Tuscany - Walking Tour Question
 

My wife and I would like to take a walking tour in the Tuscany area Oct, 2004 (a special birthday for her). She has become a big walking fan at home, we loved our first trip to Italy a few years ago (Rome, Florence), and would like to see Tuscany this time.

Any suggestions as to what tour group to look at?

Looking at the Internet the prices vary a great deal which causes us a bit of a concern.

- Dan

I went on a small group (8 tourists)walking tour in 1997 in Tuscany with Ciclismo Classico, an American company based in Massachusetts. It was excellent, with well planned walking routes, interesting stops, very good hotels (except in one place where there was a water main break and therefore a very last-minute change of hotel--not the tour's fault), good meals with a variety of local specialties to try, an outstanding lead guide and a nice and interesting new assistant guide. However, three years later I went on a different walking tour with the same compnay which was very badly planned and an overall disaster, though I had a good time anyway. Therefore, I think quality is inconsistent. The head guide who did Tuscany tours for CC in 1997 is long gone, so I don't know whether this company's Tuscany tours are still good. But they might be.

A few years ago (1999 and 2000, I think) I took two very good walking tours in France with BCT (British Coastal Trails), an American company based in California. They also offer walking tours in Tuscany. I heard from people on my Dordogne tour that Mario had been an excellent guide on their Tuscany tour the year before. If he is still the guide who does Tuscany walking tours for them, BCT may be a good choice.

The prices for both of these companies' tours has incrreased quite a bit since I traveled with them, and they are quite expensive. However, you do typically get a lot in a good walking tout--generally very nice hotels and meals, itineraries that take you to interesting smaller towns and off-the-beaten track scenic or historic sites, good walking routes, luggage completely taken care of for you, the safety of having a guide on what could be dangerous trails, advice re pre- and post-tour transportation connections, should you need it, and other things you might find it hard to do on your own. But still, there's no question that they are expensive.

I took a very small group (7 tourists) non-walking tour in part of Sicily last year with Italian Connection. The tour was great, and I think that's an excellent company, because it has not tried to grow too fast and offer more tours than it can do very well. If they offer a Tuscany walking tour--and they may--I would highly recommend them because I'd trust them to do it very well. The owners of the compnay are an American from the US and an Italian from Sicily, now both living in Tuscany, near Siena.

Another company that has an excellent reputation is ATG (Alternative Travel Group-Oxford), a company based in England. although their prices have increased, too, a few years ago I noticed their prices were lower than those of the American companies, I think partly because they don't advertise. Their method is different, in that they do continuous routes, so generally, their tours seem to stay just one night in each hotel, and the group hikes to the next night's destination (not carrying their own luggage, of course). I've heard that they are very good, but their trips sound too difficult for me. They have an unusual and interesting and very precisely informative catalogue that is quite different from anyone else's.

Other tour companies I've heard of that do Tuscany are Wayfarers (more expensive) and Butterfield and Robinson (much much more expensive). They're both suppoedly very good. But the so-called "moderate" priced walking tours are expensive enough, especially now that prices have increased, so the "luxury" ones must be extraordinarily expensive.

My recommendation, though I haven't actually taken a walking/hiking tour with them: Italian Connection. They offer a very limited number of tours, but they maintain control over the quality of everything they offer because they are a small company and the owners living in Italy pay attention to what they're doing.

What an incredibly comprehensive set of suggestions from "cmt" !! Obviously he/she is very knowledgeable in this area, and the advice sounds excellent. I would only add a couple of cautions if you haven't been on a lot of walking tours: (1) Take care that your shoes will match the walking conditions; that is, some walks are on smooth ground with gentle slopes; others are over rough or rocky terrain. (2) Be sure you and your wife are in condition for the length of walks being offered. I assume you would be, since she is a fan of walking already. (3) Be sure you plan your walking clothing to be light enough but protective enough; that is, something for the rain and something for the cool weather you will undoubtedly encounter, but with light layers for the warmer days. Enjoy your trip.

ATG (Alternative Travel group) in Oxford get a very good name for this, both for accompanied and unaccompanied tours

All walking tour catalogues rate the difficulty of their tours. But sometimes it is very subjective. In general, i found that BCT's tours were easiet than they were rated. i went on a walking tour in Crete that was rated easy/moderate. It is true that the walks were not especially strenuous (i.e. long steep uphill stretches), BUT they were difficult in a different way, with very difficult footing on rough terrain, and therefore definitely not "easy" at all. All the standard walking/hiking tours really require hiking boots. I think the over-the-ankle ones sold as light/medium are OK for the tours rated easy/moderate. I've never taken one labeld as strenuous. Someone who likes to walk will not necessarily find the tours easy, if not accustomed to rough terrain and hills. I was always a walker, and at home I generally can walk faster than most people on flat terrain IF I choose to (though why rush if walking for scenery, etc.), but I found the uphill walks to hill towns really strenuous on my first walking tour (Tuscany). It was doable, but I was slow on the steep uphill trails and got out of breath quickly. I had no problem at all on the flat areas and gentle hills or with the duration of the hikes.

Thanks to everyone for the response, I have enough information to start doing some research.

We'll be sure to pay attention regarding clothes and walking/hiking shoes.

- Dan

It's wrong to dismiss ATG Oxford (www.atg-oxford.co.uk)as "too difficult" (if by that the poster means strenuous). They offer walks covering a range of difficulty levels, and grade them carefully in their brochure.

Their pricing can be high: mostly because some of their walks offer exceptional standards of hotel, meals and wine. And their guides are remarkably knowledgeable, about art, flora/fauna, geology, history AND religion. They provide a separate expert on the local food and wine.

A real indulgence (though your feet may beg to differ on one or two of the days)

We did a walking tour in Tuscany/Umbria in Sept. of 2001 with Country Walkers, based in Vermont. This was our 6th hike with the company and, again, we were thoroughly satisfied. Careful info. was always given about the difficulties or ease of each walk, always with alternatives for personal choice. Food and accommodations could not have been better. Some people think the walks are pricey, but we have always felt we got our money's worth with Country Walkers.

I've done walking tours with both Country Walkers and Oxford ATG. I loved the former and did not enjoy the latter. CW was a bit more expensive but we had two guides and a van driver for a large van that seated everyone; ATG had one single guide and another person who took care of food. There was a great deal of sociability allowed for in this large van, in contrast to the two small vans of ATG.
Also --- the ATG aim was to cover every step from the starting point to the ending point (stiff upper lips needed!), where as the CW plan appeared to have walks selected for their beauty. And, as an American, I have two caveats for fellow countrymen planning a tour with ATG: The Brits walk more than we do and tend to be in better shape and (2) they were exceedingly polite but not particularly friendly to a single American. The CW group, OTOH, was very congenial. I'd go with them again if I wanted another walking tour. Have fun! But get in shape in advance; hills are everywhere!

Has anyone here done extensive self-guided walking tours? Would you recommend it?

Try looking at a British company HF Holidays. I've done several tours with them in Europe and they have been excellent (and reasonably priced). I really enjoyed spending time with a mixture of people that weren't all from the U.S. I found the British people on our tour to be exceedingly friendly and good-humored. This is definitely a budget tour but I'm very picky about accommodations and they have been very good.

We took a GoAhead tour called Walking Through Tuscany in July. It was great. It was for people who enjoy walking, but not for more than a couple of miles a day. I heard about the tour on this forum.