Hi John -
First off, I'll recommend spending some quality time with the official Parco Cinque Terre website as it will answer a lot of your questions..
https://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Eindex.php
This will be helpful too:
https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/sentiero-azzurro
We are planning to hike the entire length of the trail. Are any parts
of the trail closed?
Understand that there are MANY trails within the park system. See this map:
https://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php
I'm guessing that by 'the trail' you mean the four legs of the coastal "Blue Path" (Sentiero Azzurro) running from Riomaggiore to Monterosso. Yes, the section between Manarola and Corniglia has been closed for many years due to a landslide: that black line on the map between those two villages means that part is closed. You can take a train from Corniglia to Manarola (or vice versa), or the workaround trail route through Volastra, although it's longer and more strenuous. You can also take a bus up to Volastra and hike down to either Manarola and Corniglia. Anyway, unexpected deterioration of a trail can close it at any time, and the trails in general are closed or not safe in very wet weather.
We plan to stop to eat on the hiking trail. Can we use a credit card
or is only cash accepted?
You'll be eating in one of the villages. Most restaurants, I'm guessing, will take a credit card but maybe someone else will jump in.
Can we buy the Cinque Terre park card or the Trekking card before you
arrive?
A park and Trekking card are one-and-the-same. There is another card - the Treno card - that combines the Trekking card with 2nd class use of the regionale trains between Levanto and La Spezia. Yes, you can purchase in advance although we just bought ours at one of the CT village train stations.
https://card.parconazionale5terre.it/en
https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card
Do you recommend taking the guided hikes that come with the park card?
We didn't take any guided hikes so hopefully someone else can weigh in here.
Do you need a scheduled time (reservation) to go on the coastal hike?
You do only for the Via dell 'Amore segment of the "Blue" between Manarola and Riomaggiore.
https://www.viadellamore.info/en
https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-via-dell-amore
Are there any easy to moderate hikes that you recommend that are not
on the coastal trail?
We haven't done it but others have spoken highly of the route between Levanto and Monterosso although it is along the coast and mentioned in some previous threads to be sort of lengthy.
Just a start?
