Without a car is Levanto a practical spot to stay if your plans are to hike the trails around the Cinque Terre cities? Does it make more sense to stay in one of the five cities making it easier to access the trains, trails, ferrys? It appears to me that Levanto might be a short jump out of the crowds of Cinque Terre, but I hope to be within hiking distance of transportation for the park and the trails. Is Levanto pretty much just like staying in one of the 5 cities. How long is the hike and how good is the path from Levanto to Monterosso? Thanks for any input
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3301 posts
There is an article in the Sunday NY Times Travel Section about staying in Levanto to hike the Cinque Terre trails. It is called "Cinque Terre on a Budget.". You might have a look at that.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
jarrardd,
Yes, Levanto is certainly an option for touring the Cinque Terre, as it's only about four minutes by train from Monterosso (the most northern of the five towns). It's a bit of a hike from the main part of Levanto to the rail station, but that's not really much of a problem. However, staying there means that it will be a hike, a short train ride and a small cost each time you want to visit one of the five towns. Having a car in the C.T. is of little use, as it will be gathering dust in a car park most of the time.
Levanto is more "spread out" so it's not quite the same experience as staying in one of the five towns of the C.T. Everyone here has a preference for which of the five towns to stay, and my favourite is Monterosso. The best place to connect with the Ferries is one of the C.T. towns. The Ferry dock in Monterosso is in the "old town", so it will be about a five-ten minute walk from the station (through the tunnel and then turn right). Note that operation of the Ferries is dependent on the weather. Also, the Ferries don't stop in Corniglia.
Regarding the trail from Levanto to Monterosso, hopefully Laurel will spot this thread, as she did that hike not too long ago.
With the popular Sentiero Azzurro trails that most visitors want to hike, you'll need to check the official Cinque Terre Park website to determine which ones will be open at the time of your visit. At the present time, only the trails from Monterosso to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia are open. Hopefully the remaining two will re-open in 2015, but probably not before 1 April. The S.A. trails require a Park Pass to hike (easily purchased there), but there's an extensive network of trails in that area and those that go further up into the hills don't require a Pass.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Hi Jarrard. I PM'd you with some links. It is a moderately strenuous hike between Levant and Monterosso (actually we went the other way, but equal I think). It i so easy to take the trains anywhere from La Spezia to Santa Margherita Ligure, you can stay anywhere and access all kinds of trails. Most people stick to Trail #2, but there is a vast network to explore outside of the Parco Nazionale. The 5 towns are the most charming, though. Our current favorite for overnighting is Manarola.
Posted by
Newton, MA, USA
58 posts
We stayed in Levanto in 2010 and it was a great jumping off spot for the Cinque Terre. The train takes about 5 minutes to get Montrerosso, so you might as well start your hike from there. You can also catch a boat from Levanto to one of the towns and train or hike back. The boat ride stops at each town and features some pretty impressive views. We took it to Riomaggiore and the hiked/trained back. I think we hiked from Vernazza to Corniglia, which turned out to be a two hour climb. I think most people do it the other way. There was an amazing snack bar restaurant towards the end. It was the most wonderful surprise - cold beer and pie!
Levanto itself is more modern than the Cinque Terre towns and has more hotels and places to eat.