Italy - Walking in Cinque Terre, 5 days
Now it is possible to experience the beautiful Cinque Terre on a 5-day trip. On solid developed paths you will walk from village to village, through forests, vineyards and through a spectacular terrace landscap with incredible views of the sea. In addition to visiting the historic cities of Levanto and Portovenere, the tour takes you to the five charming villages, that give name to Cinque Terre: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.
This walking holiday is a level 2 trip. The tour goes on well-maintained trails, and there will be ascents and steep decents on parts of the routes. With some knowledge of hiking and a good physique, plenty of wonderful experiences await you on this trip. Along the coast is a small local coastal train that stops in many of the villages. This makes it possible to shorten or lengthen the daily routes to suit you. On average you will walk 4-6 hours per day.
Highlights on this tour
- Short getaway with walking in the stunning Cinque Terre
- Overnight at a charming hotel in the market town of Levanto
- Discover the Cinque Terre with its five fantastic picturesque villages
- Hiking along the Ligurian dramatic coastline of the Riviera de Levante
- Experience Riomaggiore and walk to Vernazza and Madonna the Reggio
- Walking among terraces of wine and charming little villages that meanders in the terrain
- Charming Italian scenery of this unique area
Great things about this tour
Lovely Levanto
On this trip you will stay three nights in the lovely town of Levanto. The town is just outside the Cinque Terre National Park and from here there are perfect train connections into the Five Towns. Levanto has a lovely beach and a pleasant town centre with several good restaurants.
Beautiful Portovenere
The last night of the tour is spent in Portovenere, an incredibly beautiful town right on the water. Like the Five Towns, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are also a lot of different restaurants to choose from.
Photo gallery from this tour
Here you can see the stunning scenery and some of the views that come with a hike in Cinque Terre.
See more pictures »
Itinerary See all daysClose all days
You arrive in lovely Levanto. Upon early arrival in Levanto, it is possible to either take a dip, stroll around the charming town, or take the first hiking experience in the area right away. This hike will take you to Monterosso al Mare, overlooking one of the area's most beautiful promontories. After passing an ancient hermitage ruin dating back to the 11th century, you'll come to a viewpoint where the beauty of this stretch of coastline is truly revealed. The road down to Monterosso is steep and after enjoying the colourful houses in the old town, it's possible to take the local coastal train back to Levanto.
Hotel (example): Hotel Nuovo Garden***
The first day's walk takes you along the coast to Monterosso al Mare. The first part of the hike leads up to Punta Mesco, the most remarkable promontory in the region. It is a good place to stop for a picnic lunch. Just before the headland, take a short detour to the ruins of an ancient 11th century hermitage and the nearby "semaforo", where you can enjoy wonderful views of the rugged coastline. Then follow a fairly steep path down to Monterosso, a colourful village of blue, red and yellow houses clustered behind the seafront. There's then time to explore the town before catching the local train back to Levanto. For those who wish, there is also the option of walking back from here along a wooded path further inland, which takes you back over the ridge behind the castle of Levanto.
Walking time: 3 hours
Distance: approx. 5km
+700 / -700
Hotel (example): Hotel Nuovo Garden***
After a short train ride to Riomaggiore, start the most "classic" of all Cinque Terre hikes: the famous "Sentiero dell'Amore" to Manarola, a pretty little village of steep, multicoloured houses overlooking a rocky harbour. Then climb the 365 steps to Corniglia, on a ridge overlooking the sea. From here, continue through terraced vineyards and occasional citrus groves. As you approach Vernazza, dominated by its ancient fortress, you can enjoy some of the best views in the region. You follow a narrow path that leads you up and down the hillsides before, after a rather steep descent, you enter the village itself. In Vernazza, arguably the most beautiful of all the villages, there's time to climb the castle tower and get a great view of the harbour with its brightly painted boats. There are many cafés and bars where you can enjoy refreshments before taking the train back to your hotel.
Walking time: 6 hours
Distance: approx. 15km
+450 / -450
Hotel (example): Hotel Nuovo Garden***
The walk of today takes you from in an easterly direction to Campiglia and Portovenere. From Riomaggiore the path takes you up a flight of stairs to the sanctuary Madonna di Montenero, which is situated on a gorgous ridge providing stunning views of the deep blue sea. The path continues up the cliff-side through wine terraces on to Sentiero Rosso. The path stays on the ridge with views alternately to one and the other side and it continues straight through the entire Cinque Terre, and takes you to the small village of Campiglia, where it is possible to buy refreshments. The path goes through the pine forest and becomes narrower befire it opens up and leads you to Portovenere with several spectacular views along the way. Situated above Portovenere you will pass an old castle from the 1600s, and a staircase leads you down to the village. There's plenty of time to visit the charming village and Punta San Pietro before settling into your hotel.
