We took the train from La Spezia where our hotel is to Manarola. The train was clean and the…read moreeasiest way to get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. It was raining when we were there so the ferry wasn't an option with the choppy water. Manarola is beautiful. The buildings are so colorful. The main street from the train station down to the harbor was a short walk with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and gelato shops. Lots of little boats out in front of the shops along the path too. Walk down to the harbor to look back at Manarola to see all the colorful buildings lined up next to each other. Then take the path to the left and hike up to the top of that hill to take a look back at Manarola. It's not as colorful as Vernazza but just as beautiful.

This was the fourth coastal town on our hike of The Blue Trail coming from Monterosso. The hike…read morepart was not ideal since we weren't aware until we couldn't turn back that we were actually on a detour from the trail due to the main trail being closed for damages. This new one was exhausting, extremely long, and not great for a hot day and definitely not what we'd planned for. Due to this, I don't feel we gave Manarola justice. We walked through it quickly and found it to not have the views or the coastline of either Vernazza or Monterosso, so we hurried through to the station to finish our journey. In retrospect I wish we'd taken the train from Cornigila to Manarola so we could have had more time to enjoy walking down to the water, eating at the many great restaurants this town boasts, and exploring the town itself. I suppose it's only motivation to return in the future!

You can reach the Castle of Riomaggiore by climbing the steep road from the railway station or up…read morethrough the Town from the boat dock. Next door is the pretty Oratory of San Rocco and both are worth the walk for the views and yet another history lesson. Work on this fortification began in 1260 and it was then passed on the City of Genoa in 1276. The castle has a square base with the longest sides overlooking the sea. The outer wall has two circular towers with the entrance located between them. A narrow external staircase leads up to the tower where there is a large clock. Over time the castle has been renovated and until few years ago it housed the town cemetery. The castle on a hill divides the two little valleys of Rio Maggire and Rio Finale and from here you get a stunning panoramic experience.

We climbed everything we physically could during our two days at Cinque Terre. The views are…read moreamazing. All are wonderful!

We took the train from La Spezia where our hotel is to Vernazza. The train was clean and the…read moreeasiest way to get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. It was raining when we were there so the ferry wasn't an option with the choppy water. Vernazza is beautiful. I think it's my favorite of Cinque Terre. From the train station down to the harbor was a short walk with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and gelato shops. The buildings are so colorful. Walk down to the harbor to look back at Vernazza to see all the colorful buildings lined up next to each other. It's a gorgeous sight.

Coming from Monterosso on the Blue Trail, this was the first town you come to. Vernazza had the…read moremost breathtaking aerial view with the small harbor and quintessential Italian seaside community feeling to it. We descended down into Vernazza, and I immediately adored its vibe. I loved the tiny stone streets packed with stores and restaurants on either side. There are plenty of places to eat and shop and lots to explore here. We were in for a long day hiking, so we just went and sat by the water in the harbor and watched the kids play and swim. It was picturesque. If we were to return to Cinque Terre, this would definitely be one of the towns to spend more time in.

The moment to take in the 360° view over bay is almost cut short from the heat being so close to…read morethe sun! Regardless, it is a must see view when in Cinque Terre. Supposedly a castle from 1,000 CE, crudely built with the tower being most of the remains. Partially rebuilt after being bombed during the WWII. On top of history, on top of the world.

There are 2 paths to get up and both are straight up small narrow stairways! Meandering past shops,…read morehomes in the cliffside and daily life! You will get your steps in to get to the entrance! The views at the top!!!!!!! Photos do not capture at all. Please know it does cost to enter about 2.5 euro each

Monterosso has a medieval historical center which lies on the summit of the hill of San Cristoforo…read more You find the old town through the tunnel from the Train Station. The old town is made up of mainly pedestrian cobblestone streets with narrow crooked lanes lined with shops and restaurants and the brightly colored tower houses that you find in the other towns of the Cinque Terre. The other part of Monterosso is the residential district which spreads along the beach of Fegina. During the 12th and 13th centuries there was an increase in population and families began to move down the hill to be closer to a water supply which was a stream that is no longer there. The part of the village, known as Monterosso Vecchio or Old Monterosso has remained practically intact. In Medieval times, many fortifications were built in this village to protect it from pirate attacks. The remains of these can be found today in the old part of Monterosso, with 3 of the original 13 defense towers are still standing. Torre Aurora (Dawn Tower) separates the old part of the town from the new part and is found on a headland. The remains of the castle of Monterosso is found on the hill of San Cristoforo. Today you can see the remains of the walls, three circular towers and a square tower and these are part of the cemetery of the Church of St Francis. Gayle and I enjoyed the hike up here from Town to see for ourselves.

Another of the 5 towns of Cinque Terre. Great hike but the town is like the others...but even less…read moreso. I must advise you if you are taking the train and you expect to walk with you luggage to town....there are a set of monster stairs you will have to climb...probably 1000 stairs and 300-400 feet of elevation gain. People do it...but if you are not in shape.... welp I told you so. Still a cool little town.

Cornigila was our third coastal town on our Blue Trail Hike coming from Monterosso. It also awarded…read moregorgeous aerial views from the trail, as did the others. Unlike Monterosso and Vernazza, however, the town central is much more compact with very narrow streets. We followed a path leading through town to a vantage point on the other side, but the walk through the town was cramped and not as enjoyable as the other towns we visited. We found a great restaurant up on the mountainside that served up some delicious local wine and charcuterie and enjoyed the day. We made the mistake of getting distracted from our Blue Trail Hike and descended all the way down to the station, which was an ungodly number of vertical steps worse by far than the hike through the mountains we'd just undertaken. We got to the bottom only to realize that to ascend into the town again you either wait in the long bus line of people getting off the train or you walk back up..so we walked back up and found our trailhead again. It's probably my least favorite of the towns, but it's definitely worth visiting if you're up for the long wait for the bus or a little cardio coming from the train station.