Cinque Terre hiking trails: let's post references on a super thread
Jun 7th, 2006, 12:02 PM
#22
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This is great info.I have been researching hikes for our family to do in the Cinque Terre.We will be there in August(hot)and staying in Rapallo and want to do a day trip into the Cinque Terre..maybe train and hiking.We are all fit..but we do have a 9 year old girl.She might not be able to do more than 3 hours, or maybe longer if we break it up with lunch.The one Maureen did sounds fabulous.My hubbie and son and I could do it.I have noticed many links pertaining to the Cinque Terre.Maybe we will go to the Parco Nationale that ronin suggests.
Jun 7th, 2006, 02:02 PM
#23
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Anamaria, I wouldn't necessarily recommend the hike the way we did it. I suggest hiking from Corniglia to Vernazza, if you do that section, so you're going downhill on those steps.
Even better, personally, I wish we'd started from the southernmost town and hiked up to Corniglia.
Even better, personally, I wish we'd started from the southernmost town and hiked up to Corniglia.
Jun 7th, 2006, 03:47 PM
#24
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Alison:
We also are in our mid-50s and in reasonable shape. We did the whole trail in two parts, none too difficult. But our favorite by far, was from Levanto to Monterosso. We then took the train back to Levanto, after spending some time in Monterosso. It was beautiful.
Donna and Dave, Pittsburgh, PA
We also are in our mid-50s and in reasonable shape. We did the whole trail in two parts, none too difficult. But our favorite by far, was from Levanto to Monterosso. We then took the train back to Levanto, after spending some time in Monterosso. It was beautiful.
Donna and Dave, Pittsburgh, PA
Jun 7th, 2006, 03:53 PM
#25
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I have pictures of the trail that I deliberately took for future travelers. Tinyurl.com/NQLXG
In 2004, We hiked the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza. I wasnt paying attention and my foot slipped off the trail and I almost fell down the slope save for a fence that just happened to be on this one small section of the trail. Here is a little excerpt from a prior post:
I did end up losing my footing on gravel and my right foot slipped off the edge of the path which caused be to fall and really twist my left ankle. For some blessed reason, that particular section of the path had a split rail wooden fence which i grabbed to prevent me going right off the path, down a steep hill where i would have landed on some pretty knarly trees and bushes and god knows what.
It was very scary and somewhat cautionary since had I broken my foot, it would have been pretty interesting in terms of getting out of there. I just had to keep going till I reached Vernazza and took the train back. My ankle was huge and bruised for days but I made it. As we sat in the Vernazza, we saw the Italian helicoptor rescue squad doing a pick up of someone off the trail. My husband and I just looked at each other and thought, "oh, thank god that wasnt us..."
In 2004, We hiked the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza. I wasnt paying attention and my foot slipped off the trail and I almost fell down the slope save for a fence that just happened to be on this one small section of the trail. Here is a little excerpt from a prior post:
I did end up losing my footing on gravel and my right foot slipped off the edge of the path which caused be to fall and really twist my left ankle. For some blessed reason, that particular section of the path had a split rail wooden fence which i grabbed to prevent me going right off the path, down a steep hill where i would have landed on some pretty knarly trees and bushes and god knows what.
It was very scary and somewhat cautionary since had I broken my foot, it would have been pretty interesting in terms of getting out of there. I just had to keep going till I reached Vernazza and took the train back. My ankle was huge and bruised for days but I made it. As we sat in the Vernazza, we saw the Italian helicoptor rescue squad doing a pick up of someone off the trail. My husband and I just looked at each other and thought, "oh, thank god that wasnt us..."
Jun 7th, 2006, 04:01 PM
#26
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Thank you for your posts, everyone. I will put together a summary of comments for each trail. Chicagolori, I am glad your story didn't have an even worse ending. It makes the point I, too, was concerned about: be prepared for those trails, as they are challenging and tricky. Even being prepared, as you were, accidents can happen and you are on your own.
Jun 7th, 2006, 04:29 PM
#27
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As someone who's hoping to visit the Cinque Terre area in mid July, this thread has been most useful.
Has anyone hiked these paths in July? My concern is that we'll barely be able to move for the crowds, and all whilst hot and muggy. The temperature and humidity of Rome in July are almost identical to our summer climate here in Brisbane (Australia) and I'm assuming at best that the Cinque Terre region will only be slightly cooler.
As we are staying at Lucca, it will be at least 8am before we can start a walk. Will it be hot and unpleasant by 9am?
