Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.
If you’ve never heard of it, you’ve seen pictures of it. Cinque Terre. The brightly colored historic buildings built into the cliffs and rocky coast of the Ligurian Sea. The views are unmistakable. How do you beat experience these awe-inspiring towns (or “terre”)? Through a hike, of course!
The Cinque Terre hike (Sentiero Abruzzo) takes you through all five towns: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Because the final leg of the hike from Manarola to Riomaggiore was closed due to a landslide, we chose to hike two legs: Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza to Corniglia.
We started out the hike in Monterosso al Mare, getting a cappuccino and focaccia for breakfast…🤤…
As frequent hikers know (and I often say), you cannot predict the weather. Sometimes you’re “floating around” an area long enough to adjust your schedule. Because we were on an Italian road trip, we did not have that luxury. BUT – you know I love me some other-than-ideal weather!
Quite cloudy and rainy! But we came prepared. Monterosso al Mare is actually where we parked our vehicle (I strongly recommend it). So we could easily take the train to Riomaggiore (where we stayed). You can also stay in nearby La Spezia and take a train to Cinque Terre but I heard it wasn’t as picturesque (but cheaper!).
Back to that weather, we greatly enjoyed the violent, crashing waves…
As we kept walking, of course there are striking, historic buildings nearby…
I presumed this was a church but, in fact, it is a ristorante. Super cool.
Eventually you leave the city and head into the woods…
When you see hikes during rain or snow, you can actually stumble up on some beautiful scenery as a result. You’ll eventually start seeing lemon groves and a distant view of Monterosso al Mare. Damn…
We kept walking and the view of Monterosso al Mare and the nearby hills was awesome…
We could even see King Leon!!…
We were able to see our ride, King Leon, from the trail! Super cool. We named him that because he’s a Seat Leon (a car you can’t buy in the U.S.). King Leon went through hell with us throughout the trip but luckily he went back to the rental car place in one piece. 😂 Hey, it ain’t easy driving around Lake Como and Cinque Terre!
Soon we started getting to the truly iconic Cinque Terre photo spots…
We went into town and started exploring! The weather was still gloomy but the rain had dissipated…
This extremely interesting stairwell, entrance and door grabbed my attention as we were exploring the town…
We decided to try a highly-rated restaurant in the back of the town – Il Pirata de la 5 Terre. Luckily we rolled in right when the rain had crashed and they had one table left. It absolutely did not disappoint…
The shrimp had a spicy flavor to it, which reminded me of Cajun food. Being originally from Louisiana, this really made me happy. And the dessert…O…M….G…🔥…
If you visit Cinque Terre or Vernazza, you must eat here. Arrive early because they have limited seating. I’ll finish off the blog post with a picture of the iconic Vernazza church directly on the Vernazza beach…
The waters weren’t bright yet, but we still greatly enjoyed this beautiful, iconic hike. It’s these hikes that make me so grateful for life. ♥️
To see the next stage of this hike, check out my Hike #3: Sentiero Abruzzo: Vernazza to Corniglia.
Total Distance/Time: 2.2 miles in 2 hrs 49 min (we took our time)
Calories Burned: 600 (Estimate; I was an idiot and left my watch charger in the U.S. No Pixel Watch charger in Europe 😕)
Trail Type: Point-to-point
Trail Features: Sea views, mountain views, waterfalls, historic towns, town walk
Best Time to Hike: April-May
Difficulty Rating: 6/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 44.1452889, 9.6578649
Trail Tips:
- Parking: Park in Monterosso al Mare, even if you’re staying in Riomaggiore. Parking is extremely limited in Cinque Terre. The parking lot in MaM is quite large and close to the beach. Go early because it can fill up quickly.
- Slippery When Wet: If it’s wet, be careful! The trail can get slippery in places… and also pools of water can form on the trail.
- Flower Bloom Time: Go in mid-April and you’ll see some beautiful flowers in bloom.
- Bring a spare snack for the cats in the cat sanctuary!