Is it still worth a day trip to ct with all these trails closed?!
 

Update as of May 10, 2013:

According to the latest information available from the Cinque Terre National Park, the coastal Trail #2 status as follows:

Riomaggiore – Manarola “via dell’amore”: Closed. Trail will reopen in 2014.
Manarola – Corniglia : Closed. Trail set to reopen June 15, 2013.
Corniglia -Vernazza: Closed. trail set to reopen June 15, 2013.
Vernazza – Monterosso: OPEN.

So, if these are all closed what's the point of going? Would it still be worth it to take train to monterroso (from florence) then hike to vernazza have lunch there then hike to corniglia? Advice?

If the weather is nice I would say absolutely yes! But I would take the boat at some point in time , say from Riomaggiore to Monterroso. IMO is the best way to take in the landscape. This is the website:
http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti....e.asp?lang=eng

The first time I went to CT I took the train from Lucca. It was drizzling and the boats werent working due to rough seas. Although the trails were open I didnt want to hike due to poor weather. So I ended taking the train from town to town, had lunch in Vernazza, and enjoyed myself tremendously.
The second time I was staying in Portovenere, so we took the boat from there. The approach by boat to the CT towns is very special.

Buona fortuna!

If the weather is nice I would say absolutely yes! But I would take the boat at some point in time , say from Riomaggiore to Monterroso. IMO is the best way to take in the landscape. This is the website:
http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti....e.asp?lang=eng

The first time I went to CT I took the train from Lucca. It was drizzling and the boats werent working due to rough seas. Although the trails were open I didnt want to hike due to poor weather. So I ended taking the train from town to town, had lunch in Vernazza, and enjoyed myself tremendously.
The second time I was staying in Portovenere, so we took the boat from there. The approach by boat to the CT towns is very special.

The hike between Vernazza and Monterosso is a couple of hours but pretty nice. You'll still get great views and the gist of the area. Definitely check out the other towns, at least Riomaggiore and Manarola. Pity the Via dell’Amore is closed all year - that's a very short "hike" that makes it easy to get between the first two towns without a boat or train. Manarola is a lot smaller than Riomaggiore, but Riomaggiore has some interesting murals by the train station and in the little town square that I found worth seeing.

Just a word of warning...we hiked the Monterosso to Vernazza section in early May. It was about 11:00 AM when we started and it was mobbed! There are many areas where you have to wait for those coming from the other direction to pass (i.e. narrow trail). If you can, start hiking EARLY. Great views though!

carolsc

I was just going to mention that with all of those other trails closed, the one between Monterosso and Vernazza might be mobbed since people can't hike between the other towns. That might make a day trip even less attractive, as it will be hard to train in Florence at the crack of dawn and get out on the trail that early. Staying the night in the CT would make it far easier.

By the way, there are more hiking trails in the Cinque Terre than just the four trails between the five villages. Serious hikers will seek them out (assuming THEY are open). For example, you can hike from Monterosso north to Levanto - I've never done it, but I think it's about a four hour hike. My guess is that those other trails are far less crowded than the main "tourist" trails between the towns.

While it is true that the other trails are less crowded, those trails are also not as well-maintained -- hence can be somewhat intimidating to the Joe Blow hiker like myself.

I have no trouble at all with the "regular" ("blue") trails (which I do not try to do all in one day, nor do I have the remotest desire to set any records for speed). Nor do I find them crowded, perhaps because we only visit in May or September.

But I got less than halfway on one of the "red" trails before turning around...I'm not a fan of walking along sheer drop-offs when there is no railing and the width of the trail is barely enough for one person.

We just returned from CT (our 5th or 6th visit in the last 10 years) a few weeks ago. This was the first time we've ever visited when the only trail open was the Monterosso-Vernazza trail. As much as I love CT, not having the Via dell'Amore trail open was very disappointing...an easy yet beautiful trail, we usually walk that trail at least twice a day during our visit, usually more.

That said, if your sole reason to visit CT is to hike the trails, you're missing out on one of the best things about this extraordinary piece of Earth: being there during the morning and evenings when the tourists have dwindled and you can enjoy in peace the utter beauty of the villages, sea, and views.