The Cinque Terre and Portofino
Self Guided Walking
Selfguided walking along the flower riviera.
Walking along the coastal footpaths of the Ligurian Riviera offers striking views of lush Mediterranean vineyards, wild flower and olive groves; while inland there are dense pine and chestnut forests waiting to be discovered. The trip starts with a walk to the unique church of San Fruttuoso and the Jet-set seaside town of Portofino. Then travel by train to the picturesque villages of Bonassola and Monterosso, entering the magical land of the Cinque Terre, five unique fishing villages set like gems along the jagged high cliff coast line, that runs all the way to the colorful village of Portovenere where you can savor the delicious local cuisine and relax with a glass of white wine on a seaside café terrace.
Tour highlights:
♦ The five picturesque villages of the Cinque Terre (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore)
♦ The beautiful seaside town of Portofino
♦ The colorful town of Portovenere
Itinerary:
Day 1. Camogli
Arriving to Camogli. You can visit the historic centre, and in the evening, let all your senses be delighted as you prepare for your phenomenal walking adventure ahead. Overnight in Camogli
Day 2. Camogli - Portofino - Camogli
From Camogli take one of the main paths of the Portofino Regional Park; a first steep section takes you to the village of San Rocco (it is possible to take a bus instead), then arrive to the San Fruttuoso Abbey. From San Fruttuoso, you can choose to walk or take a ferry to Portofino. Enjoy the wonderful view from Il Faro (the Light House), located at the extreme point of the promontory, 1km far from Portofino, from where you take the train or boat back to Camogli. Overnight in Camogli.
Walking: 13 km, 5,5 h (shorter option: 7 km, 3,5 h)
Day 3. Camogli - Deiva Marina - Bonassola
After breakfast - a short train ride to Bonassola, from where you start the day’s walk through the hills of the East Riviera which divide Bonassola, Framura and Deiva Marina. The first part of this walk (Bonassola – Framura) is extremely panoramic with wonderful views over the northern Ligurian coast and it can be shortened by ending in Framura. Return to Bonassola by train. Overnight in Bonassola
Walking: 12,5 km, 5 h (shorter option: 5,5 km, 2,5 h)
Day 4. Bonassola - Riva Trigoso - Bonassola
After breakfast, take a train to Deiva Marina where the day’s walk starts. If you wish to make a shorter walk, you can also start in Moneglia. The hike follows the jagged coast line and crossing a few valleys ends in Riva Trigoso, 1 train stop from Sestri Levante that is worth visiting. Take the train back to Bonassola, where you overnight.
Walking: 14,6 km, 6 h (shorter option: 5,5 km, 2,5 h)
Day 5. Bonassola - Levanto - Monterosso al Mare
The first part of today’s walk runs along an old railway recently transformed in a flattish cycle path. You walk through tunnels and bridges with spectacular views over the sea and the cliffs till you arrive to the nice town of Levanto. Reach the ridge top to enjoy the spectacular views over the mountains surrounding the gulf. Arrive in Punta Mesco and walk down towards the village of Monterosso where you overnight.
Walking: 10,2 km, 4,5 h (shorter option: 3,2 km, 1,5 h)
Day 6. Monterosso - Vernazza - Monterosso
A short transfer takes you to Soviore Monastery, where you can stop for a visit before starting the walk back to Monterosso via Vernazza. From the Sanctuary you walk on asphalt road for 1,5km, then take a nice panoramic path that slightly descends to the Madonna di Reggio. Continue walking on a stone path down to Vernazza where you take the panoramic coastal path back to Monterosso. To shorten the walk, you can stop in Vernazza and take a train back to Monterosso.
Walking: 10,1 km, 4 h (shorter option: 5,8 km, 3 h)
Day 7. Monterosso - Riomaggiore - Portovenere - Monterosso
A short train ride takes you to Riomaggiore where the day’s itinerary starts. The first 1.3km you climb gradually to Colle del Telegrafo, from where you gently descend to Portovenere walking on panoramic ridge trail and passing through the village of Campiglia. Today’s route is very scenic, with spectacular views on the Cinque Terre coastline,
Portovenere and the Gulf of La Spezia, walking on well-beaten and well-marked footpaths. If you want to shorten the walk, from Campiglia walk or take a bus to Marola and then another bus to Portovenere. At the end of the walk, return to Monterosso for overnight.
Walking: 17 km, 5 h (shorter option: 13 km, 4 h)
Day 8. Departure
After breakfast departure on your own or extension of your stay.
Luggage transport: Luggage transfer is included in your package only on Day 5, from Bonassola to Monterosso; this is normally provided by the accommodation itself. Please clearly mark all your belongings with your name and put a small note with the name of the next accommodation in order to indicate where the bags should go to next (check your
accommodation list). Also ask the accommodation owner where the bags should be left in the morning. Labelling your belongings prevents mix ups, delays and loss. Bags should be ready and at the reception or store room by 9:00 hrs. If you are unable to walk, you can always ask, if the luggage transporter can take you with him when transporting your baggage, but this is not always possible and sometimes you have to pay a small fee locally. In some countries there are special insurances for transporting peoples and sometimes the car is not suited for transporting persons. When you travel with public transport you always take your luggage with you.
Practical information: ►Best arrival & departure airport: Pisa, Genoa or Florence Airports. The tour starts in Camogli. There are frequent trains from all directions. The tour ends after breakfast on day 8 in Monterosso al Mare. The return is most easily made by train. ►Please, note that there is no (cheap) parking space anywhere on the Cinque Terre except for Levanto ►These walks, though not very long, are moderate to demanding because of the steep hills. Several walks can be shortened ►The walks are along well marked footpaths and mule tracks. It can be tiring walking along the stone steps of diverse sizes. Take the local train to get to and from the walks. The park wardens try to keep all of the paths open throughout the year, however heavy rains and summer fires can cause temporary closure of certain stretches, so be sure to check with the park office. ►Camogli and the Cinque Terre are very busy from May till September therefore we work with several hotels of similar standard and characteristics. Due to this, all the walks start and end at a central point of the villages and you have to make your way to it from your hotel. This means that start or end of the routes are slightly altered. However, it is possible that the hotels are quickly sold out and we might offer you an alternative at a higher price.
How to get there: Getting to Cinque Terre is easy and best done by train. For the most part the roads are narrow and dangerous and parking is practically non-existent. Besides getting around by train is simple and cheap. Cinque Terre is on the Genova - La Spezia line and trains run frequently during the time visitors would want to be there. Arriving from outside the area train into Genova and then look for trains heading to La Spezia. There are many towns which dot the coastline so make sure the town where you want to stop is on the board for that run. From Genova, the train ride should take between 1 and 2 hours depending how many stops are made. From the south, do the same from LaSpezia. Cinque Terre is very close to LaSpezia so the ride is not very long at all. Timetables can be found at TrenItalia.com
Recommended period of travelling: April - October
Necessary equipment: sturdy walking boots and walking socks, a small rucksack, a water bottle with at least 1 litre capacity, sunglasses, sunhat, sun cream, rainwear, insect repellent.