Hiking in Cinque Terre

Thanks Steve. I never expected it to be like climbing El Capitan. I just was wondering if my every day shoes would suffice.

Andrea, for the average american it can be tough. like steve said paved and stairs. There were over 100 stairs at the entrance to one of the towns. Put some deoderant on your feet under your socks. No blisters! Have a great time!!! Jeff

Thank you Jeff for your practical advice.

My children aged 42-50 walked between Corniglia and Vernazza.Their comments were mixed.The ones who walk on a daily basis said it was not difficult and the ones who walked only rarely said it was a killer.Not the length or the ups and downs but the pathway being uneven.They were all happy they did it however.

Andrea, i wore my regular Merrel running/hiking shoes. The paths between Monterosso to Corniglia are the more challenging ones, from Corniglia to Riomaggiore it is easy. My husband compared it to a natural stairmaster, we enjoyed the trails very much, it is really beautiful.

The total hike is about 7 miles (or so I've been told and I believe it). If you are doing the entire hike, you will need some sturdy hiking shoes. I wore sketchers and that was a mistake. I was cursed with blisters for the rest of the trip.

If you are hiking south to north, the first part of the hike is paved. After Corniglia, it is NOT paved and goes up and down the hill quite a bit. The reason I point that out, is that the trail can be slippery if it has rained recently. I have hiked it in tennis shoes and hiking boots. From Corniglia south, it is more walking (with stairs) From Corniglia north, it is more hiking. (For the record, I am an avid hiker, climber) I would not bring special shoes just for this one day, (I had hiking boots along because we were doing a hut to hut multi day trip in the Alps) A good pair of walking shoes with some tread on the bottom would be a good choice. If you do it in tennis shoes, just be careful of any wet areas.

I would prefer not to take a pair of shoes I would only use for the hike. I am not going until September, but at this point I was thinking I would only take my Teva sandals and Sketcher ballet flats. If it requires something more sturdy than that, maybe we will just do that one easy stretch.

Thanks to everyone for your information and advice.

Andrea,

Although I've seen people (usually younger) hiking the trails with only flip-flops, my suggestion would be a good pair of shoes with good "grip" and perhaps some ankle support. However, I wouldn't bother packing along hiking boots just for that.

Some European tourists are equipped with the "full kit" for that route, including high-top hiking boots and walking poles. I haven't found that to be necessary.

Despite the statements in previous posts, the trails are NOT paved for the most part. Here's some details.

If you start from Monterosso, you'll traverse a narrow, winding trail and then climb some distance using "rustic" stairs at times. The trail from there is packed soil and somewhat narrow in parts (can be slippery when wet). When you reach Vernazza, you'll go down more stairs to the town. Here's an example of the trails.

The trail from Vernazza to Corniglia is almost as challenging, but not as much of a climb or descent. Again, winding and mostly on soil. Corniglia is high on a bluff, so you'll have to go down MANY wide brick stairs to get to the area by the rail station, where you'll connect with the trail to Manarola.

That trail is easier and level for the most part, but a bit rocky and uneven at times. From Manarola to Riomaggiore, you'll be walking on the famous "Via dell'Amore" which IS mostly paved and level. There's a nice Bar along the way to stop for a "cool one". When you reach Riomaggiore, there are a few stairs down to the rail station plaza. You can take the local train back to whichever village you're staying in.

Note that you'll need a Park Permit to hike the trails. These are easily obtained at Rail stations at very reasonable cost (check the Guidebook for details). There WILL be people checking for Permits at the entrance to each trail!

Hope this helps. Happy travels!

That helps very much Ken, especially the link to the photo of the trail. It was also helpful to hear details about each trail. I don't need to walk the entire trail, so maybe just focusing on the easier portions will allow me to not pack shoes for such limited use. I will reassess when I get closer to my trip and do a trial packing.

Thanks!

Andrea, I would pack a pair of sneakers or some sort of supportive walking shoe no matter what. If you plan to be traveling through Italy and doing a lot of walking, you'll need more than a sandal and ballet flat. Just my opinion. Also, the hike through all 5 towns of the Cinque Terre is just so amazing it would be a shame to not finish it all or only do the easy part just b/c of not wanting to pack proper shoes. It's definitely challenging in certain spots but so worth it!!!

Hi Andrea. I agree with Shari. I would definitely take some type of sneakers; maybe you could wear them on the plane & pack the other 2 pairs. Ballet flats don't offer any support and if you travel like we do, you will be doing a lot of walking! We estimated that we easily walked close to 10 miles/day in Italy. Just food for thought. Have a great trip!

I managed with those sandals and similar shoes as my only footwear on a 3.5 week trip, but I will bow to the Italy experts as I have not been there yet. If I wear them on the plane the other shoes will be small and light to pack. I have very broken in Sketchers that are comfortable. Would those be sufficient (I know someone mentioned regrets wearing theirs) or would Nikes be better? I have some hiking shoes, but I think I can wear the Sketchers or Nikes more.

My wife and I hiked the trail from Monterosso south/east to Riomaggiore last June. Though some wore sandals, I had sketchers that worked very well. The nubs helped on the difficult parts of the trail. I agree that the entire trail offers some magnificent vistas and shouldn't be missed. The 9km can take 5-6 hours if you want to enjoy the time without worrying about how quickly you are walking. It can be a long day! People will be walking in both directions, so when you encounter others, someone will have to hug the hill in places! But it's a great adventure!

I walked the length north to south, then turned around and walked back. Bit of a stretch, but made it all in daylight. Was kind of shocked to see the "all paved path" post. Wore fairly substantial "hiking sneakers" and was darn glad I did. I think what I walked was called the blue trail, but understand that there's other combinations -- kind of like a braided trail system -- not a continuous path.

Some of it is like hiking. Most of it is a fairly wide trail cut into the mountain side. Any sturdy shoe or sandal will work fine. I wouldn't do it in flip flops or flimsy sandals, however, some of it is steep and you might break a strap going downhill (or keep slipping out of them going uphill).