Cinque terre for folks who don't hike

If you’re not planning to hike, then—by all means—stay in the castle town of LERICI just six miles south of La Spezia. LERICI is 20 minutes by bus and 30 minutes by ferry from La Spezia. You could stay there and take a scenic ferry ride past all the Cinque Terre towns and see them from the water— in many ways the best way to view the Cinque Terre. The ferry from LERICI will stop in La Spezia then Portovenere, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso.
Have a great trip!

You can easily visit the Cinque Terre and just enjoy the area (and the foods!) without hiking. I'd suggest staying in Monterosso as it's relatively flat, and has a good range of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities.

Some of the activities you could consider.....

• Spend some time on the beaches in Monterosso.
• Explore the five towns using the frequent local trains.
• Explore other nearby towns using trains or boats.
• One "hike" that you should be able to manage is the Via dell 'Amore which runs from Riomaaggiore to Manarola. It's mostly flat and more of a "stroll" than a hike. As I recall, reservations are required.
• You could take the ferry from Monterosso to Porto Venere for a few hours, and see all the towns from the water. The view is rather spectacular (IMO) in some spots.

You might find it helpful to check the latest Rick Steves Italy guidebook for more suggestions of activities in that area.

I'll second the suggestion for Monterosso. As Ken mentioned, much of the new and old sections of the town are pretty flat. Just be cautious when booking an accommodation, if planning to stay, that it doesn't require climbing a steep hill or stairs within the property itself.

In addition to his suggestions for things to do are the churches in each of the villages. They're all different and all free to pop by. You will need to skip Church of San Francesco/Convent of the Capuchin Friars in Monterosso as it involves a steep climb but do visit the couple others more easily accessed in that town. IMHO, Corniglia had two of the prettiest little churches: Chiesa di San Pietro, and Oratorio dei Disciplinati di Santa Caterina, with its sky-blue ceiling.

Note about tiny Corniglia: you will need to take a little bus from the train station up to the village and back. It runs roughly on the train's arrival/departure schedule, takes only a couple of minutes, and has a small fee. The other alternative is 382-step, 33-switchback stairway; easier down than up!! :O)

One "hike" that you should be able to manage is the Via dell 'Amore
which runs from Riomaaggiore to Manarola. It's mostly flat and more of
a "stroll" than a hike. As I recall, reservations are required.

Yes, timed-entry reservations are required, there is a fee, and it is a one-way walk (Riomaggiore to Manarola) during high season. Here's the information + ticketing site::
https://www.viadellamore.info/en
https://www.parconazionale5terre.it/page.php?id=481

When exploring the villages, It will be a bit difficult to avoid stairs/hills completely but take your time and do what you can. Ken's suggestion of a ferry trip and viewing from the water is a good one if you really don't want to deal with the terrain.

I'v'e been to the Cinque Terre twice.

My favorite thing to do was, take the ferry between the towns and stay on it. I think the CT is most beautiful from the sea.

You can stay in Levanto just north of Monterosso. It's very flat. Another suggestion is to take the ferry from La Spezia to Monteroso and then the train up to Santa Margherita Ligure. SML is a lovely seaside town to stroll around. Much less crowded than the CT especially when the cruise ships are visiting.

You don't need to hike, but you will be very limited in the CT if stairs are a problem (exception perhaps Monterosso). They are very much cliffside villages.

I'd go somewhere else--there are hundreds of other pretty villages on the coast that are not vertical (or very crowded). By all means take a ferry trip through, but to me the main point of going there is that there are multiple trails connecting the villages. Otherwise, any seaside spot will do!

We were in the Cinque Terre a couple of weeks ago. We stayed in Monterosso and enjoyed it very much. I recommend the hotel we stayed at, Pasquale, if they have availability (a lot of RS groups stay there). Do NOT book Pasquale’s sister property, Steno — lots of stairs to get there. Pasquale is right on the pedestrian pathway.

Of course you may have limitations that prevent hiking, so this answer may be irrelevant; however, I have been to the Cinque Terre staying in Monterosso al Mare twice, and although I loved every aspect of it the high point (no pun intended) was the walk between Monterosso and Corniglia. Think of the fjords in Norway. From the bottom looking up, they look like forested hills, but from the top looking down they are magnificent. It's the same in the Cinque Terre. We are now 78 and 80 years old and have planned a trip to Monterosso al Mare this summer to take that walk one more time before we can't. We'll have walking sticks and stable footwear, start early and go slowly. Also, we'll take the train to Corniglia and walk back to avoid the hard climb out of Monterosso. If at all possible, I'd recommend you try to figure out a way to get some elevation by shuttle service, so you don't miss the most magnificent views anywhere.

"Do NOT book Pasquale’s sister property, Steno — lots of stairs to get there."

Hotel Villa Steno is a wonderful hotel and perhaps my favourite in all of Europe. However it is located up the hill from the "old town" so requires a bit more effort to get there. When first arriving there with luggage, I normally take a taxi from the station. During the stay, you can go back & forth either using the stairs through the garden or just walk up the road. The fact that it's not located right in the town is an advantage at times, as the crowds don't venture up there so it's much quieter.

Hotel Pasquale is a "sister" property to Villa Steno and it's also very popular as it's located on relatively flat terrain just on the "old town" side of the tunnel, and across from the ferry dock. As i recall, both hotels regularly host tour groups so early booking is essential.

If you want a quiet location in the "new town", you could have a look at Hotel Villa Adriana. It's also very comfortable and as I recall, they served a nice breakfast.

If you'd like more posh accommodations away from the crowds, you could have a look at Hotel Porto Roca which is at the far end of the "old town". They also offer a swimming pool overlooking the ocean (just installed a few years ago) and great views. I've never stayed there so can't offer any first hand experience.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful suggestions and advice!