Corniglia or Vernazza for hiking and centrality?

We stayed in Corniglia and loved it, its peaceful and beautiful. Yes you can get easily to the sea, but its a steep climb down to a little pier, no beach. Had a lovely swim there end of September a few years back. Its not as crazy as the other villages, which is why we chose it. But being fit definately helps as it is on the top of a cliff!

Corniglia is up on a hill above the train station; if you use the trains at all, you'll have to get off below the town and take a shuttle bus up to town or walk up a bunch of steps. The upside of that is, it deters some of the tourists. Vernazza is on the level with its train station (the town is on a decline from the station down to the sea) but is very popular and very crowded. (Rick Steves once declared it is favorite town - maybe still?)

You are on the ocean in both of these towns. Corniglia is higher above it just based on where the town is built.

The trains run regularly between all five towns (plus Levanto and La Spezia) and are super convenient, so it doesn't matter a whole lot, logistically, where you stay. If you are serious hikers, with four nights, you may want to explore further north in the Riviera (also very easy by train) after doing the main CT hikes. Google for an article on the "a path to lunch" site about the hike from Camogli to San Fruttuoso for something much less crowded (and difficult) than the Cinque Terre hikes.

Thanks Andrew H and caro! Might have more questions for you both but can't think of any at the moment.
Mahalo, from Hawaii

The beach options in Corniglia are limited and getting to the water will involve going down hundreds of stairs or using the Shuttle van. Of course if you hike down hundreds of stairs, you'll have to hike back up on the return or use the Shuttle van (small charge for each ride). Corniglia is the smallest of the towns, and will have more limited options for accommodations and restaurants.

Vernazza is probably the most popular of the towns (I won't speculate on the reason for that), so it's often very crowded during the daytimes, and "busy" in the evenings. It has a nice enclosed harbour so easy access to the ocean. There are lots of accommodation choices, although no "conventional" hotels, and a good choice in restaurants.

Manarola has a small swimming area, and a good choice of accommodations and restaurants.

Riomaggiore has the same type of accommodations as Vernazza and a reasonably good choice in restaurants. Some people swim in the small harbour area where the fishing boats are docked or from the rocks near the harbour. There's somewhat of a beach around the bluff, visible from the Ferry dock.

Monterosso has the best beaches, the greatest choice in accommodations (including more conventional hotels with desk staff and elevators) and many good restaurants. It has an "old town" and a "new town" so it's larger than the others. Monterosso is my favourite place in the Cinque Terre and that's the "city" that I'd suggest.

Ken has explained the options pretty well, and it might be helpful to google up some pix of each village so you can see their proximity to the water. For instance, in these you can see how far above the Ligurian Sea Corniglia sits:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/corniglia-cinque-terre-italy-high-res-stock-photography/543796033

https://www.123rf.com/photo_13549754_sunset-in-the-village-of-corniglia-in-cinque-terre-italy.html

And Vernazza:
https://www.thestar.com/life/travel/2012/01/18/italys_gorgeous_cinque_terre_recovers_after_flash_floods.html

You get the idea....

I like Corniglia a lot but it's really tiny, and as Ken said, has to be reached by a 382-step switchback stairway (not shown in the pictures) or by bus (fee) from the train station. It's linked to Vernazza by a 2-mile segment of the Sentiero Azzurro ("Blue Trail") that should be open but can temporarily close to weather or damage, as is the case with the other currently open segment of the "Blue" between Vernazza and Monterosso. The park has a pretty extensive network of trails of varying lengths and difficulties so for descriptions and maps, here's the website:

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Eindex.php

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php

You will need to purchase a park pass to hike the "Blue":

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Ecinque-terre-card.php

The joy of the 380 plus steps is that the village is not a busy and crowded, which is what we appreciated, even late sept 5 years ago the others were chocker!

Caro, I think our emphasis on the steps/proximity to water is in regards to this:

I know we can reach the ocean easily in Vernazza, can you as well in
Corniglia?

If one wants easy access to the sea and intends to access it often, it's least easily reached from Corniglia.

While I agree with all the comments made so far, allow me to add a few thoughts about Vernazza. If you stay in a lodging that's away from the main street or main square, it can be very peaceful. It's easy to walk down to the breakwater where you can sit, relax and listen to the sea without crowds, especially in the evening. Because it's larger and more popular than Corniglia, there are many more dining options. Vernazza is in the center of the 2 coastal trails currently open, so it's convenient in that sense.

Thanks Frank and everyone else. It was pretty much decided upon further investigation last night.....drum roll.... Vernazza. Frank you pretty much confirmed it when you said: "If you stay in a lodging that's away from the main street or main square, it can be very peaceful."

And Kathy thank so much for info. I was reading about closures and fees. So thanks for those links

And Ken, thanks so much for explo of each town. Was planning on hiking and bussing back or visa versa to Monterossa where ever we stayed. We wanted less "city" so maybe a day visit to there.

And caro thanks for your passion. While we can easily do 300 plus stairs ( I did it all the time, and way more "steps" to Kalaupapa, Molokai) we want easy access to beach as we are already hiking.

PS Mahalo from Hawaii

Kathy,
Thanks for the helpful links.
hsprincess58, enjoy your trip!!

we recently stayed in Monterosso - day 1 we hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza and back. ALOT of hiking that day but well worth it!! Next day we trained into Riomaggiore and hiked up to the church - a bit strenous but not as bad as day before - great views. Day 3 was hiking form Corniglia to Vernazza. That was great - mostly coastline not so much uphill . We did NOT stay in different towns - just hung in Monterosso all three nights. can easily take train for dinner to anothe village - we didn't but next time we will - we just loved Monterosso so much .... Never felt like i had to watch my purse as much as i did in Florence and Venice --

Thanks decurreri!
We decided to stay in Vernazza. Appreciate your tips. We plan on hiking to Monterossa. Is it up or down hill from Vernazza? Also thanks for tip about church in Riomaggiore. We plan on hiking to Corniglia as well.

Oh and you mentioned not having to watch purse, like you did in Florence and Venice. Expound please. We are going there too. I don't wear a purse and hubby will be wearing belt. We travel very light.

Thanks again!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9LtUKusx-Y

Skip the first part about breakfast. Steep climb out of Vernazza, some minor up ups and downs, steep descent into Monterosso. Lots and lots of steps.

Oh and you mentioned not having to watch purse, like you did in
Florence and Venice. Expound please. We are going there too. I don't
wear a purse and hubby will be wearing belt. We travel very light.

I don't think she meant a purse while hiking but while just hanging out in the villages. Still, you want to protect your valuables even in the CT: the train station in Monterosso had posted warnings to be cautious of pickpockets when we were there. That's pretty much standard when visiting ANY tourist magnet in Europe that experiences dense crowds on the streets and on public transport.