Hello, planning 4 days CT area in May. If trails are closed, what other suggestions would you have for things to do or areas to visit. We are staying in Monterossa.
Thank you
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11891 posts
Hi Elaine. There are many trails in the CT. not all of them will be closed at any time...unless the weather is completely terrible. Everyone hears about Trail #2, the Sentiero Azzuro, but there are others. I have written in my blog 4 times over the past two years about things to do other than Trail #2. You can read about some options here.
Posted by
Schaumburg, IL
285 posts
Are trails in Cinque Terre usually closed in winter months...seems most were open last year?
Posted by
Spokane, WA, USA
121 posts
What time in May will you be there? The annual Lemon Festival is scheduled for May 17th. We've stayed in Cinque Terre twice before and always had a great time. Good people! Good food! You can also hop on the ferry and visit the other towns as well as Porto Venere. Enjoy the short hike up the hill to the church and cemetery. By the way, we're returning to Monterosso in May to help celebrate the Lemon Festival and drink our share of limoncello.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32419 posts
elaine,
As Laurel mentioned, there's an extensive network of trails in the Cinque Terre besides the most popular No. 2 trails. Many of the other trails run higher in the hills, so take longer and are a bit more effort. However, I should add that the No. 2 segment from Monterosso to Vernazza is the most challenging, as it involves quite a climb at the Monterosso end.
I expect that at least some of the No. 2 trails will re-open at the beginning of April when tourist season "officially" starts, but I haven't seen any definite information yet on which ones those will be. Note that a Park Pass is required to hike those trails, which you can easily buy locally.
In addition to hiking, you could.....
- Take the local trains to explore each of the five towns.
- Take day trips to other nearby locations such as Porto Venere (by boat) or Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure (by train).
- Enjoy some beach time (might be a bit chilly in May, but that will depend on the weather).
- Just enjoy Il dolce far niente, and of course some great food! I often enjoy sitting on the balcony of the hotel with a glass (or two) of Prosecco or Sciacchetra in the afternoon, just enjoying the ambience and the sunshine.
Happy travels!