Accommodations

We planned for 5 nights to hike the 5 Terre (a.k.a. Cinque Terre) and we stayed in a City called La Spezia. We booked an Airbnb close to the train station to make it easy to get around. The location was convenient but the area was a bit sketchy and our apartment was above a bar….#fail on this booking. The apartment was clean and modern but the loud music and people yelling all night was  brutal. I will not be recommending this Airbnb. We were also told (after the fact), not to stay too close to the train stations as the area can be a little rougher.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre means “5 lands” and it is made up of 5 towns on a stunning hillside on the Italian Riviera. It is a very popular travel destination which is known for it’s hiking trails linking the towns. You can access the towns by train, bus or even boat. For us, the plan was to take the train to the first town and hike the towns. By train, it was only a 15 minute train ride to the first town. We lined up at the train station to buy a combo Park Pass (as it’s a National Park) + train. The cost was 42 euros per day for a family and we purchased two days. At the tourist office where you buy the tickets they give you a map and tell you if any trails are closed. Unfortunately the hike between the first two towns were closed (Riomaggiore to Manarola) so we stopped at the third town Corniglia. The train station is at the bottom so we had to climb 400 stairs just to get to the start of the hike. You can take a bus to the top but we decided to give it a go. At the top you are greeted with nice cafes and places to get fresh juices. Although expensive for Orange Juice (4 Euro), we couldn’t resist. We also splurged on our morning latte and a couple of treats for the kids before we set out.

OMG our 6 hour Hike!

Yes this title is correct. We hiked from the 3rd town to the 5th town Monterosso as we heard it had an amazing sandy beach. We were determined to do the entire hike instead of taking the trains between the towns. Had we known how difficult the hike was, we would have only hiked one town. The total distance was only 7.5km but it was rocky with very steep stone pathways, huge stair climbs and narrow dangerous paths. The total 6 hours does include our stop in the 3rd town Vernazza for a quick break but the hike was crazy! Way harder than I expected. I have to admit that we did love every bit though. The views were unbelievable and the scenery was spectacular so well worth it. We were so proud of the kids! Our youngest lead the pack the entire way and had energy after….we think our hiking in the Canadian Rockies had to have helped.

Our favourite town by far was Monterosso. We arrived there about 5:30pm and were too exhausted to explore the town so we took the train back there the next day and spent the entire day at the beach under a beach umbrella.

Adventure Campitelli Tips

1.  It is extremely touristy here and expensive so you can save $ by staying outside of Cinque Terre such as La Spezia and take a short train ride in.
   
2. The food including the Gelato in the touristy part of the towns is not very good and it is very expensive. We ate breakfast at home, packed snacks and shared a small snack (Calamari) to get us through the day after we tried the food on Day 1.
3. Be prepared. Bring LOTS of water! There are fountains in each town to refill and in the heat you will drink a lot of water. Also pack good footwear…runners are fine. Bring snacks especially for kids. Don’t forget sunscreen and hats as the sun is very hot.
4. Follow the main trail which is called the “Blue Trail” or “SVA”. It is very well marked with red & white paint in spots all along the path.
5. If you love sandy beaches and want to spend time in the water make sure you save time for Monterosso, our personal favourite!