We have 3 days (2 full days) in Manarola in mid-May, and I'm trying to figure out which hikes to do. I was thinking that we'd hike the popular trail along the coast one day and hike a less crowded trail another day. Does this sound good, or is the coastal trail so great that it merits both days?
Day 1 (day of arrival): just hang out and see Manarola (we arrive in the late afternoon after taking the train up from Rome).
Day 2: on the Blue Trail, take the train to Riomaggiore and hike to Vernazza, OR just hike from Manarola to Vernazza. How hard is this hike? My mom is 68 and in good shape (walks 3-4 miles/day) but has arthritis in one knee so steeps can be hard, and this is a vacation, so we want it to be fun, not super-challenging.
Day 3: one of the hikes up above the Cinque Terre. i've read that you can take a shuttle up to one of the upper towns/sanctuaries, then walk along the upper hills parallel to the sea. Are these trails relatively flat (once you get up to them)? Which ones would you recommend?
Any other hikes suggestions in the CT are very appreciated! I've read good things about the Portovenere to Riomaggiore hike, is this a good option considering we only have 2 hiking days?
Grazie!
Hello there,
Manarola to Vernazza comprises two parts. First is manarola to corniglia: relatively flat for 30 minutes and then there are 300 stairs to the top of Corniglia where the main town is (total takes 40-60 mins). Alternatively there is a shuttle bus from the train station at the bottom of the steps to the town. The Next part corniglia-vernazza involves stairs at the beginning and stairs at the end. It's doable if you take breaks. The hike takes about 2-3 hours but I don't remember the exact distance.
Last time I was there I started from Volastra (town above manarola) and went to Corniglia. You can take a shuttle from the square in manarola to volastra (15 mins) and then start the hike there. The beginning you walk through vineyards (beautiful) and there are less people on this route. You will still encounter lots of stairs at the end towards corniglia. This hike was shorter 1-2 hours depending on breaks and photos!
I also fell in love with the hike from Levanto (just past cinque terre) to Monterosso. You go around the mountain and all of a sudden the whole cinque terre is in front of you!
I can give you the web address of my friend who runs activities and rents apts in cinque terre www.acasa5terre.com. I'm envious! wish I was going back there too!
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