Hiking Trails and Itinerary Suggestions- Cinque Terre

Ann, pull up that web page again (http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Esentieri-outdoor.php).

Trails on the map with black lines and red-and-white circles are closed.
There are four segments of the 'Blue Trail' (SVA2) and yes, two are closed and will remain so this season.

592-1 (SVA2) Riomaggiore - Manarola
592-2 (SVA2) Manarola - Corniglia

If you scroll down the page to the text listings of the individual trails, you'll see that both have that same red-and-white circle beside their listings.

The segments of that trail which are open are:

592-3 (SVA2) Corniglia - Vernazza
592-4 (SVA2) Vernazza - Monterosso

As you can see on the map, there are other trails which access both Manarola and Riomaggiore; they'll just be longer and more strenuous. Clicking on their individual listings will bring up descriptions.

Does this help?

I would say thats it in a nutshell, its beautiful but I wouldn't recommend more than 1-1.5 days there. In all honesty, if I were to go back, I would seriously consider doing it as a day trip. When I was there April '15, the section from Riomaggiore to Corniglia was closed, and looking at that map it looks the same now We were staying in Riomaggiore, so we took an early a.m. train all the way up to Monterosso, then hiked back to Corniglia, then trained back to Rio again, stopping off on Manarola. Trail 2 goes through all 5, but the train is necessary to connect all the dots. There's also the water ferry, I never got on it though. I know theres other trails there, but being from Colorado I wasn't really looking too hard for them. Trail 2 seems to be the main draw.

We were there last month and hiked Vernazza to Corniglia on Trail 2. We then continued on the higher trail to Manarola. That trail was much tougher but beautiful 😊 - and we felt a big sense of accomplishment! The challenge for me as a sorta fit 48 year old from flat Indiana was the amount of uphill - I took lots of breaks. Many people were also taking the high trail from Manarola to Riomaggiore and enjoying that.

We loved Manarola, the village we stayed in! Happy travels

To add about swimming....
It looked like a lot more fun off the rocks in Manarola and some other spots than from the beaches (of which there are very few).

Just wanted to add the status of the trails really has not changed for quite a few years now!
The 2 trails closed were closed after rockslides that date back a few years and they are very slow getting them repaired.
I would not expect the status to change anytime in 2016
If you are really into hiking there are some very scenic trails higher up that could keep one occupied for weeks, the site you mention gives good detail about many of these hikes which seem to be a little much for most tourists.

Many use the Cinque Terre for a bit of relaxation from the hectic city site seeing that is usually combined on a vacation.
I would not want to day trip because you are only there during the busy times with the rest of tourists and it is very hard to day trip and see more than a couple of the towns.
It would definitely not quality as relaxing if you see it as a day trip nor one overnight.

There is a large beach in Monterosso if you want to relax on a beach for a few hours that is your best option.
Other towns have spots for sun bathing or taking a dip but above is really the only true beach.
There is also a ferry that runs between the 5 towns and also connects with Porto Venere which is another pretty town you can walk around.
Also in the summer months, should have time, you could take a ferry from Monterosso to famous Portofino ; that takes most all day though as there is only one boat there and one time back. I think Portofino only becomes an option if you are staying for a 4 or more nights as otherwise it would be hard to fit it in.

ann,

Yes, the main activities in the Cinque Terre are hiking, beaches, exploring the towns, as well as enjoying Il dolce far niente and having some excellent Pesto in the area where it was invented. Staying in one of the towns and using it as a "home base" to explore other parts of the area such as Porto Venere is also good.

The others have provided good information on the status of the Sentiero Azzurro trails. Provided nothing changes between now and August, you could certainly hike the two open sections (Park Pass required, which you can buy on site). To bypass the closed sections, you can either use the local trains or boats or take some of the other trails that go higher up in the hills. The website that you linked above provides a good summary of the choices. You could perhaps ask the staff at your hotel if they recommend any particular trail. You can also hike from Monterosso to Levanto, but I haven't done that one yet so can't tell you how difficult it is.

It will be HOT there in August, so it would be a good idea to get an early start. I'd suggest starting in Monterosso and working south, as there's a steep climb at the Monterosso end, and I find it's better to get that over with at the beginning. Once you're up onto the trail, it's relatively easy although there are some narrow sections. Be sure to take lots of water!