How many nights in Cinque Terre

Sheron,

As you intend to take a few day trips while in the C.T. as well as hike the trails I'd suggest a stay of at least three nights. That will provide a much more relaxing visit, without feeling too "hurried".

With regards to the hike, I'd recommend taking the train to Monterosso al Mare and beginning the hike there. That way you'll get the most strenous part over with at the start when you're still well rested and in good condition. The hike from Vernazza to Corniglia is almost as rigorous, but Corniglia to Manarola is relatively easy. In Corniglia you have to hike down the LONG stairway to the rail station to pick up the next trail. Finally, the famed via del'Amore from Manarola to Riomaggiore is a walk in the park! There used to be a small Cafe along that, and hopefully it's still there so you can stop and have a glass of Vino and savour the view of the ocean! From Riomaggiore take the local train back to Vernazza.

Don't forget to get the Park Pass for hiking, as there ARE people manning small booths to check that visitors have a pass. They have to be validated in the same way as train tickets as I recall.

Happy travels!

Here's a website that includes maps of some of the trails, see the one they call the Blue Path, path 2, 7 miles from Monterosso to Riomaggiore, but a total elevation gain and loss of about 3200 feet (990 meters) http://www.cinqueterre.com/eng/information/hiking/2/

Two nights can be enough in CT. Three nights is probably better (but that can be said of anywhere). If you have time in you itinerary, stay three.

The hikes can be done in one day or you can hike one way from Vernazza one day and the other way the next taking a train back to Vernazza at the end.

I see CT as a relaxing place to kick back because there really are no must-see sites. If I was on a short trip, I might skip CT completely. On a longer trip, a three day stay about two-thirds into the trip would be a welcome chance to catch my breath and regain my energy.

Hi Sheron,
I agree with Ken about staying 3 nights in CT if you want to really enjoy all the breath-taking beauty of this area.
As for the 5 hikes, whether you do it in 1 or 2 days really depends on your fitness level and your reason behind doing them. Again, rushing thru these hikes I think will really take away from your enjoyment of the scenery. In Sept 2008 we actually hiked from Riomaggiore to Vernazza on one day and then took the train to Monterosso the next morning and hiked from there back to Vernazza. We chose to do it this way so that we would have some time to explore each little town along the way.
I have a fear of heights so I am so thankful that we did the Monterosso to Vernazza hike last or I really wonder if I would have had the guts to do the others, because of the fear of the unknown. I found this hike to have very narrow paths with little to no room to pass others without one person having to hug the mountain and the other person would be balancing on the edge of the questionably unstable path.....this was not fun for me! But the other hikes are not like this. Sure some of them are challenging also but moreso because of the terrain and the elevation changes.
Despite what you decide to do, make the most of your time in the CT as it really is an incredibly beautiful place......and enjoy your trip!

Sheron: I finally found my CT hiking map and was able to look up the exact elevation gain and loss of the trail from Monterosso al Mare to Riomaggiore: 3,250 feet of total elev gain and loss in 7.5 miles of trails. So you can see that the distance of 7.5 miles is misleading in terms of how much time you'd need to do the entire hike.Portovenere appears to be about another 7 miles south of Riomaggiore, I haven't been to Portovenere--it appears there is no train connection from Riomaggiore to Portovenere.

Kent, thanks for the info. That's really interesting! I didn't realize that there was that kind of change in elevation along the CT. I think there's a boat that goes from Monterosso to Portovenere...I'll have to do some more research on that. In any case, I have definitely decided on 3 nights & 2.5 days in the CT. This way I won't be rushed. Thanks again for the info.

Sheron: Well, note that the 3200 ft is the cumulative gain (uphill) + the cumulative loss (downhill) over the entire 7.5 trail miles from Monterosso to Riomaggiore (above I said 6.8 mi but looks like it's closer to 7 and 1/2). The details:Monterosso to Vernazza 2.5 mi, elev gain 620 ft (all gain & loss figures in feet), loss 640, average time for reasonably fit hiker given on hiking map as 2 hrVernazza to Corniglia 2.5 mi, gain 425, loss 720, time 1 hr 40 minCorniglia to Manarola 1.9 mi, gain 380, loss 80, time 1 hrManarola to Riomaggiore 0.6 mi, gain ~150, loss ~150 (basically flat), time 20 minsThese times don't include stopping time to take 100 pics, feed the feral cats, buy a lemon from the older gentleman at the top of the Monterosso to Vernazza leg, etc.

Kent, you must be psychic...because I will need to stop & take a few thousand pictures (okay, I'm exaggerating but I am known to take tons of pictures!!!) & I will definitely stop to feed and talk to the cats!! I'm a cat lover but I can't have a cat due to husband's allergies so every opportunity I get to be around cats, I am happy! Thanks again for the info.

Beautiful picture! Photography is my thing...I hope to get some nice pics.

Sheron,
I hope you decided on 3 nts. We took Ricks advice in his book and figured 2nts with one full day would be enough - wrong! It was the biggest regret I had of our entire month long trip. And I have those exact same photos that Kent sent you! CT is awesome I can't wait to go back someday. Stay as long as you can.

Yes, I did decide to stay 3 nights & 2.5 days. Thanks for everyone's input. The CT is the whole reason for my trip since I've always wanted to see it so I figured I shouldn't skimp on my time spent there.