cinque terre hiking on RS tour

We didn't take a specific tour outlined by him, but we did take a few suggestions from the CT section of his Italy book. My favorite of his suggestions was taking the walk through the vineyard in Manarola. If you can spare it, I would take more than 4 hours. We used about 8 and didn't have enough light (much less energy) to hike the final stretch from Vernazza to Monteroso.

I suggest starting in Monterosso and hiking to Vernazza, then see how much time you have left. That's the prettiest (and most difficult) section of the trail.

4 hours isn't quite enough to do all 5 towns. 5.5 to 6 is more like it.
perhaps you start in Monterosso, see how it goes, and take the train back. You won't miss much if you don't make it all the way south. The first 3 towns have the best views in my opinion, you should be able to get these done in 4 hours. Start as early as you can 8AM at least (depends on the time of year you travel of course, make sure you have daylight when you start)

We went on Rick's "Heart of Italy" tour two years ago. (LOVED it.) We took the boat from one end of the CT (where our hotel was located) to the other end, we enjoyed lunch on our own, and then hiked back three of the four sections. I really wanted to do it for "bragging rights" with all my friends, who I "thought" had done all 4 sectionsl We were there late August/early September. We completed three sections and were to meet our tour group for wine at 6:00, so we took the boat back for the last leg. I would allow 5-6 hours, so you don't have to rush. Parts of the trail are a "piece of cake," and other parts are very difficult, in SOME places where one literally hugs huge rocks with a flat embrace, as someone passes going in the opposite direction with no handrails or guard rails. Wear very sturdy shoes, and have at least two bottles of water (although in each town there are places to refill). The views are lovely, but we had to REMIND ourselves to stop to look and take photos in the more challenging segments. Definitely take the boat in one direction, though, vs.the train, so you can see the lovely views of the villages from the water. It is inexpensive. If you are in good shape and have the time, do all the sections....great bragging rights. Our young Rick Steves' tour guide said that he and Andy Steves had an on-going competition to see who could RUN the trails the fastest. He ran very early in the a.m. before other people were out. I just could not imagine running some parts :o

thank you all for your suggestions/comments...as this is "hike" is on the last couple of days of a 14 day tour, I definitely will have to think about tackling all 5 towns depending on energy levels at that time...caio!

When I had a full day to hike on a Rick Steves tour, I took the train to Monterosso and hiked to Vernazza in the morning, ate lunch in Vernazza, hiked Vernazza to Riomaggiore in the afternoon and took the train back in time for dinner with the group. That broke up the 2 most difficult (and most scenic) parts of the hike. Once you get to Corniglia, the rest of the trail is easy.

Not part of a RS tour, but I hiked the Riomaggiore-Monterosso path about 18 months ago. I started in Riomaggiore, and would recommend starting that same direction, as I was able to go down the long flight of stairs in Monterosso at the end rather than up them in the beginning. While it obviously depends on your fitness level, I didn't think any of the trail was too bad, though like others have said, there are parts that are more challenging than others. I saw a number of people wearing flip-flops on the trails, and they had no problems (though personally, I wouldn't choose to do it). I will agree with the other posters who say to plan for more than 4 hours. It took me a lot longer, not because of difficulty, but it seemed like every 50 feet or so I was greeted with an better view, and had to stop and take photos. Not to mention I stopped to explore each town on the way.