Day hikes in the Cinque Terre National Park

Altitude

0–800 m

Season

All year round

Length

4–8 hours

Levels

Easy, Moderate, Demanding

Languages

Italiano, English

What a day is like

Italy’s smallest national park is a paradise for anyone who walks: there are a great many kilometres of path linking the villages, and not only the ones that end up in the guidebooks.

I run days out at every level of difficulty. Along the way I’ll tell you the history and the traditions of this coast, including the extremely hard work that built the terraces and the dry-stone walls for Sciacchetrà, the local wine. And looking out at the water we can also make sense of the park’s Marine Protected Area, and why it matters.

The best way to see the Cinque Terre is to arrive on foot from above, when the villages open up suddenly below the path.

Five example routes

Levanto – Monterosso
Corniglia – Manarola
Vernazza – Monterosso
Monterosso – Corniglia
Riomaggiore – Portovenere

Who it suits

People who want to see the Cinque Terre without queuing all day
People happy to walk for several hours at a stretch
Visitors who want to understand how this place actually works

What to bring

Hiking boots: the paths are steep and often stepped
Water and a hat — in summer there is no shade at all
Some cash for transport, if we come back by train

How booking works

Write to me with the date you have in mind and how many of you there are. I answer personally, and we choose the route together.