Everyone walks the coastal path between the villages. It is frequently closed, always busy, and it is not the best walking in the Cinque Terre.
The coastal path, and its problem
The Sentiero Azzurro links the five villages at low level.
Sections close periodically for landslides and maintenance. The famous Via dell'Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola has been closed for long stretches of recent years.
Always check current status with the national park before planning a full traverse. This changes and old articles are unreliable.
When open, Monterosso–Vernazza and Vernazza–Corniglia are the classic sections: 90 minutes to two hours each, many steps, little shade.
The upper trails
Above the villages runs a network of paths through the terraced vineyards, including a high route the length of the park along the ridge.
They are steeper and harder — several hundred metres of ascent between the sea and the ridge — and they open far more reliably than the coastal route.
They also carry a small fraction of the walkers, and the views take in the whole coastline rather than the next cove.
Many of these are free, since the park fee applies to the specific maintained coastal route rather than to all walking.
The sanctuary trails
Each village has a sanctuary church on the hillside above it, linked by old paths that the villagers used.
Montenero above Riomaggiore, Reggio above Vernazza, Soviore above Monterosso — the oldest in Liguria.
These are short, steep climbs of 45 minutes to an hour, and they are almost entirely empty. The view back down over the village and the sea is the reward, and there is usually somewhere to get a drink at the top.
The terraces themselves
Worth understanding, because they are what you are walking through.
The dry-stone walls holding the vineyards to the cliffs run to thousands of kilometres in total length, built and maintained by hand over centuries.
They are collapsing in places as farming declines, which is a direct cause of the landslides that close the paths. The two facts are connected.
Practical
Proper shoes. The park has issued warnings about inadequate footwear and there have been rescues of people in sandals. The paths are uneven, stepped and slippery when wet.
Start early. No shade on most sections, and midday in July is hard work.
Water. Villages have fountains; the trails between them do not.
Walk one section, train back. The train runs every twenty minutes, so there is no need to complete a traverse — walk the section you want and ride the rest.
Beyond the five
Portovenere to Riomaggiore along the ridge — a long day, spectacular, and outside the busy zone.
Levanto to Monterosso, at the northern end, which is a good short walk with a swim at either end.
Season
April, May, September, October — the best walking weather and a swimmable sea in the later months.
Summer is hot on unshaded paths and the villages are at capacity.
Winter walking is fine and many village businesses close.