Hotels near Monterosso to Vernazza

Trail 592-4 is the hardest of the open Sentiero Azzurro legs and the one people consistently underestimate. It runs 3.3 km with an official park time of 1 hour 50 minutes, which park signage often rounds up to 2 hours, a maximum altitude of about 175 m and roughly 350 m of cumulative ascent. The park publishes no official ascent figure, so treat that last number as an estimate. The grade is Esperto, the park's expert category, largely because of the roughly 500 stone steps that climb out of Monterosso al Mare before the path settles into vineyard terraces above the water. A Cinque Terre Trekking Card is required and it is checked at a manned gate.

On high-traffic days this section runs one-way, Monterosso to Vernazza only, until 14:00, with walking in the reverse direction allowed after that. Published 2026 one-way dates so far are 4-6 April, 1-2 May, 14 May, 30-31 May and 1 June. The park has announced an extension of the rule to summer peak periods but has not confirmed which summer days, so assume it can apply and check before you set out.

Pro Tip: Start at Monterosso al Mare, not Vernazza. The 500-step section is far kinder as a morning climb than as a knee-punishing descent at the end of the day, and starting from Vernazza puts you against the one-way rule on any day it is in force before 14:00.