Hiking in Cinque Terre : Trail from Monterosso to Vernazza

Clinging to the hills along the Ligurian Sea are the postcard perfect fishing villages of Cinque Terre. Famous for its cute colored houses, olives and fresh sea-food, these villages have made their way into probably everyone’s bucket list. The villages are connected by several trails but none is more popular than the Azure Trail. Although a good part of the trail is closed, one should not miss out on hiking the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre means ‘5 lands’. The five villages which make up Cinque Terre are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Each village has its own charm: Monterosso has the only beach while Corniglia is the only one which is high on a cliff. Nonetheless, be assured to be charmed by each one of them especially by the colored Ligurian houses. While it’s almost impossible to visit them by cars, the villages are well connected by trains, ferries and trails. Hiking in this region is very rewarding given the dramatic landscape. There are several trails that connect these villages but the most famous one is the Azure Trail or Sentioro Azurro.

Azure Trail

The Azure Trail or Sentioro Azurro connects all the five villages. Starting from Monterosso, the trail can be divided into 4 parts:

* Time is subject to the breaks taken during the hike

Unfortunately, the section between Corniglia to Manarola and Manarola to Riomaggiore (called the Path of Love) has been closed since a decade due to a landslide. The good news is that is going to re-open again in 2021. As of now the only option one has is to walk the first 2 sections and I would recommend doing both. Ofcourse if you are short on time to hike both of them (like me), then don’t worry, I will suggest you a great way to get the best of all worlds!

Trail from Monterosso to Vernazza 

Cinque Terre is overcrowded with tourists and thus it’s essential to start early. We took an overnight train from Rome Ostiense station to Genoa and then an early morning train from Genoa to Monterosso. Interestingly, the train from Rome to Genoa actually passes through Monterosso but then we would have arrived at 4:45 am and left waiting at the station in dark. Hence, we went all the way to Genoa and took a return train back to Monterosso, arriving at 7:30 am. We headed straight to the beach to take a stroll and shortly afterwards returned back to the station to visit the tourist office. We took a couple of maps, understood the route and began our journey.

The trail quickly takes an elevation thanks to the multiple steps. For us this was the most tiring part since we had our heavy backpacks with us. The good part was that the crowd was almost non-existent and we could stop in the middle of the narrow path and pant every few seconds without blocking someone’s way. We could see Monterosso left far behind and also some amazing views of the Ligurian Sea and coast.

After an hour or so we saw the first glimpse of Vernazza. Although it’s from a significant height, you cannot appreciate the colourful houses and the blue water enough. Post this vista point the decent also begins towards Vernazza. The route passes through vineyards and with every step the view of Vernazza gets more beautiful. The last 5-10 mins of the hike is a photo opportunity every few metres. There is an angle where you witness the charming houses, the fishing boats, a church and a castle all in one, making it the best view of Vernazza!

Vernazza

We were famished on reaching Vernazza. Restaurants were serving breakfast but almost all had only sea-food in its menu. Both my friend and I didn’t eat sea food and hence the only option left were Magnum ice-creams! Yes, I know it sounds hilarious but we had Magnum ice-creams for breakfast. We then visited the Santa Margherita di Antiochia Church. It’s quite beautiful and peaceful, would recommend you to visit it. You can also visit the Doria Castle for some good panoramic views.

Exploring Cinque Terre by Train

Combining hiking with trains is the best possible way to explore all the five villages of Cinque Terre. The trains have frequency and will save you a lot of time while travelling from one village to another. It takes only 15 minutes from Monterosso to Riomaggiore. After completing the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza, I took a train to Corniglia, explored Corniglia and then took another train to Manarola. Both these trains took only 3 minutes to their respective destinations.

If you have a Eurail Pass, then the trains are free to board. Incase you don’t have one, a point to point ticket can be purchased for 4€ each. If you plan to use trains 2 times or more, then a better option is a Cinque Terre Card.

Cinque Terre Card

The entrance to the Azure Trail is not free and you will require a Cinque Terre Card to hike the trail. The card costs 7.5€ for a day and 14.5€ for 2 days. This is called the Cinque Terre Trekking Card. For 16€ a day and 29€ for days, you card will allow you unlimited train rides alongwith the Azure Trail. This is the Cinque Terre Train Card.

Let’s work out the Maths here:

a)      Azure Trail + 2 trains in a day = 7.5€ + 8€ (4€ each for a train ride if bought point to point) = 15.5€

b)      Azure Trail + 2 trains a day = 16€ (if Cinque Terre Card is bought)

If you see, even if you are planning to take 2 trains, both the options are nearly equal. Don’t forget you will save a lot of time in option b since buying a point to point ticket can eat up a lot of time. The Cinque Terre Card can be purchased at train stations of all the five villages or online on this website.

Note: Only the Azure Trail requires the Cinque Terre Card, all the other trails in the region are free. The card is valid upto midnight only

How to reach Cinque Terre

The most convenient way to reach Cinque Terre is by train.

Milan → Monterosso – 3 hrs

Florence → Monterosso – 3 hrs

Pisa → Monterosso – 1.5 hrs

If you have a Eurail Pass, you will only need to pay a small reservation fee on these trains. You can avoid the reservation fee as well if you travel by slower trains. Timetables can be checked on the Eurail App. Click on the “no reservation needed” filter to find out the trains which require no additional fees.

Sincera Tip

• Start the hike early to avoid heat and crowd. If possible, avoid carrying heavy backpacks.
• If you begin the trail from Vernazza, the climb will be less steep.
• The best months to hike is September, October, March and April. The summer tourists have gone, prices have reduced and weather is pleasant.