Hiking Cinque Terre: Best Itinerary & Routes

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Tips for Hiking Cinque Terre: Best Ways To Hike Between the Villages

Planning to hike Cinque Terre? This stretch of the Italian Riviera is one of the most beautiful places in Italy, famous for its colorful cliffside villages, seaside views, and scenic trails. I spent 3 days hiking Cinque Terre in late August, and while it wasn’t enough to see everything, it gave me a perfect introduction to this UNESCO World Heritage site.

If you’re wondering how long it takes to hike Cinque Terre, which direction to go, or how to plan your itinerary, this guide shares my coastal hiking experience and practical tips to help you plan your own trip.

What Makes Hiking Cinque Terre Special

Cinque Terre (literally “Five Lands”) is made up of five villages along the Ligurian coast: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. They’re connected by well-marked hiking trails, local trains, ferries, and long winding roads.

While I originally thought hiking Cinque Terre would be a major trekking adventure, I learned that the villages are actually quite close together. You can hike the entire Cinque Terre trail (the shortest route) in one day or about 6 hours without stopping.

I chose to walk between 4 of the towns to balance sightseeing with exploring the villages within my short time. Here are the villages in order from north to south with approximate hiking times:

• Monterosso – The largest town, flat, with a sandy beach. (~2 hours to Vernazza)
• Vernazza – Known for restaurants, bars, and lively piazza. (~1.5 hours to Corniglia)
• Corniglia – Smallest town, high on a cliff, more flat, no boat access. (~1 hour to Manarola)
• Manarola – Famous for vineyards, postcard views. (~30 minutes to Riomaggiore)
• Riomaggiore – Picturesque, with nightlife and seaside walks.

Planning Your Cinque Terre Hike

I did a lot of research before arriving and knew that Vernazza to Monterosso was the longest distance and quite a steep uphill so I decided to skip that part of the trail all together. I would focus on the 4 towns that are closer together – less hiking, more touristing. With my limited time, I decided on a one day hike. This would start in Vernazza, pass through Corniglia and Manarola and finish in Riomaggiore. This route should take about 3 hours without stopping, but of course I would stop in each town to eat delicious things. So I figured if I started around 9am, I would arrive at my next hotel around 3pm-4pm.

I also figured that by starting in Vernazza and hiking South, the trail has a net downhill (still a lot of uphill) and the sun would be on my back and the towns I am looking at most of the way. Starting in the north meant I could take ferry up the coast from La Spezia. This offers a nice overview of the villages from the water before beginning the hike.

Here was my rough itinerary and food I wanted to eat:

Day 1 – Arrive in Vernazza via ferry from La Spezia, stay overnight, eat trofie pasta and gelato.

Day 2 – Hike from Vernazza to Corniglia (1.5hr), have coffee and a cornetto in Corniglia.

                Hike from Corniglia to Manarola (1hr) have lunch in Manarola (seafood).

                Hike Manarola to Riomaggiore (30mins) to stay overnight (anchovy pizza).

Day 3 – Leave Riomaggiore by ferry (1hr) or train (10mins) to La Spezia (foccacia).

Hiking Cinque Terre: Vernazza to Riomaggiore

Day 1 – Getting to Cinque Terre

This was a very tight plan and would have gone smoothly except that travel never does, this is Italy, and weather is unpredictable. I began on a train from Rome to La Spezia on Day 1 where I was aiming to get the last ferry (already a bad idea) from La Spezia to Vernazza. I was supposed to arrive at 1pm for the 3pm Ferry but after our train pulled out of the Roma Termini, we were delayed for 4 hours and missed the ferry. Fortunately, most of the Cinque Terre towns are well connected by train from la Spezia and run about every 20 minutes.

So although I missed the ferry ride and view of the villages from the water, I still made it to Vernazza in time to explore the town, see the sunset and go for a delicious dinner. I also climbed about 500 steps in this short evening! Since the towns are built into the hillside, any street except for the main one will consist of staircases, many, many stairs! My hotel was no exception and because I chose one overlooking the water with a nice view, of course it was at the top of about 6 staircases (the street) and then 2 more to get to the top level of the building. Cinque Terre is not for anyone with mobility  issues!

My hotel was lovely and well worth the climb, and the sunset on the pier was beautiful.

Day 2 – Hiking through 4 of the 5 villages

We started the day with a beautiful breakfast on a cliff, overlooking the mediterranean sea. I could have probably stayed there all day but we had to get to our next hotel in Riomaggiore- time to get hiking! Getting out of Vernazza was a little tricky, as every staircase looks like it is a dead end, but then it somehow keeps going through someone’s front yard or little alley crevice between buildings. It took a solid 10 minutes of stairs (from our hotel already 6 flights above the main street) before we reached the top of the town and to the trail head.

Since Cinque Terre is a protected park, you need to buy entry passes to use the hiking trails. And although we did this, I didn’t expect them to be checked along the way. However I was wrong and within the first stretch of rural hillside, there was a little hut with a woman ready to turn us away had we not bought the passes. It costs 12 euro per day and is easy to buy online.

Hiking from Vernazza to Corniglia

Hiking from Vernazza to Corniglia was breathtaking, and you get a magnificent view overlooking the village, with rolling hills and mediterranean sea in the background. You can also see Monterosso in the distance if you look behind you. Just this part of the hike alone made the whole trip worthwhile. The trail itself is quite narrow, wide enough for just one person, and has shrubs and sometimes low fences to stop you from falling down the cliff. For the next hour, every turn brought more stunning views, while winding through farmers’ fields, cacti and scrubby forests. There was even a little bar just opening up for the day about halfway to the next town, which would have been a lovely spot for a spritz if we were hiking in the afternoon!

