Ferry in Cinque Terre and hiking

Here is park info that will tell you about the trails--- a significant portion of trails is closed, but many are still open

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

And where do we catch the ferry?

If you were sitting here with me I would reply "at the dock", and you would be able to see my grin. The villages that have ferry service, its easy to find

Taking the ferry is a great way to get a view of the villages from the water. But I wouldn't plan on it at the end of a long day of hiking (maybe at the start?). By the end, I'd be tired and want to get back to the town where I'm staying and get cleaned up, maybe get ready to go for dinner, etc. - and I'd probably just want to hope on one of the frequent trains instead of waiting around for or trying to catch a ferry, which could be mobbed.

eecc,

Are you planning to hike only the Sentiero Azzurro trails. As the first reply mentioned, only the two northern segments are open. You'll need a Park Pass to hike those and you can easily buy those in the area. If you don't mind more strenuous hikes, there's an extensive network of trails in that area, so you can do lots of hiking if desired.

One point to note about the Ferries is that they operate "weather permitting". If the seas are rough, they may shut down so you'd have to use the frequent local trains instead. The Ferry dock in Vernazza is towards the end of the large breakwater that encloses the harbour. In Monterosso the dock is in the "old town" at the end of the long concrete pier (there's a ticket office on the way to the pier). Corniglia doesn't have a Ferry dock (you'll see the reason for that when you arrive there). I can't remember where the dock is in Manarola, but it shouldn't be hard to find. In Riomaggiore the dock is around the corner from the small harbour, and down a stairway to the rocks. As I recall, the ticket office is on the way to the docking location.

If you want to get a view of the villages from the water, you could (for example) hike from Vernazza to Monterosso, take the Ferry to Riomaggiore, take the train to Manarola and then Corniglia, and finally hike back to Vernazza from Corniglia. There are all kinds of ways you could arrange this.

Thanks All, very helpful @ Ken I like that idea!!!