Overview
Translated as the Five Lands of the Ligurian coast, the villages of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are linked by the Azure Trail, all jewels in the crown of Cinque Terre National Park. Hiking the Cinque Terre over five days takes you on a carefully-crafted itinerary of the park’s highlights, with tours running in spring and autumn, if you want to avoid the peak season. This is a self-guided holiday, with accommodation in two different hotels, one in Monterosso al Mare and the other in Porto Venere, both of which are Ligurian littoral loveliness.
- Monterosso
- Vernazza
- Corniglia
- Manarola
- Riomaggiore
- Levanto
- Porto Venere
- Palmaria Island
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Monterosso al Mare
Arrival in Monterosso al Mare, which is one of five famous villages in Cinque Terre National Park. If you have time, it’s a lovely place to chill out, strolling through the ancient alleyways of the Old Town, visit the church of San Giovanni Battista or just relax at the beach.
- Accommodation: Hotel Marina or similar in Monterosso al Mare
Day 2: Vernazza or Levanto | 7-12km
Today you can choose from two walking options:
Option A: Monterosso-Levanto-Monterosso: walk along the headland that separates Levanto and Monterosso, following the coastal trails with views across the Cinque Terre and the Levante Ligure. Once you are in Levanto, stop for a visit to the town centre and Sant’Andrea Church. Here you can choose to go back to Monterosso by train or on foot. The walking trail back runs along a ridge-top path with views over Levanto and the mountains.
Option B: Monterosso-Vernazza-Corniglia: walk along the coastal trail connecting the five Cinque Terre villages. The trail clings to the coastline, with ascents and descents and it includes some stone staircases that can be challenging. However, the route is straightforward and easy to follow. Take the train back to Monterosso.
- Walking for the day (option A): 12km, 5h, ↑816m ↓816m // shorter option: 7km, 3h, ↑350m ↓350m
- Walking for the day (option B): 7km, 3h, ↑482m ↓404m
- Accommodation: Hotel Marina or similar in Monterosso al Mare
Day 3: Porto Venere | 15km
A short train ride brings you to Riomaggiore, from where you walk to the ridge of the mountains that border the Cinque Terre area. From Colle del Telegrafo, follow the panoramic ridge trail all the way to Porto Venere, passing through the village of Campiglia.
- Walking for the day: 15km, 6h, ↑900m ↓890m
- Accommodation: Hotel Ristorante Paradiso or similar in Porto Venere
Day 4: Palmaria Island loop walk | 5.5km
Take a short ferry (payable locally, 5mins) to Punta Secco on Palmaria Island, where the walk starts. This trail has superb views of San Pietro church, an impressive structure built on the ruins of an ancient Pagan Temple, as well as the imposing limestone cliffs of Muzzerone. Walk along to Forte of Umberto I, a 19th-century sea fortress and then walk back to Punta Secco to take the ferry to Porto Venere.
- Walking for the day: 5.5km, 3h, ↑333m ↓297m
- Accommodation: Hotel Ristorante Paradiso or similar in Porto Venere
Day 5: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour is in small, locally-owned, three-star hotels. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Click to view default hotels
- Hotel Marina (Monterosso al Mare)
- Hotel Ristorante Paradiso (Porto Venere)
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
All breakfasts are included. For lunches and dinners, there are plenty of places along the way. When no restaurant location is available on route, lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops, or packed lunch can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before.
Difficulty and terrain
This tour is suitable for those who might have limited walking experience in the mountains but are in good enough general physical condition to walk up to 6h per day along some uneven ground and steep slopes. On all days, alternative longer or shorter walks are possible (read more about difficulty grades). You have to use local trains to get to and from the walks. Most of the walks are on good paths, some of them recently restored by the local authorities. Most parts of the trails are waymarked. Elsewhere you have to follow the route notes provided together with the maps. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available departing any day of the week from March till October.
The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates, and you can start your trip on any date in the season – so please indicate desired beginning date when booking.
The summer months in the Liguria region are warm, with little to no rain and average daily temperatures between 25-29C. The hottest months are July and August, but some of the resort towns, especially Portofino, may become overcrowded in these months, although the trails along the mountain slopes are far from the tourist rush. The spring and autumn months are usually cooler with more rain, but still with plenty of dry days and pleasant conditions for walking. For more information, see our blog on the Best time to go to Italy.
Important note: the national park wardens try to keep all of the paths open throughout the year. However, heavy rains, summer fires or too many tourists can cause temporary closure of certain stretches, so be sure to check with the park office. We cannot guarantee that all sections of the itinerary listed above will be accessible during your holiday.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended arrival airport for this holiday is Genova Airport (GOA). Other Italian airports (Pisa International Airport, Firenze Airport) are also well connected to Levanto.
By train or bus
If you are able to travel to Monterosso al Mare without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail with train stations in Monterosso and La Spezia. For more details, see the national rail operator Trenitalia.
From Porto Venere it is possible to reach La Spezia central train station by bus, line 11 from ATC, which runs every 30mins or take a taxi (costs around €40). In the summer you can also use boats between the villages along the coast.
Airport transfers by public transport are recommended for this trip, as they are much cheaper and faster compared to car transfers.
Inclusions
Included
- 4 nights accommodation
- 4 breakfasts
- Luggage transfer Monterosso-Porto Venere on day three (one piece, up to 20kg per person)
- Cinque Terre Card (access to hiking trails and unlimited train travel on Cinque Terre express trains on day two and three)
- Detailed digital holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions, road notes and maps. Please note that the info pack is emailed to you prior to departure, and no printed documents are mailed or provided locally
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Ferry ticket on day four (payable locally)
- Local tourist tax and entrance fees (payable locally)
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Any items not specifically mentioned as ‘Included’ in the programme
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers.
- Extra nights
- Printed tour materials at the first accommodation
