hiking in Cinque Terre

Any European trip requires you to be able to walk a fair amount. Hiking the Cinque Terre is a bit of a challenge, especially the whole length. Since a couple of sections are closed, you probably won't be hiking the whole thing anyway. As to the stairs to Corniglia, there is a shuttle bus to take you up to the top of the town and back down. Yay! There are also some trails that, IMO, are better than the coastal trail. You might ask locally about taking the shuttle bus up from Manarola to the higher trail and walking to Corniglia. We found that to be uncrowded and more pleasant than Trail #2, the lower trail. We are 61 and 70 and enjoy hiking the area a great deal. And the boat is fun, too!

You can also just walk up and around each of the towns. R.S. book has nice self-guided walks for each.

I would bet that the BOE 21 day tour will stay in Monterosso instead which is fine. Riomaggiore - Manarola - Corniglia are the two sections that are the easiest. Corniglia - Vernazza - Monterosso are the two most rugged parts. Best case scenario if you are walking at a leisurely pace would be about 3 hours or so from Riomaggiore to Corniglia with stops in town. I would plan about an hour ore so from Corniglia to Vernazza and 1.5 hours to Monterosso. I hope this helps some.

Thank you both. .... you are right, Abe. We stay in Monterosso al Mare.....our trip is a ways off (spring 2015) so we have plenty of time to start hitting the stair-master machines ;)

I'm sure our guide can give us advise on the trails when the time comes.....I just wanted to have an idea on length of time it would take to get from one village to the next. Is Rick more specific about these trails in his Italy book? I only have the Backdoor and BOE book.

Kathy, there are a few pages about the trails in the Italy book with estimates of time, hills and ruggedness. I will bring the book to the next meeting if you want to see what is in it.

Oh, yes! I will check that out on Saturday. Thanks!

Stairmasters are great, but even a little bit of moderate, real world terrain will be helpful too. Have a great trip!

Kathy,

We are mid 60ish, moderate walkers & have no problems with any of the CT trails. While all sections will present some serious, irregular rough stone " steps", it isn't really mountain climbing. Many steep drop offs & several very narrow sections make it a little scary for some, so please look at the many RS video clips to get the general idea. Remember that it isn't a race, so feel free to stop often, take some great photos ( and secretly catch your breathe! )

We just did the trails 6 days ago and we are in Rome right now. It was beautiful and we loved it but i will say this.... All four of our party are in great shape and run or bike regular but these trails are not for the faint of heart. As of last week the #2 trail between riomaggiore and manorola was closed but their is a higher trail that is a killer! Straight up and straight down for an hour. Manorola to cornegia was closed but we took the train and hiked up the path to the town which in and of itself was difficult for some. Corneglia to vernazza is a beautiful hike but has steep areas and narrow paths. Took about an hour and half. Vernassa to monteriosso was and hour and a half and very steep in places. Like i said though, it was beautiful! Have fun! Sorry about spelling. Im terrible on the phone.

Thank you all who have responded. ...this is exactly the info I was seeking. ....it is possible that we weren't meant for a hike to all of the villages bit we shall see. I think I've seen the Cinque Terre video but I don't remember the steep and narrow passages as described here. Is there a video showing all of the hikes? Neither one of us are runners but I do several miles a day on the treadmill and will probably do the interval training on it in the near future. The trails are clearly marked, right? It isn't easy to get lost, is it?

Kathy,

kdbug66 was spot with her advice. You can hike between Vernazza to Corniglia to Manrola to Riogmaggiore but it is more challenging than the regular hikes in the guide books. I was there in July and the hiking was great. Please keep in mind that some of the best views are from the hikes outside of Vernazza to Monterosso and from Vernazza to Corniglia. We did the hike from Corniglia to Manarola via Volastra and it was incredibly beautiful. These hikes are challenging, but it is not a race. There are many points to stop and take pictures. Take plenty of water, stop and rest along the way, carry a snack or panini with you and stop along the trail to have lunch. There is another hike that we took from Riamaggiore on our way to Portovenere. If you are not in great shape, I would definitely NOT recommend the entire hike, but there is a vantage point there that was the best out of all our hiking. The trail is straight up, but the views are magnificent. You would then have to hike the same way back down to Riomaggiore. If you have 4 weeks or more before your trip it cannot hurt to train. Make sure that you have a well charged phone or camera and have a great time.

I'm not sure the time of year you plan to go but keep in mind that it can be very hot and humid at certain times of the year. I found that difficult to deal with when we hiked town to town - I am NOT a fan of humidity. There are several fairly steep places and narrow, with drops to the ocean below. Gorgeous views though...worth it!

Kathy,

If you just go to youtube and type Cinque Terre trails, or Manarola to Corniglia trail, etc, you will see many videos the people have taken of their hikes. It is a great hike.

Kathy, also factor in that you will have just come off 2 days in Rome which I found to be the most strenuous. I had read BOE trip reports and some of those travelers felt the day in Amsterdam was the hardest but I did not find this to be true for me. I was in Rome less than 2 weeks ago and it was really hot which made Rome more difficult. It hopefully will be cooler when you visit in the spring.

What I would advise is to not feel like hiking is a requirement in CT but to listen to your bodies and plan activities based on that.

I did not hike in CT because I am a height chicken but I think I would have needed a rest anyway.

I did love, love, love hiking in Switzerland so hope the snow has retreated enough for you to do that.

Good information, everyone! I am learning a lot. Anita, we are going to be in the CT at the beginning of May so I'm hoping it won't be too hot then, of course you never know....and humidity is something we are fairly familiar with in the Midwest (although I'm sure it's different on the CT).

I don't THINK I have a problem with heights but I guess I haven't challenged that notion. We will try to hike at least some of it and maybe take the train/ferry the rest of the way. You don't think there will be snow, do you? Gosh, I hope we aren't going too early in the season. ...I suppose it's likely there will be snow in Switzerland.

" Gosh, I hope we aren't going too early in the season. "

It is a wonderful time of year & you will miss some of the June to Sept crowds. Have a great trip!

kathy,

Some brief comments to add to the others.....

• When in "spring" is your trip taking place? The status of the Sentiero Azzurro trails will likely be revised next year, and most may be open at that time.
• The most challenging section of the trails is from Monterosso to Vernazza, as there's quite a vertical climb at the beginning. I'm 60+ and can do it (at my own pace), so you should have no trouble. I'd recommend doing that section first when you're fresh and well rested.
• The easiest section is the famous Via dell' Amore from Manarola to Riomaggiore which should re-open sometime in 2015. It's more of a "stroll" really, and mostly paved.
• The trails are marked with small red and white posts. However there will likely be lots of people on them, so you won't get lost.
• Your Guide will be able to provide current advice on conditions when you arrive in that area.

Cheers!

Ken,
We should be in the CT the first few days of May :) I might add I am really excited to be in Amsterdam during tulip season :) Happy to be missing the summer heat in Europe!