The picturesque coast of Liguria
The coast of Liguria is one of the most beautiful hiking areas in Italy. Multicoloured houses on steep slopes, small squares with colourful boats on the sea, narrow streets and paths with stairs. In the area above the beautiful towns, you'll find an unspoilt landscape of pretty mountain villages, olive groves, vineyards and winding mule tracks. It's no surprise then that Cinque Terre is one of the most popular walking areas in Europe. Nowhere else is the authentic Italian landscape and villages so well preserved. There is a vast network of paths, now used almost exclusively by walkers, which lead through some absolutely stunning countryside.
Cinque Terre means "Five Towns" and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The towns have a total population of around 7000 and are called:
Monterosso al Mare
Vernazza
Corniglia
Manarola
Riomaggiore
Levanto
Just outside the Cinque Terre National Park lies the town of Levanto, from where our walking holidays in Cinque Terre start. We think Levanto is a better place to stay than the towns in Cinque Terre itself because there is more space and there is a beach where you can enjoy the view. Of course, you can see the sea almost wherever you are in Cinque Terre, but it's not really possible to swim in the Five Towns. Below is the beach in Levanto. There are a ton of great restaurants in Levanto (and in Cinque Terre) and the only problem is that it's hard to choose.
Portovenere
One of the longer walks goes from Riomaggiore to Portovenere, which is just south of Cinque Terre. It's not possible to take the train there, so the only way to see this amazing village is by walking there (or taking the train to La Spezia and then catching the bus). Portovenere is beautiful and it's great to sit on the marina and enjoy a glass of wine while looking out over the water. The highlight of this day, however, is the boat trip from Portovenere back to Riomaggiore (the boat goes all the way to Levanto) and from the sea side you really get to see how unique Cinque Terre really is. It's great.
La Spezia
The capital of the area is La Spezia, which we also recommend to visit. There you will find wide pedestrian streets, beautiful buildings and a beautiful harbour area. It takes about 30 minutes by train from Levanto.
You take the train in Cinque Terre
The easiest way to travel between cities is by train. It runs at very short intervals and costs about 4 euros per person. The railway track winds along the coast and bores through the mountainsides and it's really beautiful when the sea glimpses through holes in the rocks.
Our walking holidays in Cinque Terre
When hiking with Bering Travel in Cinque Terre, you stay in two towns: Levanto and Riomaggiore. Levanto is the first base and the days always start by taking the train into one of the five towns from where the day's itinerary starts. The hiking routes sometimes start a little way up the mountain ridge and it may be necessary to take a shuttle bus up the mountainside to the starting point (unless you just want to walk up there).