Fourteen walking trails are laid out for exploring the wilds of the area; they're also a viable way to go from town to town. The APT office offers a brochure, Footpaths Along the Cinque Terre and the Eastern Riviera, which defines and maps out routes ranging as far north as Deiva Marina and as far south as Portovenere; it also suggests several within the boundaries of the Cinque Terre. Walk these trails carefully and get local advice. Some are relatively easy, but others require the endurance of an Olympic athlete.

The easiest route if you want only a short, scenic walk without a major workout is to start at Riomaggiore and stroll to Manarola; it's an easy walk, and the trails are in good shape. If you continue on from Manarola to Corniglia, it's still pretty easy walking, but the trail begins to deteriorate slightly. From Corniglia to Vernazza is a steep walk that takes about 1 1/2 hours, with the trail worsening as you go. The final section from Vernazza to Monterosso is a strenuous 2-hour climb on a narrow trail that's not at all well-maintained. All these routes promise gorgeous scenery along the way. In case you run into trouble, the local emergency phone number is tel. 115.

The only sandy beach in the Cinque Terre is the crowded strand in Monterosso, where you can rent a beach chair from a vendor for about 1.25€. Guvano Beach is an isolated pebbly strand that stretches just north of Corniglia and is popular with nudists. You can clamber down to it from the Vernazza-Corniglia path, but the drop is steep and treacherous. A weird alternative route takes you through an unused train tunnel, entered from a point near the north end of Corniglia's train station; you must ring the bell at the gated entrance and wait for a custodian to arrive to unburden you of 2.50€, which is good for passage through the dimly lit mile-long gallery that emerges onto the beach at the far end. There's a long rocky beach to the south of Corniglia, easily accessible by some quick downhill scrambles from the Corniglia-Manrola path. Riomaggiore has a tiny crescent-shaped beach reached by a series of stone steps on the south side of the harbor.