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Cinque Terre with a non-hiker

Posted by (Quilcene, WA, USA) on

My sister and I will be in CT, staying in Monterosso, for three nights (two full days) at the end of October. We have recently come back from Canada where I learned that my sister's walking abilities (let alone hiking abilities) are more limited than I thought. She doesn't like steep uphills OR downhills, and is very slow though capable on the flats.

Are there any walks we can take in CT? Barring that, are there any minibuses or other sorts of public transportation we can use to access beautiful viewpoints? Thanks so much. I'm a bit worried about her.

Posted by
487 posts

Other than Monterosso which is more flat, these towns are built on hillsides. Even just walking around town has elevation change and plenty of stairs. The towns themselves are mostly walking towns and not big enough for public transport. There may be some in Monterosso as there are more cars there. Cinque Terre may not be the best stop for your sister.

Posted by
32396 posts

As the previous reply mentioned, Monterosso is relatively flat so should be relatively easy to walk and your sister can travel at her own speed. You can easily travel between the five towns using the frequent local trains, but your sister will need to navigate stairs in the various stations.

Here's a brief rundown on the towns.....

  • Monterosso - consists of both an "old town" and "new town", and the walk between them is flat and quite easy for most people. Via Roma (the main street in the "old town") heads uphill from the harbour area, but it's not excessively steep for the most part. There are some nice shops and restaurants there that you may want to explore.
  • Vernazza - the main harbour area should be reasonably easy, but there's a stairway to reach the main street from the rail station.
  • Corniglia - is located on top of a large rock bluff, so ascending the hundreds of stairs up to the town would be a problem. However there is a small shuttle that will take you to Corniglia and given the height above the water, that provides a great view.
  • Manarola - the harbour area is relatively flat but the main street heads uphill. There will also be some stairs to deal with. If your sister could manage a short walk up the walkway behind the station, you could go to the small Bar on the Via dell' Amore for a "cool one" (assuming it's open during your visit) as the views from there are nice.
  • Riomaggiore - the lower part of town is relatively flat but the main street goes uphill so that might be a problem. Getting down to the sottopassagio (tunnel) to access the tracks involves stairs, as does the walk down to the harbour.

If the Ferries are running, you'll get a fantastic view of the towns from the water. You could perhaps take a day trip to Porto Venere. The Ferries don't operate during inclement weather, and I'm not sure when they shut down for the season.

Posted by
197 posts

Oh my goodness, I'd forgotten about the earlier post -- guess the trip to Canada made me more aware of the issue. I'll re-read it, and this one as well. Thanks for the replies. I plan on printing some of them for future reference!

Posted by
2739 posts

Unfortunately, unless you leave her on her own to wander around Monterosso you will be missing the best of the CT-getting up high, hiking from town to town.

Posted by
16698 posts

Unless you leave her on her own to wander around Monterosso you will
be missing the best of the CT-

I'll somewhat disagree. I am a hiker and we did some of the trail system but all is not completely lost for a non-hiker. I will say that if you can't manage uphill/downhill AT ALL then the CT is not a good choice: period. Slopes and steps are nearly impossible to avoid given the terrain. As mentioned, Monterosso will be the easiest on foot, and if you take the bus up to Corniglia, I don't recall that the tiny village was too challenging. She might enjoy the ferry route up and down the coast from Monterosso, and the sea view from a hotel-room balcony while you venture further afield?

Once off the trains, there is virtually no public transport to "viewpoints" as the villages are largely pedestrianized.

This may be an option? These buses will not take you very far into the villages themselves but may provide some nice scenery? You might contact them with a suggested itinerary for someone with mobility challenges?

http://www.explora5terre.it/en/

Posted by
11676 posts

The train goes between villages. Water taxis are an option too. No busses. We ledt our car parked for three days, hiked, took train and water taxi. This is a very vertical landscape, lots of stairs up, up, up. There is a beach in Monterosso she may enjoy. Can you shorten your stay in the CT and book a hotel in Portovenere or Santa Margherita Ligure? You could do a day trip to CT to hike.

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