Cinque Terre in 2 Days: The Train Day and the Hike Day

Start at the northern end, where the villages began as separate fishing communities and Monterosso grew into the largest of the five, with a population today of about 1,301. It is the only village with a genuinely wide sandy beach. The Fegina district, backed by the railway viaduct, holds the most extensive sandy beach frontage in the whole chain, which is why swimmers end their trips here.

The old town sits across the headland from Fegina, separated by a short tunnel walk, and holds the church of San Giovanni Battista. The 2011 flood hit this village hard, and the reconstruction story is part of any honest walk through the centre. Practical line: it is the northern terminus of the express line, trains run toward the other villages roughly every 15 minutes in the reinforced season from mid-March to early November, and your Treno MS card covers the ride.

Full details in our Monterosso al Mare guide and our Cinque Terre beaches roundup.

One short train ride south, about 670 people live in what is the most photographed natural harbour on this coast. The village funnels down to a small stone square at the water, protected by a breakwater, with the Doria tower standing on the rocky point above it. The tower dates from the era when Vernazza was a maritime power under the Doria family, and climbing it gives the best rooftop view of the coloured houses stacked around the inlet.

Small pebble strips beside the breakwater are used informally for swimming. Vernazza was devastated by the same 2011 flood as Monterosso, when mud buried the railway station, and the rebuilt centre is a credit to the community. Practical line: the station sits just above the village, a five-minute walk down to the harbour, and your card covers the next train south when you are done.

More in our Vernazza guide.

The middle village is the odd one out. About 195 people live here, perched roughly 100 m up on a cliff, the only one of the five with no direct access to the sea and the only one without a ferry stop. Trains stop at a station at the bottom of the cliff, and the link to the village is the Lardarina, a brick staircase of 33 ramps totalling 377 steps.

A shuttle bus also runs the route, and it is included with your card if your legs vote for it. What the climb buys is quiet. Corniglia gets a fraction of the day-trip crowd of Vernazza or Manarola because of that staircase, and the terrace at the top, the Santa Maria belvedere, looks straight down the coast in both directions.

Practical line: budget 15 to 20 minutes for the steps each way, or queue for the shuttle in high season, and remember that day 2 starts here if you choose the northern hike. Details in our Corniglia guide.

South again, and the character changes. Manarola's roughly 353 residents live in houses stacked down a steep vineyard valley that ends at a tiny harbour where boats are hauled up ramps. There is no beach.

Swimmers use the flat rocks near the inlet. The village is famous for something stranger than its architecture: the illuminated hillside nativity scene, started in 1961 by railway worker Mario Andreoli using recycled materials, described as the largest of its kind in the world and lit every Christmas season. Out of season, the draw is the viewpoint above the harbour at sunset, when the whole vertical village turns gold.

Practical line: the station is a short walk uphill from the centre, and if you are considering the southern hike option for day 2, this is where trail 592-1 ends. More in our Manarola guide.

The southern terminus and the largest village after Monterosso, with about 1,250 residents. Houses rise in narrow vertical rows on either side of a ravine, and the castle in the upper historic centre was begun in 1260 by the Turcotti marquises and later completed by Genoese authorities. The name comes from the Latin Rivus Maior, the major stream that once ran where the main street now lies.

Riomaggiore is the entrance gate to the Via dell'Amore, which is tomorrow's business, so today just walk the main street down to the small pebble cove below the marina and watch the fishing boats. Practical line: trains back north or on to La Spezia run regularly, your card covers them all, and the last express trains fill up in the late afternoon in high season, so leave margin. Details in our Riomaggiore guide.

Treat the train rides as part of the sightseeing. The line punches through headlands in tunnels, and each emergence opens a new angle on the coast, so sit on the sea side where you can. Four village stops plus a lunch break fits comfortably in a day if you start by mid-morning.

Two hours in Monterosso including a beach stop, an hour in each of the others, and a long late lunch wherever the queue for the views is shortest. The reinforced express service runs from mid-March to early November, with trains roughly every 15 minutes at peak, so you rarely wait long. Outside that window the regular regional timetable applies, and gaps are longer, so check times the night before.

If you would rather have someone else handle the logistics entirely, our Cinque Terre tours page lists guided options that cover the same ground. For how the tickets and cards interact in detail, see our Cinque Terre train and getting around Cinque Terre pages.

This is the classic. Trail 592-3 runs 1h30 from Corniglia down and up along the coast to Vernazza and is graded Esperto, meaning expert, so expect stone steps, narrow ledges and real climbs. Take the first train to Corniglia, climb the Lardarina or ride the shuttle, and start walking by 09:00 to beat the heat and the crowds.

The path crosses terraced vineyards and stays high enough for constant sea views before dropping into Vernazza from above, which is one of the great arrivals in Italian hiking. Your Trekking card covers the paid section. Carry at least a litre of water per person in summer, because there is little shade and no reliable water on the path.

Practical line: the Trail 592-3 status changes with the weather, so confirm it is open on our hikes page the morning you set out, and read the segment detail in our Vernazza to Corniglia hike guide.

If your legs are good, continue from Vernazza on trail 592-4, the longest and hardest segment on the coastal chain, about 2 hours and also graded Esperto. It climbs out of Vernazza through woodland, crosses two saddles with views over Punta Mesco, and descends through olive terraces into the northern edge of Monterosso. Doing 592-3 then 592-4 back to back is about 3h30 of moving time plus breaks, and it is the honest version of the full coastal walk done as one concentrated effort rather than spread over five villages.

Finishing in Monterosso is the reward: the wide sandy beach at Fegina is made for exactly this moment, and a swim there closes the day perfectly. Practical line: if 2 hours of Esperto trail sounds like too much, walk only 592-3 and take the train from Vernazza to Monterosso instead, which is a legitimate and common choice. The full description is in our Monterosso to Vernazza hike guide.

The gentler day starts at the southern end. Trail 592-1 is the Via dell'Amore itself, the paved cliff path from Riomaggiore to Manarola, about 30 minutes one way and graded Turistico, the easiest category. Two things catch visitors out.

First, walking is one way only, from Riomaggiore to Manarola, with the exit at Manarola. Second, a booked time slot is mandatory even if you hold a card, with limited seats per band, and the walk is included free with either card. Without a card the supplement is $11.37 (€10) standard or $9.09 (€8) for La Spezia province residents.

Book on the park's card site or at an Info Point before the day. The path hugs the cliff with the sea below the whole way, and it suits anyone who cannot manage the Esperto segments. Practical line: reserve the earliest slot you can, since midday slots sell out first in season.

Full rules on our Via dell'Amore page.

To make the southern day a real hike and not just a promenade, add trail 592-2 from Manarola to Corniglia, 1h15 of climbing through vineyards and terraces. It is harder than the Via dell'Amore but easier than the two Esperto segments to the north, which makes the combination of 592-1 and 592-2 the best moderate day on the coast. The finish at Corniglia is memorable: you arrive on foot at the one village the boats cannot reach, and you can either climb down the 377 Lardarina steps to the station or earn the belvedere view first and take the shuttle down.

Note that walking all four segments of the chain in one day means more than 5 hours of moving time, which is exactly why this itinerary picks one or two. Practical line: check that both 592-1 and 592-2 are open the morning of your walk on our Cinque Terre hikes page, since closures after storms are routine and status is never guaranteed in advance.