Mountain Bike Tour in the Cinque Terre

The mountain bike guide will welcome you at La Spezia train station. You will be given the mountain bikes and a short briefing with some instructions about the tour. After about 30 minutes cycling on the road leading to Portovenere which offers you great views of the gulf, you will start a climb on an abandoned military road that takes you up to the little village of Campiglia which will take approximately 2 hours biking up the hill to 1,312 feet (400 meters) above sea level. From there, you can enjoy breathtaking views over the Gulf of Poets on one side and the sea of the Cinque Terre on the other side. Alessandra, a young lady owning a little bar will offer you here a tasty light lunch made of typical Ligurian snacks: focaccia, vegetable cakes, cheese. After this break the tour continues for about one hour, then you reach Volastra in the middle of the Cinque Terre. You can rest a while, take pictures of the wonderful vineyards and the great views before you will go back on the road down to Manarola where the tour ends and you can catch the train in all directions.

Total height difference: about 2,625 feet (800 meters). Length of the tour: about 22 miles (35 kilometers). The itinerary has no technical difficulties, but a good physical fitness is required.