The Italian Riviera & the Cinque Terre
One of the most beautiful and varied coastlines of Italy is in Liguria between Genoa and La Spezia: embedded between mountains and sea, surrounded by cliffs or sandy bays, traditional seaside resorts, small fishing villages and glamorous yacht harbors alternate here. The highlight of the region is of course the "Cinque Terre", which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
This 6-day long-distance hike follows the course of the "Sentiero Liguria", begins in the coastal town of Camogli on the edge of the Portofino peninsula and ends in Porto Venere near La Spezia. Due to the many ups and downs of the cliffs, 700 to 1.000 meters of altitude have to be mastered per day of hiking. As a reward, beautiful accommodation, good food and, depending on the season, a refreshing swim in the sea await every hiker in the evening!
As always, I have put together a lot of tips on the hiking route and the individual stages, recommendations for accommodation and various download options and a 3D preview on the following pages.
Have fun hiking!
View just before Porto Venere
Interactive map
You can find detailed information about long-distance hikes in the following sections:
Photo Gallery
3D preview of the long-distance hike
The entire long-distance hike is available in a three-dimensional view at Ayvri.com. This can be very helpful when planning a long-distance hike. The preview is interactive: the camera perspective can be adjusted at any time using drag & drop. The speed of the preview can also be set variably.
(Click on the picture to open the 3D simulation on Ayvri.com)
14 October 2023
Dear Frank!
Unfortunately the 3D simulation does not open, but instead a 404 error message.
Is there any way I can open it or find it somewhere else?
Thank you and kind regards,
Thea
18 October 2023
Hello Thea,
You're right, unfortunately the 3D simulation is no longer available there - I have to gradually switch to another provider, hike by hike, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm sorry!
Frank
30 October 2023
Hi Frank,
I'm so pleased to have discovered your site, as I'm wanting to plan doing the 'sentiero verdeazzurro' next year. Great tip of yours to leave the bits between Portofina and Sestri-Levante. I'm thinking we will do the route exactly as you suggest and stay in one town getting the train each day to start / finish. Where, on the trail, would you suggest would be the best place to base yourself for the 6 days?
Thanks so much
Tim
4 November 2023
Hello Tim!
Thanks to the good train connection, almost any place is suitable for this (provided you have accommodation near the train station). I would recommend a place somewhere in the middle. Felix has already tried this out and lived in Deiva Marina, for example (see comment below https://www.wanderndeluxe.de/cinque-terre-ligurien-erfahrungsberichte-und-fragen/#comment-8755).
I personally found it quite nice in Bonassola (end point of stage 3). The place is also big enough to have enough restaurants to choose from for a week, etc. I find it a bit limited for a whole week directly in the Cinque Terre, as some of the towns only consist of one street.
I hope this helps you further!
Regards
Frank