Cinque Terre

The Manarola to Corniglia Trail Is Closed Until 2029

That is not a detail to bury. The most famous section of Cinque Terre’s coastal walking trail – the Via dell’Amore stretch from Riomaggiore to Manarola, and the stretch continuing to Corniglia – has been subject to a rolling series of closures due to landslides and erosion since 2012. As of 2026, the Manarola-Corniglia section remains closed with repairs not expected to complete until 2029. The Riomaggiore-Manarola (Via dell’Amore) is currently open, Corniglia-Vernazza is open, and Vernazza-Monterosso is open. Check trail status at cinqueterre.euparchi.it the morning of your hike; conditions can change after rainfall.

This matters because the Cinque Terre Card – required to walk the trails – uses dynamic pricing based on forecasted crowd levels. In 2026 the Trekking Card (trails only) runs EUR 7.50-15.00 per day depending on the tier. The Cinque Terre Treno MS Card (trails plus unlimited train travel on the Levanto-La Spezia line) runs from roughly EUR 19.50 on low-demand days. Train travel between villages takes 3-4 minutes and is the practical solution when trail sections are closed.

The Five Villages

Riomaggiore (southernmost) has the best harbour swimming when the Ligurian Sea is calm. Via Colombo, the main steep lane, has some of the more affordable bars and restaurants in the five villages. The view from the castle ruin above town takes 20 minutes to reach and looks south along the entire coastline.

Manarola produces the most photographed image in Cinque Terre: coloured houses above the harbour, shot from a specific ledge about 10 minutes east of the village. It is also the centre of Sciacchetra wine production – a sweet dessert wine made from partially dried Bosco and Vermentino grapes grown on the terraced vineyards directly above. A small glass at a local cantina is the most specifically Cinque Terre thing you can drink.

Corniglia sits on a 100-metre cliff rather than at water level, accessible from its train station by a 382-step staircase (the Scalinata Lardarina) or a shuttle bus. It has no harbour and is the quietest village. The relative access difficulty explains the quietness.

Vernazza has the most aesthetically complete harbour – a small piazza at the water’s edge, a Genoese watchtower, and a church immediately above the harbour wall. It is the most visited and the most expensive. The tower view looks directly down into the harbour and along the coast in both directions.

Monterosso al Mare is the largest village, the only one with a proper beach (two sections: old town and new town), and the most resort-like of the five. Most comfortable, least atmospheric – a trade-off rather than a failure.

Hiking and Getting Around

The high ridge trails (Sentiero Rosso, Trail 1) running above the coastal villages are typically less crowded than the Sentiero Azzurro and give the complete aerial perspective on the landscape that the coastal trail cannot provide from within it. They require more physical effort and good footwear.

The regional train connects all five villages and La Spezia in the east and Levanto in the west; services run every 20-30 minutes during the day. Staying in La Spezia or Levanto is cheaper than staying in any of the five villages and gives easy access by train.

Eating

Focaccia is the Ligurian baseline – warm from bakeries in every village from early morning, the best versions with olive oil worked into the dough and a crisp underside. Trofie al pesto (short twisted pasta with classic Genovese basil pesto) is the local pasta; the Ligurian basil has a smaller leaf and less anise-forward flavour than basil grown elsewhere and the difference in the pesto is real. Anchovies marinated in lemon juice or salt-cured are the local seafood speciality. A sit-down lunch with wine in any village runs EUR 25-40 per person.