Cinque Terre: The Ultimate Hiking Challenge!

Five seaside villages reachable through a cliffside hiking trail – that was our challenge when visiting the famed Cinque Terre on the Italian riviera.

• 

• 

• 

Cinque Terre is one of the highlights on the Italian riviera with its picturesque villages characterized by colorful houses, narrow, twisting roads and stunning seaside views. The five villages are known for attracting crowds of tourists in the peak summer period who come to hike (or take the train) from village to village. We arrived in late September when the weather was still a pleasant late-summer warm and the majority of tourists had returned home. Perfect conditions for a successful trip, one would say…

Not so perfect was our journey to Cinque Terre. We had taken the overnight ferry from Sardinia to Genoa and expected to have a good night’s sleep onboard. However, strong winds and big waves made it a rough crossing and three of the four of us hardly closed an eye all night (Frederik slept like a baby the entire night and his nickname is now Captain Frederik😊)!

Although not as well rested as we had hoped for, spirits were still high when we arrived in Riomaggiore to start our hike. Our plan was to walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola and Corniglia along the fairly easy coastal walk path and then take the more challenging hike over the mountain to Vernazza where we had booked a one-night stay. On day 2 we would then hike from Vernazza to Monterosso and have completed the full string of villages.

Why take it easy when you can take the road less travelled….

Getting off the train in Riomaggiore, our plan quickly changed. The easy coastal paths between Riomaggiore and Manarola and Manarola and Corniglia were closed due to landslides and the only hikes possible were the high routes over the mountains. We discussed what to do and decided to venture out on the first trail to Manarola over the mountains and then evaluate the mood and fitness.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The hike started by going up, up and up via steep mountain trails and stone steps. After ten minutes we were all fairly exhausted, short of breath and had sore legs! And this despite having done a lot of hiking in many different terrains over the last months. However, the view was amazing and the prospect of soon reaching the highest point and starting the descent to Manarola kept us going. And the hike became easier for the remaining part, although the descent also required a high level of concentration as we had to walk on uneven steps and narrow gravel trails. We reached Manarola after a good hour of walking and truly enjoyed well-deserved refreshments in form of ice cream, soft drinks and water while taking in the beauty of the small village.

Vernazza: The best sunsets are the ones after a hike well completed!

We then had to decide on the next step: taking the train to Corniglia or hiking the more difficult (and longer) trail over the mountain and reach Venazza via Corniglia. The latter would be a 10km hike of 2.5-3 hours. Having never been fans of the easy way out, we opted for the hiking to Vernazza and soon got going.

• 

• 

• 

Again the first part was very challenging, consisting of climbing up steep steps. After 20min we met a Danish couple going the opposite direction, who took one look at us and said it was still a long way to the top. That almost took away our courage but again the prospect of walking back down was also not appealing and we decided to continue. Luckily, after another 10 minutes we reached the top and the remaining part of the hike was not as challenging – although the kids did need a few sweets on the way to keep the mood up😉

After three hours with just a few short water breaks, we reached Vernazza. The view when passing the last curve of the cliff and seeing Vernazza on the edge the next cliff was gourgous – and a relief for all of us! Having successfully completed the hike, we stopped at a small café in Vernazza for a sunset drink and enjoyed the pleasure of having challenged ourselves to complete a difficult hike. We had hiked 15kms and all had sore legs and feet but felt very proud!

• 

• 

• 

Our accommodation in Vernazza turned out to be just next to the train station – actually so close that we could hear every announcement made at the station and feel every train that passed! But after a day of physical exercise, we all slept well and without even noticing the noise😊 And the next day, we opted for the easy solution and took the train to Monterosso!