When we arrived in Corniglia, there was another park lady in a hut at the trail end who informed us that the easy trail that we had planned on taking to the next town is blocked from a landslide. The landslide also blocked access to the train station. We also learned that since Corniglia is quite high up on the cliff, it doesn’t have a harbour so it’s the only town that the ferry doesn’t go to. So we walked into the village and stopped for a coffee and a cornetto to weigh our options.

Hiking from Corniglia to Manarola

Considering this was the second of our 3 hikes for the day, I wasn’t happy about adding another hour and a half and a ton of elevation to our route, but it seemed to be the only option besides turning back. So up the hillside we went, which felt like a solid hour of incline before it leveled off and could be considered a leisurely hike. This part of the hike was more forested as we went further in from the sea. The views returned after about half way as we traversed through vineyards and olive farms – it seemed to be nearly harvest time as the grapes were flowing over the fences just asking to be tasted!

Our new route was to take 2.5 hours instead of 1 hour and go through the village of Volastra, after which it is a hard downhill for about another hour. From Volastra to Manarola it was literally a staircase for a about 45 minutes, and we saw a lot of people stopping because it was hard on their knees. I later learned that there is a shuttle bus between Volastra and Manarola, but I didn’t mind the downhill.

Just as we arrived in Manarola it started to rain lightly, and we were happy to have the respite from the heat and the sun. We were also getting tired and ready for lunch after covering 9km. Upon arriving in Manarola, it was quite busy with crowds of tourists, unlike the trails that had barely any people. It seemed the middle of the week at the end of august was still high season and there were lineups of people heading to the train or ferry. We found a covered terrace by the sea to have lunch and rest our legs.

Hiking from Manarola to Riomaggiore

It was difficult to get going again, but since our hotel was in Riomaggiore, we had no choice! Luckily, this portion of the route is more of a flat sidewalk than a hiking trail and it only takes 30 minutes. However, this pathway isn’t covered in the hiking pass and after climbing all the stairs to the entry point, we had to go back down to the train station to buy an 8 euro ticket and then back up again! I was not happy about this but it was better than the alternative of hiking up the steep cliff and back down the other side. It was also starting to rain again, so this path, called the “Via dell’Amore” had covered portions where we could wait out the rain and have nice views of the sea.

Arriving in Riomaggiore was very rewarding after trekking through vineyards, forests, terraced fields and towns to get there. And we were clever enough to get a hotel right on the main street to avoid more steps up the side streets. After settling into our accommodations, we rewarded ourselves with a swim in the sea and a three course Italian dinner!

Day 3 – Trains and Ferries in Cinque Terre

Our last day in Cinque Terre turned out to be another transit day. I was hoping to take the ferry from Riomaggiore to Monterosso, to see the colourful villages from the water and then go for lunch on the beach before taking the train back to La Spezia, but it was a rainy day and the sea didn’t look very calm. So unfortunately, there were no ferry trips this time in Cinque Terre, and we took the train straight back to La Spezia. Not without a fresh cornetto and cappuccino first though!

What I wish I had done differently

After visiting 4 of the 5 villages of cinque terre, I can say that Vernazza was my favourite. It was the only one with a main street that goes straight to the sea unobstructed (not including Monterosso). In Riomaggiore you had to walk through a tunnel to get under the train to the beach. While in Manarola, you had to walk up to a plaza and then back down to go over the train in order to reach the sea.

Overall, Vernazza had a good selection of bars, restaurants and shops. Even the souvenir shops seemed a little more unique and trendy than the other towns. There was a good swimming area, easy to connect to the train (not a ton of stairs) and it was large enough to spend a few days shopping and eating.

If I planned another trip to go hiking in Cinque Terre

I would stay in Vernazza the whole time at one hotel close to the main street. I loved the hotel that was overlooking the cliffs, but I chose it knowing that all those steps were on our way to the hiking trail.  If I were staying multiple days I would book accommodations nearby the main points of interest. Technically any of the towns could be used as a base, but if you are interested in hiking, I think Vernazza is well placed in between the trails to split up the hikes.

For this trip my backpack was very small as I stored my suitcase in La Spezia. I prefer hiking without a bag and without the pressure of having to get to my next hotel. Also, now that I understand how well connected the towns are (when there are no landslides), I would tackle a different portion of the trail each day.  Here’s a suggested itinerary based in Vernazza that I might try next time:

• Day 1 – Arrive Vernazza
• Day 2 – Hike 2h to Monterosso, have lunch, go to the beach, ferry back
• Day 3 – Hike 2.5h to Manarola, stopping to explore Corniglia, train back
• Day 4 – Ferry all the way from Vernazza to La Spezia on your exit.

Tips for Hiking Cinque Terre

• Stay in Vernazza – It’s central, lively, and well connected to the trails.
• Pack light – Leave large luggage in La Spezia and carry only essentials.
• Buy the Cinque Terre Card – Required for most trails.
• Check trail conditions – Landslides can close popular routes without notice.
• Allow extra time – Even short hikes can take longer with crowds, weather, or stairs.
• Plan for 4 days if possible – Three days is doable, but four lets you hike at a slower pace and enjoy more food, swimming, and relaxation.
• Arrive early for the ferry as it gets very busy in summer! Here’s the schedule

Hiking Cinque Terre Summary

Hiking in the Cinque Terre is one of the most beautiful and rewarding hiking experiences in Italy. The trails between the villages offer jaw-dropping coastal views, charming local cafes, and endless opportunities to swim, eat, and explore. Whether you hike for one day or four, the Cinque Terre’s mix of adventure, culture, and scenery makes it an unforgettable destination for hikers of all levels.

If you’re planning your own Cinque Terre hiking itinerary, bring good shoes, light luggage, and an open mind—because in true Italian fashion, not everything goes as planned, but that’s part of the magic.