On the topic of stairs- 2 points on the going down vs going up. If you have any knee problems, down could well be more painful than up, and for those who are unaccustomed to stairwork, down frequently results in sorer muscles the next day (and the next).
Has anyone hiked these paths in July? My concern is that we'll barely be able to move for the crowds, and all whilst hot and muggy. The temperature and humidity of Rome in July are almost identical to our summer climate here in Brisbane (Australia) and I'm assuming at best that the Cinque Terre region will only be slightly cooler.
As we are staying at Lucca, it will be at least 8am before we can start a walk. Will it be hot and unpleasant by 9am?
On the topic of stairs- 2 points on the going down vs going up. If you have any knee problems, down could well be more painful than up, and for those who are unaccustomed to stairwork, down frequently results in sorer muscles the next day (and the next).
Jun 7th, 2006, 05:00 PM
#28
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We hiked the trails last year (50-ish couple) without any particular difficulty, but I run all the time so that conditioning was no doubt helpful. However, the issue of wet trails needs to be addressed as well as level of difficulty. Early the morning we hiked, it poured the rain for quite a long time, and there were several places where I found the trails somewhat unnerving because of how slippery they were. I wouldn't have missed the hike for that reason, but might be helpful to put that consideration in the back of your mind when you go. Also, there were a few places where there were drop-offs without any guards that made me leary, but for anyone who has a genuine fear of heights, be warned there are a few places that might make you uncomfortable. We hiked early in the week, and a lady I met who had hiked on the weekends (and is an avid hiker) said that there were lots of young people on the trails who were less than concerned about giving "right of way" or common courtesy to others. I am sure the area has many more young people in summer when the schools and colleges are out. If I heard someone coming when we were on a narrow area with drop-offs, I always stopped, plastered myself against the inside and played the courteous one so that I didn't have to be on the edge. I think there is some unwritten rule about giving the person going up the benefit of the doubt, but of course I always tried to get to a place where it didn't really matter. Great place. I loved it. PJK
Jun 11th, 2006, 08:45 AM
#30
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Here's a comment Nessundorma posted on another thread:
"The famed "Lover's Walk" between Riomaggiore and Manarola is the shortest and easiest, but it is also the least rewarding (most of it is concrete, there is chain link fencing, etc.)"
Anyone else have specific information or advice to post on any of the CT trails?
"The famed "Lover's Walk" between Riomaggiore and Manarola is the shortest and easiest, but it is also the least rewarding (most of it is concrete, there is chain link fencing, etc.)"
Anyone else have specific information or advice to post on any of the CT trails?
Jun 12th, 2006, 07:24 AM
#32
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I am going to try to transfer a message I wrote on another board rather than re-writing the whole thing. Here goes-
It will take you about 7 hours to hike the entire distance from Riomaggiore to Monterosso. Part of the trail is fairly rigorous and that timeframe does not include actually looking at the various towns. 7 hours is your hiking time. We are photo freaks so we wanted time to look at stuff and take a bunch of photos. Everyone we talked to who had walked the entire trail in one day had sore calves the next day or they had abandoned the walk along the way.
Our first day, We hiked from Manarola to Riomaggiore. We were enjoying the beach at the end of the trail in Riomaggiore when what seemed like a thousand people descended on Riomaggiore all at once. We were there on a Sunday on a three day weekend so it was a instance nightmare. We hightailed it back to Manarola and hiked the upper trail to Volastra to get away from the crowds. The upper trail is a little more difficult to follow. Some times you are in fields and stairways, other times you are on the highway. The route indicators, painted red and white stripes, are some times hard to find. We stopped in Volastra for a beer and peanut break and then went from Volastra to Corniglia, and then Corniglia to Manarola for a total of about 8 hours.
The next day we when the hoards of tourists were gone, we went from Manarola to Corniglia, up the 33 flights of stairs to the trail, and then on to Vernazza- about 3+ hours. The stairs in Corniglia have long steps with short risers so they are doable but still annoying!! We browsed the shops of Vernazza, (bought a beware of cat ceramic tile - Attenti ai gatti), drank a beer from the grocery store sitting on a park bench in the plaza, and we finally had a pizza at one of the outdoor cafes(beer 5E each, pizza 8E). I was happy with only three hours of hiking.
