Holidays in the Cinque Terre area

On an Inghams walking holiday, you have the freedom to explore the area at your own pace. Each day, a new adventure, with as much or as little walking as you like.

Why we love walking in the Cinque Terre area

It's true that walking in the Cinque Terre area can be challenging, but you'll also find some more moderate trails as well. The towns and the national park are all situated on uphill ascents, but there are some fantastic trails for more experienced hikers in search of the best views. People flock here each summer just to get a glimpse of that lapis lazuli water from high up in the cliffs.

With over 120 kilometres of walking trails and well sign-posted routes, this is such a popular area to experience some really unique scenery and paths. The signposts are often colour-coded; red being challenging trails and blue signalling the easier trails. If you wanted to hike through the entire Cinque Terre, the walk would be about seven miles long, with a 610 metre height gain, which is perfectly doable if you're an experienced walker. Many people break up the walk however, and will do a different section of the Cinque Terre each day in order to soak up the culture of each Cinque Terre village along the way. 

The Cinque Terre area is well know for it's public transport. The trains are particularly handy for getting around. The mountainous roads can be narrow and tricky to navigate in a car, so most people travel by train, foot, bus or ferry.

Train

Liguria has a great train network particularly connecting the Cinque Terre towns themselves. It's easy to hop from town to town using the old train line and it's one of the best ways to get into the Cinque Terre National Park, where you'll find many walking trails.

Buses

There's also a good bus network in the area which is an affordable way of getting around. If you're staying in Lerici for example, it will only take 30 minutes to head to the nearby city of La Spezia. There are lots of opportunities to check out nearby towns and cities using the bus network.

For free use of the buses or selected regional trains in the area, you can buy one of the Cinque Terre Cards. For more information on these, head to the Cards & Passes tab.

Ferry

The ferry network is a picturesque way to travel around the coast. From Portovenere it's easy to get a ferry to the Cinque Terre towns and if you want to go further afield, why not head over to Portofino for the day and get that classic Italian summer holiday experience.

Sentiero Azzurro

The 'Blue Trail' is one of the most popular routes in the Cinque Terre and can be broken up into sections if you want a shorter walk. What we love about this route is that you get those fantastic sea views throughout. If you wanted to do the entire trail, through all the Cinque Terre villages it would take you an average of six hours with a 620 metre height gain.

Alta Via della Cinque Terre

If your looking for a really challenging route the 'High Trail' is just that. It takes serious hikers around three days to complete and stretches from Portovenere all the way to Levanto. On the walk you can reach up to 1,473 metres in height gain, so it's not a hike for the faint hearted at about 22 miles long.

Monterosso-Vernazza

This walk starts in Monterosso and is marked by white and red signs. This is a more accessible walk at about 2.5 miles long, so a lovely addition to any holiday. It's a relaxing trail to take with some steep ascents combined with flatter, wider sections. A certain points it's surrounded by some fantastic greenery typical of the region from evergreens and heather to juniper. This walk will give you some of the best views of the town of Vernazza. To walk this trail in peak season, you'll need to buy a Cinque Terre Trekking card, for more information on this head to the Cards & Passes tab.

Recommended equipment

Suitable walking shoes with good grip, appropriate clothing, sun cream, insect repellent, sun glasses, rain jacket, a warmer layer, rucksack, at least a litre of water, a re-usable water bottle and snacks. You may find walking poles useful on the more challenging routes.

Walking maps

We recommend the Carta Escursionistica - Cinque Terre - Golfo Della Spezia - (1.25 000) map for the Cinque Terre area or the Cinque Terre - Carta Escursionistica del Parco (1:35.000) map is also handy for navigating the Cinque Terre national park. Both maps can be purchased online prior to departure.

Walking guidelines

The coast, cliffs and natural park are a natural paradise, with lots to explore and discover. To help them stay that way, and remain enjoyable and safe places for everyone, we recommend following our little list of do's and don'ts:

• Plan your route well and don't overestimate yourself
• Check the weather forecast
• Tell someone where you're planning to walk and what time you're expecting to be back
• Take all the recommended equipment
• Make a note of emergency numbers:
  
  • Italian Emergency Services: 112
• Don't leave the marked trails without a guide
• Let nature stay wild by not picking wild flowers (it's illegal in some places) or getting close to/making contact with wild animals
• Always leave gates as you found them and don't climb over fences
• Leave no trace

Check out our Responsible Walking insider guide if you want more tips for your summer walking holiday.

The Cinque Terre Trekking card is very useful to buy if you want access to even more hiking trails. Most trails are free but if you want to try out two of the most famous walks in the Cinque Terre national park; Vernazza to Corniglia and Monterosso to Vernazza, you'll need this special pass.

The card also includes:

• Free access to two paid hiking paths: from Monterosso to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Corniglia. Please note that these are the only paid paths in the area, all other paths can be accessed free of charge.

• Free use of the bathrooms at Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso train stations.

• Free use of the buses within the Cinque Terre National Park.

• Discount on entry to the Civic Museums in La Spezia (Amedeo Lia, Castello San Giorgio, CAMeC, Sigillo, Palazzina delle Arti, Etnografico and Diocesano).

This card can be bought online in advance of your holiday. All you have to do is visit the Cinque Terre National Park website. Alternatively it can be bought at tourist information points in the Cinque Terre train stations. The card costs approx.€7.50 per day or €14.50 for two days. Cards must be validated before use.

If you want access to unlimited train travel on selected routes then you can upgrade your Cinque Terre Trekking card to a Cinque Terre Treno MS card. This card gives you all the added value of the Cinque Terre Trekking Card with the addition of unlimited second class train travel on the La Spezia - Cinque Terre - Levanto railway line (regional trains only).

The card costs approx. €18.20 per day, €33 for two days or €47 for three days. It can be purchased in the same way as the trekking card. For more details please see the Cinque Terre Trekking Card tab.