Cinque Terre

Don't have the link handy but there is a park website which will show open and closed trails.

The main blue trail is the one I think you would interested in and for multiple years now 2 of the 4 have been open and 2 of the 4 closed. Don't think that is changing any time soon.
The other non main route trails are even more strenuous.
The one closed between Riomaggiore and Manarola is more a stroll down a concrete walkway than a hike.

The good thing about the trails that are open (both sides from Vernazza) is you can choose to walk up them as far as you are comfortable with, get a nice view of town and then walk back. You can get great views and be a little removed from the mass crowds without walking/hiking the whole trail's length.

Vernazza to Cornligia is likely open and Vernazza to Monterosso is likely open. Difficulty I guess depends how able you are at climbing up and down many stairs.

We stayed in Manarola for 3 nights this Sept and loved it. I would prefer either Vernazza or Manarola as I find them the most picturesque. Choose Manarola because I was a bit worried about how crowded Vernazza gets but would have been happy staying there as well.

Many on this form prefer Monterosso ; it is by far the largest so offers the most lodging options, the most restaurants, has less stairs, by far the best beach ; there are many reasons I can think of to choose to stay in Monterosso.
To me though it did not have the same look of colorful houses built into the cliffs that make the area so unique and famous and for this reason I am not as high on it as others are.

The "easy trail" is dunzo and will probably never reopen. If you don't want steep up and down, then I would consider somewhere else. Portofino park has some trails that are not as steep.

The trails are steep in many places, but you can find less strenuous walks. One way is to take a minibus up, and walk down. Look at number 4 on this article: http://www.apathtolunch.com/2016/03/cinque-terre-16-tips-for-avoiding-crowds.html Another alternative is to take the ferry to Portovenere and then the local channel-crossing boat to Palmaria Island. A walk and picnic around the island took us 3 hours and it's steep only in a couple short sections and the total rise is just 800 feet. The views, the sheer cliffs falling to the sea, and the Mediterranean landscapes are really beautiful. Just Google Palmaria hike.

I'll tack on here - how difficult are the rooms in Verazza to reserve say for the end of May? I guess I'll just go down the list in RS guidebook - but there's what - like 100 rooms in total in Verazza he recommends. I'm pretty simple - traveling solo and don't mind a stair climb.

brian,

"but not steep up and down."

That will probably eliminate the Sentiero Azzurro segment from Monterosso to Vernazza, as the Monterosso end of the trail has a steep climb at the beginning. I'm also in my 60's as can manage that but it takes me longer than others.

You might be able to manage the Vernazza to Corniglia segment as it's not quite as steep. Note that a Park Pass is required to hike any of the Sentiero Azzurro trails, and those can easily be bought in the area.

This is the official trails website - http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php

The "best town" to stay in is pretty much a matter of personal opinion. I much prefer Monterosso as it's the largest and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities, as well as the best beaches. Whichever town you decide on, I'd suggest getting a room booking soon.

Yanksteve: I believe the very best source for any accommodation in 4 of the 5 towns in the Cinque Terre is airbnb.com
Monterosso I am not as sure since there are some hotels there which may not be advertising on airbnb.com ; the other 4 towns basically everything available and yes there are all different price ranges can be found on airbnb

Yeah, I wasn't sure if the dozen or so places in the RS book would also be on airbnb as most have their own website.

I'll tack on here - how difficult are the rooms in Verazza to reserve
say for the end of May?

I'd say pretty darn tough at this point. I'd be surprised if there were any openings left for listings in the RS guidebook but never say never.

Steve, try http://www.elisabettacarro.it/ in Vernazza. She has several rooms run by her various " cousins" & should be able to help you get a simple room..

I was surprised when I researched that I found all of the places like http://www.elisabettacarro.it/ and most every small place with a website or that Rick Steve's might mention also have their listings simultaneously on airbnb.com
it really is one place you can look and see most all availability in these towns (Monterosso's few hotels may not be other than that pretty much everything is)

Well, I had to move my days by one day to do it, but I did get 2 nights from Christian, one of Rick's recommendations, in Vernazza.

Thanks for the link Bob.

I would recommend that you get an all day pass on the boats. The view of the Cinque Terre from the ocean is quite something. With the pass, you will be able to stop off at four of the towns if the weather cooperates. Because we didn't expend a lot of energy hiking between the towns, we were able to enjoy the towns more and even hiked up to the hills above the towns for great views from that perspective.