The Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Path) connects the five villages of the Cinque Terre, and it is the most famous and appreciated path as it does not consist in particular difficulties. It is almost flat, nevertheless you can enjoy fantastic panoramas. It is possible to cover the whole path, which connects the five villages, by foot going along the path N. 2 (marked in white and red) which passes in the middle of terraced hills, vineyards, and olive-trees, in one moment along the coast, in the other on rocks overhanging the sea. The total time taken for the "journey" is about 5 hours, but obviously the way can be divided in halting-places in every village. Moreover, it is possible to move over the most difficult stretches. In fact, all five villages have their own railway station (except the station of Corniglia all of them are in the village's center), and there are trains about every hour. Furthermore, the five villages are connected with a ferry boat service.
Advices: You can start your trip at Riomaggiore (by train from the railway station of La Spezia ca. 10 minutes) or from Monterosso al Mare (by train from the railway station of La Spezia ca. 30 minutes, from the railway station of Levanto ca. 5 minutes).
Most of the tourists start of at the classic Via dell'Amore (at Riomaggiore) - if you start here, you have the advantage to finish the tour in Monterosso, where you can relax on one of the two wide beaches. If you start instead in Monterosso, you will make the two more difficult stretches at the beginning when you are still rested, and at the end you can relax walking along the Via dell'Amore.
Refreshing oneself swimming in the sea of Riomaggiore is definitively a relief, but you have to pay attention to the rocks of this part of the sea!!! Who is under time pressure should concentrate on the stretches 3 and 4 which are the most beautiful ones, and which offer a wide panorama.
Equipment: The most famous stretch, the so-called Via dell'Amore (Street of Love), between Riomaggiore and Manarola can be covered also with slippers or high heels. For the other stretches we recommend trekking shoes.
The maintenance of the Cinque Terre and the Cinque Terre Card
The whole path can be divided into 4 parts which will be described in the following:

Part 1: Riomaggiore - Manarola
Part 2: Manarola - Corniglia
Part 3: Corniglia - Vernazza
Part 4: Vernazza - Monterosso al Mare