Cinque Terre Hiking Day Trip from Florence

Having done a lot of research, this is basically the only tour that takes you to all five of the Cinque Terre villages. Although the tour guides provided alternatives if you did not want to do the hike, you really should if you are physically capable the views are spectacular. Our guides, Gloria and Alessandro, were exceptional the tour was really well organized and ran smoothly--one of the guides hopped off the bus to make sure our tickets were ready when we arrived at the train station, etc. They gave good recommendations about what to do in each village, etc. It is a big bus tour with around 50 people, but you are split in half and a good mix of walking around together and independent time.

Sara with Walk About tours was our guide for the day. very well organized and informative. we lucked out with the weather and enjoyed a strenuous hike between towns and a relaxing sunset ferry along all 5 towns. our only regret was that we wished we could have stayed longer, perhaps overnight, in one of the towns...maybe next time!

Whant a unique experience! The hike was a bit more than we had expected, but the pay off was priceless. I was amazed with how well our guide, Lavi, kept everyone informed and together. She was such a delight and you could tell that she not onlyloved her job but enjoyed interacting with people too.

This is a great tour and my wife and I were able to experience the 5 coastal villages in Cinque Terre in one day. Our tour was lead by 2 amazing guides, Martina and Sara. We had a group of around 40 people which got split into 2 to make things a little easier to manage, we ended up in Martina's group. She was very knowledgeable and very clear on what we can expect and what there was to do in each village. Because some parts of the tour required a little more physical activity Martina was clear on the difficulty and people had an alternative to get to the next town to meet up with the group. The lunch was great and worth it, will help you fuel up before going on the main hike. If you like to hike the trail is amazing and provides you with amazing views of the ocean and the towns. When we reached the last town we took a ferry back to the first town which allowed us to see all the villages from the ocean and to see how beautiful they are from the sea. This is a full day tour and well worth it, we would like to thank Martina and Sara for making this tour so enjoyable, we will use Walkabout Tours again when we come back to Florence.

The guides on our tour were Gloria and Alessandro. We started out as a big group of about 40 people and then were split into two smaller groups of 20 (approximately). It is a long day, so be prepared for about 13 hours of activity. That being said, it was a fabulous day. The guides were welcoming and both had a great sense of humor. You take a bus ride of about 2 hours and a train to the second location where you can opt-in for a delicious lunch. Suggest you join, you will not be disappointed. Then, you hike for about 1.5 hours between villages. At the 1/2 way point, there is a drink stop. You are doing this at your own pace (within reason) and have the meeting place before you set off. Being from Florida, we do not have any sort of elevation and are still feeling the effects two days later! All this to say, it was a fantastic day with great views throughout. A must do if you want to visit Cinque Terre but don’t have a lot of time.

This was an awesome tour, great way to see the cinque terre. It was a good mix of hiking and visiting between the 5 towns. Our 2 guides, Chris and Belen were amazing! Totally willing to help you with anything and very informational. Would definitely recommend!

Nice tour with great views!

This was such a fun tour! My husband and I were placed in a group led by Chris who was not only an experienced hiker but also had a wealth of knowledge about the area. We had an amazing lunch with the group, overlooking the gorgeous sea. It was great that the hike was at-your-own-pace as we finished a bit early and had time to jump in the sea in one of the towns and wine taste with our new friends in another town all in time for the perfect ending to the day--a boat ride back to Riomaggiore! We would highly recommend this tour to anyone who is up for a bit of exercise to burn off all the pasta you'll be eating while in Italy!

Can't say enough about this tour! Our guides Chris and Alessandro were absolutely amazing, in my opinion the best we have ever had for any tour. Both were extremely energetic, passionate, and knowledgeable.

This was a great way to get a feel for Cinque Terre when your schedule doesn't allow for an extended stay. It's an aggressive itinerary that visits all five villages. Our trip began in village 2 Manarola, we hiked to village 4 Vernazza, via Corniglia, took a train to 5 Monterossa al Mare, then a boat back to 1Riomaggiore, but allows for a little downtime along the way. The hike is only a few miles, but it can be very hot and does involve some climbs, but it is optional. Our guide asked us to try to stay together for the first mile or so, after which, the group could proceed at its own pace since there were fewer turns where someone could get off the trail.

The trip began with two guides, Alessandro and Stefano, giving us details about the Italian countryside between Florence and Cinque Terre. As we neared our destination, the group was then split in half with each half being assigned one of the two guides. Our party was with Stefano, who was an energetic and charismatic young Italian who kept a smile on his face the entire time except when he was doing head counts, and then he temporarily had an anxious look--hopeful that he had not lost anyone.

The villages of Cinque Terre were extremely crowded, but the trail connecting them was not. Note, the entire trail is around eight miles long, but we only hiked about three miles. There are opportunities for swimming at the end of the trail, which at least one member of our party did for a few minutes. The optional lunch was at an open air restaurant, after the first leg of the hike. It was quite good and offered a view of the ocean. We had the choice of pasta with seafood or with tomato sauce. The seafood goes beyond my taste and includes octopus and mussels. But both choices were taken at our table and everyone loved their meal. At this point, if someone didn't want to attempt the rest of the hike, they could retrace their steps and take the train and meet us in the next village.

Getting to take the boat back to the first village is dependent upon weather and ocean conditions. If either are uncooperative, you take a train back. We really enjoyed the boat ride. As always, the first ones in get the best seating, but we eventually made our way up to the upper deck and stood braced against a solid object so we could take pictures.

The lady at our hotel desk in Florence felt like this trip would not allow us to fully experience Cinque Terre and while I can't argue her perspective, with the guided tour, we did get to see a lot more than we might have if we had just showed up for the day and tried to figure out where to go on our own.

Stefano did a great job and was patient with the slower hikers. Maybe it's a requirement for tour guides, but I was amazed how quickly he learned the names of the 20 members of our group. To my knowledge, you won't know your guide when you first book your tour, but if you find you've gotten Stefano, it's going to be a good day.