Cinque Terre

Carol, if the member of your party becomes incapacitated by heights and has a clinically diagnosed fear of heights then I would suggest not hiking between the towns. The paths vary widely in their difficulty and exposure to the elements such as cliffs. Some are like wide pedestrian streets with 4-foot high concrete walls protecting you from the cliff. Some are narrow paths about 2 feet wide with no railing at all on the edge of a cliff. But all of the trails are on or near the cliff edge in some way or another.

Here is some more info on the trails: http://www.cinqueterre.it/en/cta1.html
One thing to note, if it says "pathway" that's short for uneven, narrow, rocky and little to no railing.

Jarrod is spot on! The trail has some spots that are very narrow and feature drop offs of several hundred feet.

The trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola is very easy to walk as it is set up for strollers and wheelchaairs.The rest of the walks are high up and up and down.

We spent a day in CT this summer with a family group of eleven. One nice thing is that it is easy for group members to split up and use different transportation to meet at the end. My brother's family hiked the whole way, and my parents just from Riomaggiore to Manarola. My family walked to Corniglia. We eventually all met up at Monterosso in the early evening. So if one person can't walk the whole way, others still can. Just looking at my pictures, though, I would say that most of the way you feel high up over the water, even when the walking is easy. And in between Manarola and Corniglia there is a bridge that moves when you cross it (chains and planks-not sure what to call it). I would think that would bother someone afraid of heights.

Perhaps he could take the local boat and meet you. it would be a treat to see the paths from the sea. the trail is very steep, narrow w/near drop offs. best not to risk it. Besides he would not enjoy it due to fear.I walked it but next time I will also boat it.

The first trail between Riomaggiore and Manarolo is not really a "hike" - it's a 25-minute walk. The path is wide and very smooth. It does go along the sea cliff and is about 300 feet above the water (I have pictures if you need them) but there is no danger. The trail between Manorola and Corniglia is mostly a walk but there is some elevation to it. The journey takes about 40 minutes if you stop at the train station. To get to Corniglia itself from the train station, you either take the mini-bus or hike about 325 stairs up a switchback stair system. The third trail begins in Corniglia and goes to Vernazza. This one is a hike and not a walk. RS says 90 minutes. As seniors, it took us three hours. You are up about 1,200 feet and there are places where the trail narrows. You have to pay attention in a few places. We did not do the last trail as too much information said that this trail had several treacherous areas. We just didn't attempt it.

I've hiked 3 segments of the CT trail. Part 1, Riomaggiore to Manarola, tho short and fairly level, has stairs at each end. It couldn't be considered "accessible" between train stations. Strollers can be carried up and down the stairs (I've seen this). Part 2, Manarola to Corniglia is longer and more up-and-down and has a few places that pass near dropoffs. As I recall, there are safety rails at these places. These two segments of the trail took me about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace. Part 3, Corniglia to Vernazza I've saved for some other lifetime--it's probably fairly long and rugged. Part 4, Vernazza to Monterosso I hiked in the opposite direction a couple of years ago. It was longer than I had imagined, had several series of over 100 steps, and had fantastic views with places to rest and enjoy the experience. Even tho the two towns are only a couple of miles apart, the trail seemed ten miles long. I hiked early in the morning and missed the crowds on the trails.

If you want that fantastic postcard view above Vernazza, just take the trail uphill a couple of hundred yards toward Monterosso and the scene of the harbor will come into view. Except for the first segment of the trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola, I think anyone really afraid of heights would be uncomfortable on the CT trail.

My husband hiked and took the trains, I took the boat and got off and enjoyed the different towns that way. The views from the boat was beautiful too. My husband broke the walk into 2 different days. The 2nd day he took the boat with me to take the part of the trail he had missed the 1st day from exhaustion. We were there about a week ago. It was too crowded. So many tourist, but a taxi driver said it would be less crowded in Oct.

In addition to the very correct information other posters have mentioned, don't forget the trails are not "one-way" therefore you might be meeting someone coming in the opposite direction on one of the narrow sections or on a narrow uneven stone "stairway".

There are parts of the trail that are very narrow, very steep and I think your friend would not be a happy camper.