Another day we took the train from Manarola where our apartment was, to Vernazza and then hiked to Monterosso. We had read on one of the boards that the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso was easier than the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza. I had to agree. The portion of the trail is a little rigorous as you go up and down the trail often without any railing between you and the sea or mountain below. Anyway, at the end of the trail going into Monterosso are stairs. It is not a big deal- but I would imagine starting with the stairs - for at least 30 minutes would be more difficult. We enjoyed the beach at Monterosso. We went to the grocery store got a 1L box of wine to eat with our brown bag lunch.
Hope this helps someone. lynclarke
It will take you about 7 hours to hike the entire distance from Riomaggiore to Monterosso. Part of the trail is fairly rigorous and that timeframe does not include actually looking at the various towns. 7 hours is your hiking time. We are photo freaks so we wanted time to look at stuff and take a bunch of photos. Everyone we talked to who had walked the entire trail in one day had sore calves the next day or they had abandoned the walk along the way.
Our first day, We hiked from Manarola to Riomaggiore. We were enjoying the beach at the end of the trail in Riomaggiore when what seemed like a thousand people descended on Riomaggiore all at once. We were there on a Sunday on a three day weekend so it was a instance nightmare. We hightailed it back to Manarola and hiked the upper trail to Volastra to get away from the crowds. The upper trail is a little more difficult to follow. Some times you are in fields and stairways, other times you are on the highway. The route indicators, painted red and white stripes, are some times hard to find. We stopped in Volastra for a beer and peanut break and then went from Volastra to Corniglia, and then Corniglia to Manarola for a total of about 8 hours.
The next day we when the hoards of tourists were gone, we went from Manarola to Corniglia, up the 33 flights of stairs to the trail, and then on to Vernazza- about 3+ hours. The stairs in Corniglia have long steps with short risers so they are doable but still annoying!! We browsed the shops of Vernazza, (bought a beware of cat ceramic tile - Attenti ai gatti), drank a beer from the grocery store sitting on a park bench in the plaza, and we finally had a pizza at one of the outdoor cafes(beer 5E each, pizza 8E). I was happy with only three hours of hiking.
Another day we took the train from Manarola where our apartment was, to Vernazza and then hiked to Monterosso. We had read on one of the boards that the trail from Vernazza to Monterosso was easier than the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza. I had to agree. The portion of the trail is a little rigorous as you go up and down the trail often without any railing between you and the sea or mountain below. Anyway, at the end of the trail going into Monterosso are stairs. It is not a big deal- but I would imagine starting with the stairs - for at least 30 minutes would be more difficult. We enjoyed the beach at Monterosso. We went to the grocery store got a 1L box of wine to eat with our brown bag lunch.
Hope this helps someone. lynclarke
Jun 12th, 2006, 07:58 AM
#33
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Lynclarke, thanks for all the information. It is very helpful, as you have hiked all of the trails. And the tip about Volastra to avoid the crowds is interesting.
Would you be able to take a couple of minutes to post a simple description of each segment of the basic CT hikes, individually, and in geographic order? To say how difficult, how long to hike it, tips, etc? I know it's probably all there, but if you think of each segment as a distinct hike, it might remind you of more details.
Thanks!
Would you be able to take a couple of minutes to post a simple description of each segment of the basic CT hikes, individually, and in geographic order? To say how difficult, how long to hike it, tips, etc? I know it's probably all there, but if you think of each segment as a distinct hike, it might remind you of more details.
Thanks!
Jun 13th, 2006, 10:22 AM
#34
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Kathryncee posted this advice on another thread:
"from Santa Margherita Ligure, take the 8.55am train to the furthest town, Riomaggiore, in CT. It should take approximately 1 hour. By lunch you should arrive at the 3rd town, Corniglia. It is an easy walk/hike up to this point, with the exception of the stairs leading up to Corniglia from the trail, 365 steps!
"Since you are leaving SML mid-afternoon, I would suggest you train to the next 2 towns. Vernazza, the prettiest of the 5 is a must see. If you have time, have lunch at Gambero Rosso by the tiny beach. After lunch, you can continue on to Monterosso al Mare by train then train back to Santa Margherita Ligure."
Still looking for first-hand experiences on the Cinque Terre trails. Who else can add in?
"from Santa Margherita Ligure, take the 8.55am train to the furthest town, Riomaggiore, in CT. It should take approximately 1 hour. By lunch you should arrive at the 3rd town, Corniglia. It is an easy walk/hike up to this point, with the exception of the stairs leading up to Corniglia from the trail, 365 steps!
