Cinque Terre Itinerary

Sit in the sun, relax, drink wine and hike one day. The great thing about the Cinque Terre is that there really is nothing else to do.

I was just there and did just as was suggested. One day we did the hike (started in the morning when it was cool and less crowded) one day and then just relaxed in town the next day.

As a third day you could possibly spend some time checking out the other towns. We didn't do much of that on the hike as we wanted to get through it. We started in Montorosso (sp?)) first thing in the morning and hiked to Vernazza where we had breakfast and then ended by noon.

There isn't really anything to do in town other than shop for a bit and relax and enjoy the people.

One thing I would suggest is to go to Monterosso to get on the ferry and take the very scenic ride to Portovenere. If the sea isn't rough, the ferry will pull into the towns. At Portovernere, have lunch at one of the many restaurants and then take the ferry back to Monterosso.

We really enjoyed swimming in the deep water a bit north of Manarola. You'll see several places with access from the trail heading ouft of town toward Corneglia.

we did not so much like the swimming at the harbor right at the bottom of the town, but the other places are great. You can access the water by ramp or a siwimmers ladder.

The best thing about Cinque Terre is sitting on the beach and relaxing. The best beaches are in Monterosso, rent an umbrella and chairs and enjoy!
We did do the hike from Monterosso to Riomaggiore in one day. It is a challenge. Looking back, I would rather take the boat from Monterosso to Riomaggiore (great views), hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola, skip Corniglia and take the train to Vernazza and Monterosso.

Each of the little towns has a bus service which goes up into the mountains behind the town. There are hiking trails up there - less crowded. Or you could take a picnic lunch, explore the little towns up there and catch the bus back down again.
Lesley