Riomaggiore - The Coastal Trail

kirk,

Could you provide a bit more information on your plans? It's very easy to visit any of the five Cinque Terre towns using the frequent local trains. The Sentiero Azzurro trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola is indeed closed, however there are other trails you could use that extend further up the mountain. Check this website for details......

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/sentieri?id_lingue=1

As a general response, I would say that visiting the five towns with a combination of trains and boats works well, plus taking whatever hikes are open and appealing. Boats typically run Easter through October.

Kirk, as the others have mentioned, there are any number of ways to get around the CT depending on season, and any number of trails. I'm guessing the "coastal trail" in Riomaggiore you're referring to is the segment of the Sentiero Azzurro route (Riomaggiore to Monterosso) called the via dell'Amore.

That piece runs between Riomaggiore and Manarola, and is less of a 'hike' than a walk. A little bit of it is open on the Manarola side but it doesn't go all the way through to Riomaggiore. You can get around it by taking the train or a ferry (seasonal) between these two towns, or a longer, more strenuous route. See the map in the link Ken provided.

I should note that the segment of that same "coastal route" between Manarola and Corniglia has been closed for quite a number of years now so the same applies with one difference: ferries do not run to Corniglia. To skip that section of the Sentiero Azzurro , you need to take the train between these two towns, or a longer hike.