Along the rugged Ligurian coast in Italy lies five small towns: Cinque Terre. Each is nestled into the hillsides that produce grapes and olives.  Thus, they are known for their white wine, mussels, anchovies, and pesto.  

Surrounding the coastal towns is the Cinque Terre National Park. While it’s the smallest Italian National Park with only 4,300 acres of protected land, it is also the densest in terms of population. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 because of its living landscape where the land is an active participant in the culture of the area, thus earning the name “Parco dell’Uomo” (Park of Man).

The five villages are connected by the Sentiero Azzuro (blue path).  The 7.5 mile (12 km) walking trail stretches from Riomaggiore to Monterosso with varying degrees of difficulty. 

I stayed in Vernazza for two nights.  To make the most of the visit, I planned to arrive mid afternoon and jump right into immersing myself in the area.  On a hot afternoon, a quick swim in Vernazza’s harbor cooled me off and prepared me for the quest ahead: hiking to Monterosso for dinner.  

Monterosso is divided into two smaller villages by a pedestrian tunnel.  The pedestrian tunnel here, and in Riomaggiore, included fun designs on the walkway and along the wall. Both sides offer a sandy beach (the only town to do so in the Cinque Terre), eateries, and drink/gelato stands.  Since I was there in the evening, I focused on refueling from the hike. After a lovely dinner, I strolled the beach pavilion listening to the sound of waves crashing on the shore before making my way back to Vernazza by train. 

At 1 km, this is the easiest path between towns; however, it also costs more money to walk.  Saving my lungs and knees for later in the day was worth the 10 euros (you must reserve a time slot before going), so I enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the newly reconstructed scenic path (reopened in 2024 after a decade’s long restoration project) to Manarola. Before the 2012 landslide, the 1930s trail was a craggy path decorated with graffiti left by visitors.  Now, it’s a smooth wide concrete path with steel mesh to prevent falling rocks and land erosion.

I arrived in Manarola with what felt like all the cruise passengers, so it made the experience a little more chaotic than I would’ve liked. Still, I made my way to the water to walk around the ocean side path and up the hill for a nice view of the town. 

After lunch, I started my final journey: hiking from Corniglia to Vernazza.  This hike felt about the same difficulty as the hike from Vernazza to Monterosso the day before (2.1 miles, 3.5 km), and while that one offered one mountainside bar, this one offered a few different stops for drinks and snacks, a third paradise art installation, and some live local music. 

After sitting down with my drink in the shade and gazing out at the water, it was hard to get up and keep going. However, I knew that a harborside swim was waiting for me back in Vernazza, so that inspired me to keep going. 

Late afternoon and evening was spent relaxing in Vernazza’s harbor – reading, swimming, enjoying a wine tasting (Cinque Sensi), listening to the bells of the Santa Margherita di Antiochia Church, and watching the sun set. 

I was leaving midday the next day, so I squeezed in one final hike & swim before heading out.  The short (2.6 miles round trip) but steep hike up to Santuario di Nostra Signora di Reggio offered nice views of the harbor, vineyards, and ocean. 

This hike wasn’t as much about the views as just enjoying a morning on the trails. I did enjoy a quick visit to a local cemetery, seeing the vineyard treninos (tiny trains used to haul tools and oils/grapes through the hillside vineyards), and hanging out with the resident cats at one of the houses that the trail passes by. 

Cinque Terre offers my favorite kind of travel: a mix of outdoor activities, small towns, and beautiful vistas. 

A few things to note:

• To hike between the towns on the most direct route, you have to purchase a hiking pass. The morning hike I did up to Sanuario di Nostra Signora di Reggio – and any other inner trail – didn’t need a hiking pass. 
• If you plan to use the trains more than once to skip some of the harder hikes or to return from your hike, you should purchase the hiking and train combination pass (one train ticket is 10 euros). 
• On the days when cruises are in port at La Spieza, the trains can get super crowded. This tends to slow them down, so be prepared for up to a half an hour delay from whatever time you wanted to get somewhere – I had to really think about this on the day I was leaving so as to not miss my connecting train. 
• Monterosso and Vernazza are the only towns where it’s easy to swim, so I would plan to end a hike in one of these towns to fully appreciate the cool waters.
• Monterosso is the only town that is fairly flat. Stairs and hills are a major part of all the other towns, so focus on the interesting vignettes the hills create.