Cinque Terre questions

Old Apr 8th, 2015, 11:06 AM
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Cinque Terre questions

I am going to Santa Margheria on the Italian Riviera next week to visit friends. While there, my husband and I want to hike in the Cinque Terre but, not wanting to leave our hosts for a long period, would like to know if we can do all 5 towns in one day - or at least one full day and part of another. I'm having some trouble figuring out which trails are open to walk as shown on the national park website since most of the coast line trails appear closed. It seems that if it's broken up into two days, the Monterossa-Vernazza trail is the one recommended to do alone since it is the most challenging. Any advice on how to do this, i.e., train from Sta. Margherita to Riomaggiore or Monterossa, walk all connecting trails or part (specifically which?), take train or bus between some to save time to do it in one day, etc. If it makes more sense for us to stay over one night, which town, that would be en route, makes the most sense? If a town is specified, any recommended accommodations that I should try for? Many thanks for all comments.
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Old Apr 8th, 2015, 07:41 PM
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Unfortunately, cordon, I don't think your question is answerable.

For one thing, it depends on the weather. Example: a storm moved in the day I had planned on hiking between all the villages, but trails were soon shut down. (There were rangers at the entrances, so they could, indeed, block hikers when necessary.)

For another thing, you can't assume that prior storm-related or other damage to any trail will have been repaired by the time YOU reach the villages.

The connecting trains etc. allow reasonably routine travel between the towns. I suspect the frequency may vary with season, but you shouldn't have to wait too long to get from one town to the next by public transportation.

I was pleased with the B&B in which I stayed in Manarola -- La Torretta, which still seems to get decent reviews:
http://www.torrettas.com

Hope that helps!
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Old Apr 9th, 2015, 12:34 AM
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The weather foreacasts for next week are perfectly clear, so much so that a storm is highly unlikely. (I live on the Riviera.)

You can get an answer to your question on the Tripadvisor forum for le Cinque Terre. A resident of the one of the villages posts there.
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Old Apr 9th, 2015, 03:23 AM
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You might want to check cinqueterreonline.com for general info. navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it and cnpstudio.it for ferry info. Enjoy.
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Old Apr 9th, 2015, 04:11 AM
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I did the Monterossa-Vernazza trail. We took the train which stops at every village. If it is wet it is slippery. I wish I had at least one walking stick. Just was careful on wet rocks. So beautiful and glad I did it. You walk through vineyards and lemon groves. Views are the best. A day should do it if weather is good and you get an early start. Carry a bottle of water with you.
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Old Apr 9th, 2015, 05:32 AM
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We were in the Cinque Terre the weekend of March 28. The Monterosso-Vernazza coastal trail was the only one open, so we did it. It was however the first dry day they had had there in a while, so it was muddy and slick, more so than I had planned for. Just take it slow and watch your footing. It took us about 2 hours to do, stopping a bit to admire the views and take in some water. In the warm sun, I wish I'd had more than just one bottle of water and something to snack on too, just an FYI. The view from Vernazza from above is SO worth it though. Picture postcard perfect.

We then used the train to hop between the other towns, but it was a long day if we included the hike. Because the trains don't run as frequently to all towns (some are more than hourly some are barely hourly), you are sort of hamstrung by that schedule. Starting at 8:30 am and including the hike and walking about each town as we got there, we were in Riomaggiore at 6 p.m. It's definitely a full day if you plan to see all the towns.
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Old Apr 9th, 2015, 05:33 AM
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I am amazed at the quick response from all of you and very appreciative. So much of the info on the Internet about CT is prior to the 2011 flooding which causes more confusion. I do understand that the weather is changeable and, therefore, the accessibility of the open trails. I have looked at the map of the trails and think that the trails that are mostly discussed are the ones along the coastline, now closed from Riomaggiore to Vernazza. Thus, the open trails elsewhere require much more time as you are traveling down from the trail to the town and back up to the higher trail again to reach the next town where you do the same thing. If this is correct, and I want to do my hiking in one day's time including arrival to the CT from Santa Magherita, would it make sense to train up to Monterosso, hike to Vernazza, then visit the other towns by train? I am, of course, assuming clear weather as noted above. Thanks again for the comments (I have checked the cinqueterreonline site already and found it helpful regarding logistics of getting there, buying tix, etc. but didn't address the questions I have.
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Old Apr 9th, 2015, 06:31 AM
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"would it make sense to train up to Monterosso, hike to Vernazza, then visit the other towns by train?"

If hiking a coastal trail is your priority, I would do the one between Monterosso and Vernazza first and then see the other towns by train. We set out early and noticed the trail got more crowded as the morning wore on. It was nicer/more enjoyable when we weren't sharing narrow trails with others, plus better to do before the heat of the day.

If you were to drop one town out of the list, it might be Corniglia. That town is the only one not on the coast, so you stop at the train and then have to take a bus up. It also has the least frequent train service, so you'd have to carefully plan your arrival and departure there. We had just enough time in an hour to arrive, get up to the town, walk around a bit and get back down for the next train to the next town.
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Old Apr 9th, 2015, 08:15 AM
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I went to the Cinque Terre back in September and stayed in Manarola. What I did was take the train to Riomaggiore, take the boat to Monterosso and hike from there. That way, I saw all the towns from the water. The Via dell'amore from Corniglia to Riomaggiore were closed at the time but the hikes are TOUGH and I while I am not a gym rat, I do consider myself to be in shape. I think you would have to start early in order to complete. I do agree with amyb; Corniglia is QUITE a ways up there. The views from the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza were delightful in either direction.
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