Nikita’s Nomadic Notes

To visit the famous five towns of Cinque Terre I stayed in the larger, southern town of La Spezia. La Spezia itself was nothing special, just a town that has rapidly expanded due to its gateway access to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre itself consists of five colourful, old, fishing towns, situated along the coast line. Hence the name Cinque (five) Terre (lands). The five towns from north to south include Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

Along the coastline and within the larger national park there are many hiking trails, all with varying levels of difficulty but impressive views. The most famous of these is the Blue Trail which connects all five villages. It’s about 11km long, and takes around 5-6 hours to complete. It can be hiked in either direction. However, the coastal location of these tracks, along rugged hillsides, means they are very vulnerable to landslides. So for some time, the tracks between Riomaggiore and Manarola, and Manarola to Corniglia have been closed. Supposedly they are aiming for a 2024 reopening date, but the opening has already been pushed back multiple times. Due to this constant need for maintenance and reconstruction of the tracks, a pass is required to be able to hike the Blue trail (including any individual sections of it) but it is not required for any other hiking trails within the area. There are a couple of different pass options but I opted for just the hiking pass which allowed me to hike the two open trails over the course of one day. The other pass includes unlimited train tickets between the towns as well at a higher cost. Luckily for me, these trains were already included in my Eurail pass.

I only had one full day to see the towns and hike the trails. So I decided that while La Spezia is south of all the towns, I would take the train to the most Northern town, Monterosso, then hike south to Vernazza, and on to Corniglia in the morning while it wasn’t too hot or busy. And then in the afternoon I could take the train back through the two remaining towns, Manarola and Riomaggiore. This worked well.

While the towns were cute, they were busy, and the hiking trails became the highlight of my time here. Each of the two trails I hiked took about 1.5hrs (taking my time) and was around 3km in length. In places they were tough, with a lot of stairs, and no shade. But the tracks were so enjoyable with impressive views the whole way along the coastline. It was a significant climb out of each village, up onto the track, then mostly leisurely before descending down into the next village. Corniglia was the only village that was not right on the coast – however, it turned out to be my favourite.

Monterosso

Monterosso has the best sandy swimming beaches out of all the towns. It is a bit bigger in size, more spread with a more modern area and then the “old town”. Due to the popularity of the beaches, the town tends to be busier, especially in the summer afternoons. I didn’t spend a lot of time here as I was eager to get started on the trail.

Monterosso -> Vernazza

The start of the hike out of Monterosso towards Vernazza was rough. It was endless steep stairs upon stairs. In places, the stairs were also quite narrow and rugged, adding an extra challenge. The climb made for a strong start to the day, however, I did start to wonder what I’d gotten myself into. But once you got up to the top, it flattened out, and a lot of the track was under some shade throughout the morning. This was the most stunning walk out of the two in my opinion, the photos do not do it justice.

Vernazza

The town of Vernazza was very busy when I got there around mid-morning. I stopped to grab some focaccia as an early lunch, and sat down by the water to eat it. The views were nice, but there were people everywhere. It felt very hectic, especially as the streets were so narrow. It was neat to watch the local fishermen coming in and out, something that is clearly reminiscent of the towns fishing history.

Vernazza -> Corniglia

By the time I started this hike, it was around midday and starting to get a lot hotter. The trails were also getting much busier. So while I think this trail is the easier out of the two, I struggled more with it as I was already a bit tired, and the heat is just a killer. At the halfway point, and also the highest point of the trail (208m) there was a household shop selling fresh lemon slushies, which they mix with fresh orange juice to balance out the bitterness. Perhaps it was just my thirst, but this drink was exactly what I needed.

Corniglia

Corniglia was my favourite town. I can’t really tell you exactly why. It felt a bit quieter and more peaceful, there was less hustle bustle. The town does not have any direct beach access as it sits upon a hill, which could be the reason why it was a bit quieter. I had the best gelato here at Alberto Gelato, which coincidentally has been rated the best in Cinque Terre many years in a row.

Manarola

By the time I reached Manarola the towns were packed and it was pushing 35 degrees. So I walked down to the water, and spent a bit of time there watching people swimming and diving before heading on to Riomaggiore.

Riomaggiore

Following on from Manarola, I was pretty tired and sweaty at this point, but determined to tick off the final town. Riomaggiore was cool, it had a bit of a different vibe to the other towns.

While I wish I could have completed the whole Blue Trail, I really enjoyed the trails I did do, and would highly recommend them. They require a moderate fitness level, and sturdy footwear (they won’t let you onto the trail without closed shoes). But it was well worth it. Cinque Terre was a really neat experience but the towns themselves and trains were extremely busy, and that was in September so not even peak season.

~ Nikita’s Nomadic Notes