riomaggiore to Monterosso) because the steepest part of the trail (at least to me) is the steps leading down to / leading up from Monterosso. Since it is the steepest part, I'd prefer to be going down at that point instead of up. However, many people will prefer to go the other direction since the longest and toughest stretch of the trail is the portion between Monterosso and Vernazza; so, many would rather get that done first instead of last. But, I've done it both ways, and like I said, I would still rather prefer it south to north; it's definitely doable, and if you are tired at the end, you will be in the beach town where you can relax.

And I would prefer to be ascending the steep parts rather than hiking down that part. But in November, it is all going to depend on the weather and what is in good condition

Kathleen, As the others have mentioned, hiking the Cinque Terre trails in November could be a bit "unpleasant", depending on the weather. However, you could be lucky and have favourable conditions. In terms of which direction to hike, my preference is north to south, Monterosso to Riomaggiore. The trail from Monterosso to Vernazza is the most challenging, and I prefer to do that segment when I'm well rested and have lots of energy. The next leg from Vernazza to Corniglia is almost as difficult. The last two (Corniglia to Manarola and then to Riomaggiore are the easiest. Also, there's a LONG stairway leading down from Corniglia to the station, and I'd much rather hike down that stairway than up! The famous Via dell'Amore (Riomaggiore - Manarola) is mostly paved and level so that's easy to do after hiking the other parts. There's a Bar/Restaurant part way along the Via dell'Amore, but I suspect that will be closed in November. Happy travels!

Another vote for north to south - get the hard part out of the way, so you can do the "easy" part at the end. I would advise keeping an eye on the weather - the trail is VERY slippery when wet, partly because some of the steeper parts with stairs have smooth, flat stones on them. I hiked in May, and although it was clear weather, some sheltered segments of the trail were wet and very slick. Good shoes would be a must. If you're stymied by weather, you can take the train (or ferry, if running) between the various towns and hike the easier south parts of the trail.

Thanks everyone. Yes it will be tricky in November. North to south it is.