Walking time: 5½ hours
Distance: approx. 13km
+650 / -650
Hotel (example): Hotel Paradiso
After breakfast it is time to check-out from the hotel for an individual journey home.
Price includes
- 3 night stay in Levanto in a 3-star hotel
- 1 night stay in Portovenere in a 3-star hotel
- Breakfast every day
- Luggage transport between hotels
- Detailed route descriptions, maps and relevant tourist information
- 24 hour local support
- This is a packaged holiday and is therefore covered by The Travel Guarantee Fund - See which benefits this means for you - click here
- Transportation to and from the destination
- Local train tickets (about 2-3 € per. train ticket) and a ticket to the boat from Portovenere to Riomaggiore (about 10 € per. ticket)
- Tourist tax (if due)
Practical info
The price is based upon two people sharing. It is also possible travel alone in a single room. Simply choose "Single room" in the booking form and it will automatically add the single room surcharge.
Check the price quickly
You can quickly check the price of your desired trip without having to fill in anything. Here's how:
- Choose your desired start date
- Click on the green button "See price and reserve your holiday" and go to the booking form
- Select number of people, add any optional extras and see the price at the bottom of the page (you don't have to fill in anything on the form).
Get a quote
For example, if you want a flight included or changes to the trip, you can order a quote for this using the "Get a quote" button. Remember to describe in detail what, if anything, you want changed.
The process of your booking
When you book, we will start booking hotels and arranging all the practical details of the trip. This process typically takes 2-5 working days, but some bookings may take longer. If you are arranging your own transport, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed your booking before arranging this.
Dates
If you can select the date in the tour calendar at the top of this page, this is a possible start date. We continually update the tours with sold-out dates, after which those dates will turn red and cannot be selected.
The flights to/from Pisa or Genoa are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.
Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.
Book a quote
If you prefer that we handle your flight, then we would be happy to arrange this for you. You simply book a quote below the map on this page and we will return with a quote as soon as possible (usually within 48 working hours). Please note that we add a handling fee of 45 euro to each flight and this means that the flight will be cheaper if you book it yourself.
From Pisa Airport to Levanto
It is possible to take the train from Pisa Airport to Levanto. The journey takes about 1½ hours and you can get an overview of the trip here: Rome2Rio
From Riomaggiore to Pisa Airport
The journey back from Riomaggiore to Pisa is easiest taken by train. On www.trenitalia.com you can find the timetables and destinations for the Italian trains (Pisa-Levanto about 1,5h, Milan-Levanto about 3 h). Since it may be troublesome to purchase the ticket online, we recommend purchasing it at the ticket office or -machine at the train station.
Driving by car
If you choose to drive on your own to Levanto, it will be possible to leave your car at your first hotel or to take it to a public parking lot nearby the hotel. The hotel, where you'll stay first depends on where there is availability at the time when you book your holiday. Usually the hotels we cooperate with have a parking space for you. The parking is for free during the time that you live at the hotel. If you choose to leave the car at the hotel while you complete your tour then the parking usually costs abour 10-15 euros per day. In case your first hotel does not have a parking spot, you'll be able to park your car in the public parking lot, which usually costs about 30-35 euros per week.
You will spend three nights in Levanto in a 3-star hotel and one night in Portovenere in a 3-star hotel. Breakfast is included in both hotels.
Luggage transfer is included on this tour. Upon arrival at the first hotel you will be given luggage tags along with the rest of the welcome package. You fill out the luggage tags and put them on your bags where they will remain for the duration of the tour.
Your luggage is picked up from the hotel lobby around 9am every morning and will arrive at your next hotel at 6pm at the latest (often long before that). If there are any special exceptions to the luggage transfer you will be notified upon arrival.
Luggage transfer includes one bag per guest and the bags can weigh 20kg each.
Here you can get an overview of the entire route and the elevation profile for each day. The data shows the data from the GPX-files related to the tour. Notice that the routes are sometimes updated, which means that there might be small variations.
Colors
Blue routes: The route as normal
Red routes: Variations/options (such as shortened or extended routes)
This tour has difficulty grade 2.
Grade 2
Easier walking at reasonable good paths. The walking time will be 4-6 hours usually in hilly terrain. Every one in good health and a normal physical fitness can participate. Luggage is mostly transported and you only go with a lighter backpack. Requires good footwear such as trekking shoes or hiking boots.
Read more about our Grading System
You will recieve the following documentation
Upon booking
You recieve practical information about the tour in a digital format
One month before arrival
You recieve your hotel list and your voucher (hotel list is often supplied upon booking)
Upon arrival
You recieve the welcome package which contains the printed version of the road book, luggage tags, local specific vouchers and if you have rented bikes then they will also be delivered and fitted at the first hotel.
It can be hard to plan your trip according to the weather, but to give an idea of the local climate in Levanto, see data below:
We are members of the Travel Guarantee Fund (nr. 2529) and have all available insurances. Read more about that here.
Call our experts on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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