Cinque Terre Stage 2: Riomaggiore to Vernazza

Monday 27 April 2026 |

Leaving Levanto in the morning

Yesterday we walked south-west through two towns. To avoid retracing our steps, today we planned to take the ferry the full length of the Cinque Terre to Riomaggiore and walk back to our end point yesterday, Vernazza.

Yesterday our departing view of Levanto was from a high clifftop, today we saw this lovely quiet town from the water. The ferry wasn’t cheap (E20 for about an hour) and at times the wind got a bit nippy, but it was the only practical way to see all five towns from the sea – so we committed.

Seeing the Five Lands from the Sea

It is hard, when walking, to appreciate just how tightly these towns cling to the cliffs above the water or how neatly their Lego‑like stacks fit together.

We had spent a fair bit of time debating whether to ferry in the early morning light—risking overcast skies, or do the trip in reverse, walking first, and risk missing the last 5:30pm ferry. We chose the morning.

Riomaggiore and the Walk of Love

For the first ssectionfrom Riomaggiore to Manarola we had two choices. Take the Blue Trail that covers 2.1km, rises 200m and takes up to 2 hours, or select the easy and almost flat L’amore.

The coastal way is included in the Cinque Terre ticket price but you do have to book a timeslot.  The information about how to do this was somewhat confusing and at 10:25am we were only able to book the 12:00-12:30 timeslot.  A little bit of pushing saw us squeeze through at 11:0am

Riomaggiore and the Walk of Love

We arrived in Riomaggiore at about 10am and after taking the obligatory “we are here” photo set off to find the start of our trail.

For the first section from Riomaggiore to Manarola we had two choices: take the Blue Trail (2.1 km, 200 m climb, up to 2 hours) or select the easy, almost flat L’amore—“the Walk of Love.”

The easy coastal path was included in our Cinque Terre ticket, but booking a timeslot turned out to be unnecessarily confusing. When we finally figured it out at 10:25am, the earliest slot available was 12:00–12:30. A little gentle pushing saw us squeezed into the 11:00am entry.

At only 1 km long it was certainly very easy, but given our past and planned hiking, we were more than happy to take the win.

Widdle-stop Manarola

15 minutes later we arrived in the second town for the day Manarola. As you may be aware public toilets are hard to find in Europe, but especially so in Italy. Our CT5 tickets included access to a few public conveniences along the way.  Following the reliable maxim “go when you can and not when you have to” Mel and I lined up at the only option. 

It was run by a middle-aged woman of ferocious temperament.  She frequently emerged from her small domain to inspect tickets, and individually permit us to enter the facility. Mel was instructed to use an appointed cubicle when its previous occupant had entirely vacated it.  I waited next in line, while the dumpy dictator headed off down the line of desperados, reinspecting tickets and pushing them back into a straight line.  Another cubicle became vacant so in I went.

When I emerged from the stall – I was in trouble.  A first I thought my crime was to enter without permission.  She ranted and shouted at me in fast and fluent Italian because it appeared my sins were much graver than that.  I HAD USED THE MEN’S CUBICLE! (I assumed the toilet seat had been ripped off by vandals.)

We made a hasty and chastened getaway, then rejoined the trail.

The Terrace Hike to Corniglia

This part of the CT5 trail was steeper than any other section and where we vowed that we would die if we had to take yet another vertical step. Corniglia is the one town you can’t access by ferry, it is located slightly inland and 100m up. We approached it via Volastra, which took about 2.5 hours and raised us more than 335m.

What was unique about this part of the track was the extent of the terracing. The trail moved away from designated national park and into live farming communities, where a single terrace might be 2-feet wide with an 8-foot drop to the one below.

Wild lemon greens – pink wood sorrel (Oxalis articulata)

Along the way we passed two young women nibbling on a low growing patch of plants. Curious we asked and she explained it was safe and tasty. It appears that right under our nose was the best lemon salad additive that you can get. The stalk was crunchy and bursts with a sharp lemon flavour. She explained it was safe and tasty.

Another word about Footwear

I was aware, from the earliest days of planning this walk, that there were “rules” about footwear on the CT5. Specifically – open, smooth-soled footwear is forbidden and enforced with fines of up to $2800.

The Paths of the Cinque Terre – The Way of the Ciàn | Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre

I was thoroughly sick of wearing my Merrels and wanted to return to the freedom of the replacement crocs (Dawgs) I found in Merimbula. Aware of the strict rules I carried my hiking shoes all day strapped to my travel bag.

My planned excuse was the blisters from the previous day – and I had the mandatory footwear at the ready. Never once was I questioned by a ranger, but I did receive some strange looks from fellow travelers.

Scamming the Scammers

The Tourist Information Office had previously informed us that any train along the Cinque Terre line would cost a minimum of E10 per trip. This didn’t seem to make sense to me because many locals use the line and they wouldn’t stand for such extorsion.

So rather than booking the ticket from one CT town to another, we booked to board and disembark in the towns before and after. Hey presto – the price dropped from E10 to E4.60. Knew that economics degree would come in handy.

Cinque Terre Reflection

We finished in Vernazza, with the obligatory Aperol Sprits and a wait for the train to take us home to our grandmas apartment house, to showers and to well-earned meal.

Over the past 2 days we have travelled from Levanto to Riomaggiore three times. Once by walking the trail, once into two train trips and once by sea. The train was quick (20 minutes) and as it travelled through the high mountainous terrain via tunnels, not very scenic. The ferry ride provided a different perspective on the architecture of the townships. The hiking took us about 8 hours over the two days, but with relentless steps – and don’t think the coming down was any easier that the elevation.

We visited all five towns along the way. They were pretty, but quote a young woman’s comment to her friend “It’s a bit repetitive isn’t it”. Each town had the same type of shops to sell food, sprits and souvenirs. They were busy with tourists and never gave the sense of being inhabited with locals. The hiking was beautiful, but I won’t miss the towns.

And so to bed, ready to leave the Cinque Terre National Park and keep heading South.

---