Hiking the Cinque Terre: Sentiero Azzurro Sections, Fees and What Is Open

You can hike between the villages without a guide, but you cannot count on the whole Sentiero Azzurro being open, and most of it needs a paid park card. The coastal path, also called the Blue Trail or Verde Azzurro, links the villages one after another. Which sections are walkable changes with landslides, weather warnings and maintenance, so check on arrival before planning around any one stretch.

The sections, from south to north

The path runs Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso, and each leg is a different walk.

• Riomaggiore to Manarola is the Via dell’Amore, a short, easy stretch. It has reopened in recent years with restrictions; reports mention timed entry that you reserve in advance through the park’s portal, so check before you rely on it. The park’s Treno and Trekking cards list it as included.
• Manarola to Corniglia is the coastal link that has been reported closed after landslides. A higher route via Volastra is the usual alternative and is longer, so allow roughly two and a half hours rather than the short coastal time.
• Corniglia to Vernazza is a mid-length walk with ups and downs, usually quoted at around an hour and a half.
• Vernazza to Monterosso includes a long climb above the sea; sources put it at roughly two hours.

Those times come from hiking guides and the park’s pages, not from our own measurement: treat them as a range, and remember that heat and queues change them.

Which card, and what it costs

You pay to use the main coastal sections. In 2026 the park lists the Trekking card at €10 for one adult day, rising to €15 on the busiest days, with reduced rates for children and seniors. The Treno card, which also covers regional trains between La Spezia and Levanto, runs from €22 to €35 for an adult day. Higher inland routes, for example through Volastra, are not on the paid coast and are described by several guides as free. Buy online on the park’s card site or at an information point; the cards are named and valid for the days printed.

If you will walk and ride the train in the same day, the Treno card is the single purchase; the arithmetic is in Cinque Terre by train from La Spezia.

What to expect on the path

Suitable footwear is a park rule, not a suggestion: the paths are stone steps, uneven and slippery when wet. Start early; the stretches near the villages fill up from mid-morning, and in summer the afternoon heat on exposed terraces is considerable. There are few shaded sections, so carry water. On days when the park issues a weather or hydrogeological warning, it can advise against using the trails at all, and a booked day is not a reason to go anyway.

If anyone in your group uses a wheelchair, struggles with steps or has a pushchair, this is not the right plan for most sections. Ask the park’s information points what is accessible on the day rather than relying on a summary.

When a guided hike makes sense

A guide helps when you want the terraces and the history explained or when you do not want to plan the path closures yourself. There are 17 hiking offers on the Cinque Terre hiking tours page, starting at €42.72.

• The guided hiking tour from La Spezia takes 7.5 to 8 hours from €80 and has 44 reviews with 4.0 stars.
• The Vernazza heroic vineyards hike is 3 hours from €58.50, with 172 reviews and 5.0 stars. It climbs from Vernazza to a vineyard, includes a tasting of three Eroico wines, and the listing says your visit supports the restoration of the dry-stone walls.
• The virtual-guided e-bike tour goes from La Spezia to Manarola by secondary roads and returns by train, 3.5 hours from €78, with only 8 reviews.

If you would rather not hike

The villages are connected by train, and the boats serve four of them. If you like the idea of the coast but not the climbing, read Cinque Terre by boat or train. A guided day without hiking is compared in guided tour or go alone.