The Cinque Terre

This was a fantastic walking holiday. We did the alternative routes rather than the coastal paths. It was hard walking in places but it was worth it to avoid the crowds.  Perfect in every way.

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of Cinque Terre. The hotels had a friendly, local vibe and were good and the walks beautiful. We liked the way the walks were presented so we had options depending on how we felt on the day. This is the second time we've booked through Inntravel and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. We will definitely use them again.

Great walks, lovely villages - a wonderful holiday!

An excellent trip. We particularly enjoyed Hotel La Colonnina, the service, the breakfast, the facilities. Very satisfied with Hotel Paradiso. 

The holiday was more then we expected. The hotel was amazing, the walking routes were wonderful and the luggage transfer was comfortable. Also the Inntravel service was the best service I ever had, and the holiday was very fun for all the family. 

The Cinque Terre villages are simply stunning. We took the coastal path from Monterosso to Corniglia via Vernazza and it was certainly not a flat coastal walk. The views are fabulous and the exertion is worthwhile. We traversed the path after rain and there was mud in places. All of the fishing villages are very crowded with tourists and so are the local trains. However, once we had used the Inntravel walking routes to climb high above the coastal towns, the crowds dispersed, the sun shone, the sea sparkled and the views were simply magnificent. We would highly recommend this holiday.

This was my first time doing this type of break, and was alone. I was fearful to start with but found the travel arrangements, and the walking was all fine, and really got into it....... pity about the massive thunderstorm but I guess you couldn't sort that one out! Loved the views, the paths, and the varied routes....... but maybe there should be a tiny bit more warning about the levels of mud on the cobbles and mule tracks after rain. This made it even more slippy than expected! Sadly a couple of the coastal routes were still closed but this was not a surprise! It was very easy to follow the waymarked paths as the signs etc were very clear.

My companion and I enjoyed the holiday. The booking and arrangements for the holiday went very smoothly. We stayed in Le Giare in Monterosso which was lovely accommodation. The proprietor was very warm,helpful and accommodating, generously giving us milk for the room to make tea with the tea making facilities provided and information for Genova.   There was a lovely room for breakfast in the morning and the outlook across the valley was delightful. There was also a nice terrace to sit on. However do be prepared for the walk uphill to back from Monterosso waterfront which although not too difficult can feel hard going on the end of a long walk or after the evening meal. Hotel Paradiso was larger and less personal however nice accommodation with great sea views. We ate in its restaurant the first night and food was good and waiting staff most helpful. 

We did a mix of walks, boat trips and on a rainy day did a trip to Genova which was easy to organise and an interesting city to visit. I did the coastal walk from Vernazza to Monterosso which I find quite demanding. However it is probably one of the easier walks in this area as others have a lot more steep uphill stretches and vertiginous outlooks so be prepared. At present you can only do the coastal walk between Monterosso and Corniglia as the rest is closed due to landslides. The Cinque Terre card only applies to the coastal walk and I paid 7.50 euros. The inland paths are free. Corniglia is the highest of the Cinque Terre villages so is a good place to start a walk rather than end it ! On another day we got the boat and could hop on and off at the different villages ( apart from Corniglia which has no port so best to access by train). The towns are very busy with tour groups visiting for the day even in October. Of the villages we liked Riomaggiore most as had more features of its fishing past and was less busy. There was a lovely restaurant for lunch up the hill on the lefthand side in a building that was a butchers (sorry cant remember the name). They did a fantastic bean soup with a lovely slice of crostini with ham

We added another night in Portovenere and were glad of it. We went over to the island Palmaria and did part of the walk recommended. However we then came back down on an inland route missing out the steep paths using ropes to assist ! In Portovenere we can highly recommend the 3 Torri restaurant located to the back of the main square. It was really good fine dining but not alot more in price than other places with interesting dishes well flavoured and good texture. In the morning you can walk along the promenade watching the fishing people collect mussels or on the side fishing for octopus. We went in early October and had very good weather. 

The walking routes selected were excellent. We particularly enjoyed the routes from Manarola to Corniglia and from Monterosso to Portovenere via Riomaggiore, which, whilst of differing lengths, both have spectacular views. The rocky path from Campiglia down to Portovenere was exhilirating. In early September, it is generally a stiff, hot climb from the Cinque Terre villages to the higher paths, but well worth it when you get to the top, as the villages and lower paths are overrun with tourists, particularly cruise parties as mentioned previously.

The Restaurant Belvedere in Monterosso on Piazza Garibaldi, recommended by the hotel, was good value and good quality. In Genoa we liked Vegia Zena (Vico del Serriglio, just behind the Porto Antico), La Forchette Curiosa (mentioned in City tour walking notes) and Trattoria Il Grillo Parlante ( Via San Bernardino, again just behind Porto Antico) The latter restaurant we passed at lunchtime, when it was packed with local workers on their lunch hour. We went back in the evening, when it was quieter, but just the type of place you want to find: off the tourist track, frequented by locals, a limited menu, dirt cheap (2 courses for Euro 15 including water) but importantly great quality, freshly cooked food.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Genova & the Portofino Peninsula city break and walk, with our Cinque Terre walking break.

My holiday went well, all travel and accomodation arrangements were as planned.  I was at the Cinque Terre June 27-July 2 and the weather was very hot.  I'd recommend doing the more vigorous hikes earlier in the year (March - May).  Because of the heat, there were not many other hikers on the higher trails.

It's very easy to move around the entire Cinque Terre area using trains and boats.  One-way hikes, returning to base either by train or boat were very pleasant.

Avoid routes that require a lot of walking on roads.  The roads are very narrow and ditches are overgrown with thorny bushes making it difficult to get out of the way of traffic.