I will be travelling to Italy in October and will be staying in Cinque Terre for 1 night only. Can anyone recommend a good guided tour of Cinque Terre that I could book at the one of the tourist offices? Any other suggestions on what to do would also be great. Thanks!!!

Cinque Terre is the name given to a string of 5 small villages along the sea, connected by a hiking trail and rail line. I don't believe there are any tours of this area, although it's become so popular that something may be offered. Just select one of the 5 villages(6 if you count Levanto) to stay at, and hike, train ride or boat to the others. Have some gelato, wine, pizza, seafood en route - no need for a tour. There are excellent hiking maps and rail schedules available in the area.

You don't need a tour of the Cinque Terre. Walk as much of the trail that connects the towns as you can (the southern sections are easier) and then take a boat or train back to wherever you are staying. The towns are cute but it's the scenery that is breathtaking. If you do a search for Cinque Terre you will get lots of advice.

One advantage to taking the boat instead of the train is the wonderful view you get of the towns from the sea. It is wonderful!

I agree that you don't need a guided tour of the area. Get a guide book and wander on your own. You can rent a small boat, snorkle, take a large boat to Portovenere, hike the trails, visit the churches, eat the foccacia (sp) and enjoy the sun.

I was there last October... and toured the trails on my own. it was wonderful. I started at the 2nd most southern town, Manarola and headed north to the next town. I lucked out because the sun was on my back (which made it easier to see). Manarola's small town is pretty close to sea level, unlike the next town, Corniglia, which is high up on a cliff (lack of time prevented me from climbing all those steps with the other tourists). I hopped a local train to the next town, Vernazza, which I think is the largest of the 5 (to me, it wasn't nearly as charming as the others). take your time to just wander on one of the easier paths, and enjoy!

Hi,

A pretty good starting point for the Cinque Terre is www.5terre.com Got stacks of info there and pics.