Cinque Terre day with or without tour guide

The towns of the Cinque Terre are not that large. Except for the steepness of some, they are very easy to walk around. You wouldn't need a guide to walk the famous coastal trails.

Keith, The "short answer" is - it depends. It's very easy to walk around and explore each of the five towns of the Cinque Terre on your own. You can have a look at the small shops in each town, dine in the restaurants, perhaps go for a swim or just enjoy the ambience. However, if you'd like to learn something of the interesting history of that area and the unique nature of each of the five towns, then a short guided tour might be a good idea. I use local tours in some places (although I haven't done that yet in the C.T), and find that they make the visit much more interesting and memorable. Even a short guided tour (2 hours?) would probably work. I can recommend a great Guide in that area if you're interested. Cheers!

Bob, So it also seems like it would be worthwhile for us to simply spend a day there. Others have been saying we need a couple of days, but I just dont see how we could change itinerary. Even if we dont see all the towns. Spending a day and evening before we train back to Florence would be a good break away from the cities even if it meant some train time.

Without knowing your trip plans, it is difficult to say, but yes you CAN see the CT in one day. A brisk walk end to end is about 6 hours. If time allows, it is best to stay at least one overnight. Here is a place that we enjoy in Vernazza: http://www.elisabettacarro.it/

Just another opinion- Many places in Italy are greatly enhanced by having a guide. Not so in the CT, IMO. The CT is really just nature, the Sea , the trails & 5 villages to enjoy. You could learn all about the geography while still at home & merely walk around and savor the beautiful villages. It would be interesting for you to interact with a few vilagers to hear their slant on things, but a proper tour guide seems a little too much. Either way, enjoy this charming region!!

I agree, just staying one night to have a general view while breaking up the cities is quite do-able. Personally I was not impressed with the CT. It's nice to say I've seen it and walked on a couple of trails, but there's no need for me to return.

All the towns are similar. You do not need a guided tour. Get the train pass for the day. You can hop on and off at each town.

Keith, "A brisk walk end to end is about 6 hours." One important point to note is that ALL of the Sentiero Azzurro (No. 2) trails are still closed. It's expected that at least some of them will be re-opening any day now, but nothing definite at this point. Depending on when your trip is taking place, you may or may not be able to "walk end to end" in about 6 hours. Cheers!