Hiking in Cinque terre

Yes, boats will be running and you can also do some hiking. Some of the trails are open and some will divert you to a trail higher up the hills.
There are sites you can look at to see the current status of the trails.

Does anyone have the link to the current status for Bill?

Bill,

This site has info on lots of the trails. There is an incredible network beyond Trail #2, the Sentiero Azzuro that famously links the villages. Ask locally for more info. We find the ExploraStore in Manarola has been particularly helpful.

The boats will run if the weather is good.

The trains are always there as a back up plan. We're in Vernazza now and there's a huge storm going on with all trails closed for the day and no boats running. Hope for nice weather! :)

Bill, I just answered a similar question about the trails yesterday. A copy/paste of that:

"Luann, yes, two parts of the Blue Trail are closed or nearly so. The segment between Cornigilia and Manarola has been closed to landslide damage for some years now, and only a piece of the (very easy) segment between Manarola and Riomaggiore is open: it doesn't go all the way through so will require backtracking.

You can see which CT trails are closed here:

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

The 4 sections of the Blue are 592-1 (SVA2) - 592-4 (SVA2), and the closed sections are marked with a red and white circle. Clicking on any of the trail notations will bring up a more detailed description. A bit of good news here? They recently redid the entire park website, and FINALLY made all the info available in English! YAY!"

Bill, to further answer your question, you will be able to hike between Corniglia to Vernazza, and Vernazza to Monterosso as long as the trails remain open. There is no ferry service to Corniglia, however, so you'd need to take a train from Manarola to that one. Ferry or train is possible between Riomaggiore and Manarola.

This is the website for current ferry schedules and rates, although it will be updated after Sept 27th:

http://cms.cnpstudio.it/USER_CONTENT/49/pdf/tratte_pdf_eng_42.pdf?cache=956630,885601044

Thank you for all your responses. This is very helpful.

Bill,

Operation of the boats is subject to weather, so it's just about impossible to say at this point whether they'll be running on the day you want to use them.

Another thing you might consider would be to take the train to Corniglia, and then take the small Shuttle van up the hill to the town. It's only a few Euro, or free with the Cinque Terre Treno Card as I recall. You'll need a Park Pass to hike the Sentiero Azzurro trails, and since the cost is the same whether you hike one segment or four, hiking the two segments that are currently open would be more cost effective. Have lunch in Vernazza and then continue on to Monterosso (note that there's quite a steep section going down into Monterosso). Have dinner there either in the "old town" or the "new town" and then take the train back to Manarola in the evening. It's all very easy!

Buon Viaggio!

An additional note on the trains between the villages (which are very easy indeed)? If you are using tickets, do not forget to validate them before boarding! The authorities can be particularly vigilant, and fines for unstamped tickets are steep. If you are using a one or two-day trekking/treno combo pass, you only have to validate it the first time you use it.

I believe use of the bus up to Corniglia from the train station is free with the trekking pass or combo trekking/treno pass.

Unless you plan on using the trains more than a couple of times a day, individual tickets (abt. 1.80 euro) will probably save you a few euros but some people like the convenience of the pass.

Info on park and park/train passes is here:

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