"Since you are leaving SML mid-afternoon, I would suggest you train to the next 2 towns. Vernazza, the prettiest of the 5 is a must see. If you have time, have lunch at Gambero Rosso by the tiny beach. After lunch, you can continue on to Monterosso al Mare by train then train back to Santa Margherita Ligure."
Still looking for first-hand experiences on the Cinque Terre trails. Who else can add in?
Jun 22nd, 2006, 09:15 AM
#35
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I've only walked one section of the CT, the stretch between Manarola & Corniglia. Let's see .... that was in May of 2002. I found it a pleasant walk; took me about an hour at a leisurely pace with a few pauses for photo ops.
Another question that's been raised over the years (and I'll try to track down one of those threads) is the issue around height. I've seen folks ask whether or not someone who's afraid of heights might have any problems walking the trails. Admittedly, the stretch that I explored did have a dramatic drop-off; it was a non-issue for myself, however like I said that topic did arise for discussion.
Other helpful links .... for anyone who wants to take the boat between the towns, here's the website with schedule --- http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/
And on another related topic ...
shoes to walk in the Cinque Terre >>>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34814921
Another question that's been raised over the years (and I'll try to track down one of those threads) is the issue around height. I've seen folks ask whether or not someone who's afraid of heights might have any problems walking the trails. Admittedly, the stretch that I explored did have a dramatic drop-off; it was a non-issue for myself, however like I said that topic did arise for discussion.
Other helpful links .... for anyone who wants to take the boat between the towns, here's the website with schedule --- http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/
And on another related topic ...
shoes to walk in the Cinque Terre >>>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34814921
Jun 23rd, 2006, 09:23 AM
#36
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A girlfriend and I are getting ready for our first trip to Italy at the end of July (I know, the heat). We have reserved three days for our CT Adventure. I've read all the wonderfull information that everyone has provided. Many thanks! I do have a few, somewhat novice questions. We are planning on spending a night or two at one of the towns to break up the trip and get the most out of the experience. chicagolori has provided some wonderful pictures (especially of Monterossa). Did anyone have any input on a town to stay in over the other four? Also, did you all just return to the town you started your hike at to collect your personal belongings, or did you backpack them with you? My friend an I are used to lugging around 60 pound packs, but it seems that they would make things worse, and even more dangerous, since the trails will be so populated during this time of year. Thanks for any tid bits!
Jun 24th, 2006, 07:24 AM
#37
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fswazir:
We just returned from Italy. We spent 2 nights (not enough time) in the CT in Monterosso, which we loved. It has a beachy feel to it and the restaurants were great.
As for hiking, we'd just done an 8 day hiking tour in Tuscany and the mountains, thus had planned an "easy" hike in the CT. We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza and it was anything but easy, quite difficult in fact. I'm glad I had not seen the previous posters who mentioned falls. It took us exactly 1 hour and 45 minutes, and we stopped for scenic views but also to catch our breaths. We were too tired when we arrived in Vernazza to do anymore hiking.
There were many people on the trail, some with no manners at all, as PJK has stated, so be careful. And as he said, plaster yourself against the inner wall when the throngs come at you. I would not attempt this hike with a large backpack. We also had the hot sun in our faces (June 7th). Even considering the difficulty, it was a hike with nothing but incredible scenery and breathtaking views everywhere.
We just returned from Italy. We spent 2 nights (not enough time) in the CT in Monterosso, which we loved. It has a beachy feel to it and the restaurants were great.
As for hiking, we'd just done an 8 day hiking tour in Tuscany and the mountains, thus had planned an "easy" hike in the CT. We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza and it was anything but easy, quite difficult in fact. I'm glad I had not seen the previous posters who mentioned falls. It took us exactly 1 hour and 45 minutes, and we stopped for scenic views but also to catch our breaths. We were too tired when we arrived in Vernazza to do anymore hiking.
There were many people on the trail, some with no manners at all, as PJK has stated, so be careful. And as he said, plaster yourself against the inner wall when the throngs come at you. I would not attempt this hike with a large backpack. We also had the hot sun in our faces (June 7th). Even considering the difficulty, it was a hike with nothing but incredible scenery and breathtaking views everywhere.
Jul 28th, 2006, 08:31 AM
#40
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After reading further, I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for child-friendly sections? We will be hiking with kids ages 8 through 13. I think a hike-ferry-train combo would be a fun adventure for them.
This will be in August, when it is hot and humid and all of Europe is on holiday.
This will be in August, when it is hot and humid and all of Europe is on holiday.
