Highlights:

• The five colourful villages of the Cinque Terre

• Panoramic vistas of the Mediterranean Sea

• Terraced vineyards and olive/lemon groves

• Portovenere and its medieval churches and castle

Brief:

⏱ Duration: 4 - 7 days
🗺 Distance: 30 - 60 km
⛰ Difficulty: Moderate
🗓 Best Time: March - October
🛏 Accomm: Range of hotels

Cinque Terre Coastal Walk Overview

The Cinque Terre is a coastal area of Liguria, in north-western Italy. Historically, the term refers to five colourful fishing villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso) located in small coves along the rugged and hilly coast, as well as the land between them. However, today, the Cinque Terre National Park covers a longer stretch of coastline and the surrounding hills. So, sometimes people refer to the Cinque Terre as the larger national park area and sometimes they just mean the land between the villages.

The most well-known walking path in the Cinque Terre National Park is the Sentiero Azzurro (the Blue Path). This is a path that follows the coast and links the famous five Cinque Terre fishing villages. Sentiero Azzurro is about 12 kilometres in length. Most walkers wishing to undertake a multi-day walk in the area add portions of the coast north and south of Sentiero Azzurro and/or forays into the hinterland hills.

North of the Sentiero Azzurro, there is excellent coastal walking on offer up to Sestri Levante and then further north on the Portofino peninsula (allowing access to stunning Portofino). Inland of Monterosso there are some opportunities to balance the coastal walking with some rewarding hillside walking.

South of the Sentiero Azzurro, all the way down to Portovenere, the walking is outstanding with well-forested areas and spectacular views of the coastline and the approach to Portovenere. Portovenere provides easy access to Isola Palmaria, an island just off the coast with plenty of natural vegetation and wonderful beaches.

Assuming your Cinque Terre Coastal Walk extends to Portovenere in the south, its distance will depend on how far north you choose to go. Most multi-day walkers would choose to go at least to Levanto, which would make a 31 kilometre walk. If you choose to go further north to, say, Riva Trigoso that would extend the walk by an additional 30 km or so. Because a train line services the coast (with much of the line passing through tunnels), it is possible to tailor the distance of one’s walk with considerable flexibility.

Assistance and further information:

• For assistance in undertaking the Cinque Terre Coastal Walk, click the button below.

• For information on other walks in Italy, click the button below.