Accessing the Trails of the Cinque Terre
When to Go
The ideal times to visit the Cinque Terre are September and May, when the weather is mild and the summer tourist season isn’t in full swing (June through August can be unbearably hot and crowded).
Getting Here and Around
There is now a local train between La Spezia and Levanto that stops at each of the Cinque Terre villages, and runs approximately every 30 minutes throughout the day. Tickets for each leg of the journey (€1.90–€2.20) are available at all five train stations. In Corniglia, the only one of the Cinque Terre that isn’t at sea level, a shuttle service (€1.50) is provided for those who don’t wish to climb (or descend) the 300-plus steps that link the train station with the clifftop town.
Along the Cinque Terre coast two ferry lines operate. From June to September, Golfo Paradiso runs from Genoa and Camogli to Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza (a one-day ticket costs €38). The smaller but more frequent Golfo dei Poeti stops at each village from Lerici (east of Riomaggiore) to Monterosso, with the exception of Corniglia, four times a day (a one-day ticket costs €35).
Admission
Entrance tickets for using the trails are available at ticket booths located at the start of each section of Trail No. 2, and at information offices in the Levanto, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, and La Spezia train stations. A one-day pass costs €7.50, which includes a trail map and an information leaflet; a two-day pass is €14.50.
The Cinque Terre Card combines park entrance fees with unlimited daily use of the regional train between La Spezia, the five villages, and Levanto just north of Monterosso, and costs €16 for a one-day pass and €29 for a two-day pass.
For More Information
www.cinqueterre.com; www.lecinqueterre.org; www.parconazionale5terre.it; www.rebuildmonterosso.com; www.savevernazza.com; www.littleparadiso.com (blog).
