Cinque Terre

Ken, I believe that the entire set of four trails from Riomaggiore to Monterosso is called the #2 trail. The segment from Manarola to Corniglia is currently closed. The trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola is the easiest. It takes about 25 mintues and is mostly level. The trail from Corniglia to Vernazza is more difficult. We too are seniors and it took us 3 hours to walk this segment. About 1,200 stairs up and about 1,200 stairs down. The fourth segment from Vernazza to Monterosso is reportedly more strenuous. Is there some reason that you need to drive to the CT? With some exceptions, no tourist cars are permitted in any of the five towns. You can turn your car in in La Spezia and take the train into the towns. Otherwise, you will have to find parking in the lots. There is a high-rise garage in Riomaggiore. Reportedly, it's also a "white knuckle" drive along the road from La Spezia to Levanto and down into the towns. Lots of ups and downs, twists and turns. Finally, don't expect much from a TI to get a room. There is a place in Monterosso and possbily other towns that have places where you show up in the morning looking for a room. Places with available rooms call into these locations. Just make sure you do this in the morning. By the afternoon, these places are usually gone.

In May my husband (71) & I (55) stayed at La Zorza in Riomaggiore. Although we had many stairs (47!)
to our room we loved the location. Nice room, Wi-Fi in the bar/breakfast room. We walked #2 trail to Manarola which was about 20 minutesVia dell'Amore. The trail to Corniglia was closed, but we took the "bus" up to Velastro and hiked to Corniglia from there. This was about 1 1/2 hoursabsolutely beautiful, medium difficulty. We took the train between the Cinque Terre towns and all other locationsRome, Siena, Pisa, Florence, Venice. Fantastic transportation system.

Ken (great name BTW), To begin with, the "#2" trails you're referring to are the Sentiero Azzuro trails, which consist of four segments from Riomaggiore to Monterosso. These trails have varying levels of difficulty, with the easiest being the famous Via dell'Amore from Riomaggiore to Manarola. The most challenging segment is from Monterosso to Vernazza, as it has a significant "elevation change" at each end. I've seen lots of "Seniors" on the trails, so if you're in reasonably good condition, you shouldn't have any problems. I'm also a "Senior" and hiked the most difficult one last year (but it took me longer to complete than the last time I hiked it - perhaps that's because I wasn't a "senior" on the previous occasion). A few other points to note. The trail from Manarola to Corniglia is still closed, due to slide damage (not related to the Oct. 25 floods). Also note that a Park Pass is compulsory to hike the trails, and there WILL be someone checking! You can buy the Pass at T.I. or stations when you arrive there. I would highly recommend pre-booking accommodations, although at that time of year the tourist traffic should be "winding down" for the year. Could you elaborate on where you've looked so far. You might consider staying in Monterosso, as it's the largest town with the greatest number of Hotels and other accommodations, and also the nicest beach. Have a look at Monterosso for a list of all the Hotels. If you need other suggestions, there are lots listed in the Italy Guidebook. Good luck and happy travels!

From RS's home page, click on Cinque Terre Recovery, then click on What's open in Vernazza, and scroll down to Accommodations. There you will find a whole list of places you can inquire about available rooms. In the RS Italy guide book, go to the Cinque Terre section and you will find a few places that allow parking, but only a FEW.
On my first visit to 5 Terre, I had a car and stayed in Volastra at the hotel il Saraceno, which offers free parking, and was mentioned in the RS Italy guidebook. After traveling through the Italian Riviera via automobile, I could not wait to get back to the 5terre, and " do it right ". To me, that meant ditch the car and stay in Vernazza. Seven weeks later, I did just that. Yes, Vernazza is my favorite, but it is not everyone's. Have a great time finding out for yourself which village you like the best!

Hi Ken,
My husband and I were there in July of 2009 and hiked the trails from Montresso to Cornigila and stayed the night and then continued on the next day to Riomaggiore. Cornigila is a much quieter area. We rented a room fromCristiana Ricci, she speaks english and is very sweet. The rooms here are very clean and affordable. You can access the trails easily. Her email is [email protected] her # is +39 338 937 6547. I found this lady using Rick Steves advice ! Be warned! Trails in the Cinque Terre can be difficult! We were in very good shape and had a tough time through parts of them.

Just returned last week. Stayed at il parco in monterrosso-great b &b! We Ignored the advice to not drive to CT. Il parco has free parking on site. We parked the car for four days but with our group, it made sense-both $ and convenience.