Cinque Terre - Tour Guides

Ellen, I'd have to do some checking to refresh my memory on the Guides in that area. If you're only going to be there for basically what appears to be one day, the Cinque Terre is very easy to tour on your own. Depending on which of the trails is open, you could stroll the famous Via dell'Amore or the trail from Manarola to Corniglia (those are the two easiest ones). For travel from Corniglia to Vernazza and Vernazza to Monterosso, use either the local trains or boats. The boats only operate in good weather, and I'm not sure if they'll be operating at the beginning of April. I'd suggest booking accommodations in Monterosso EARLY. April 1st is the start of tourist season in that area, and it may be busy. *EDIT: Based on some previous notes I had, if you want an interesting tour in the Cinque Terre from an American living in the area, have a look at THIS website. The E-mail address is shown on that page. While it is easy to tour the C.T. on your own, as you'll only be there for such a very short time, a tour would be a good way to get a sense of the history and main sights without wasting any time. I tend to take day tours in many areas that I visit, as I find that's often the most efficient use of limited time. As with the RS tours, I always learn more with tours, and have a greater appreciation for the culture and history. Happy travels!

Thank you so much for your help Ken..I sent an e mail to Kate. I guess I am a little concerned about the safety of my 12 year old on steep hiking trails so I would prefer someone who can help us. Ellen

Ellen, If you pick and choose your trails with a bit of care any of those which you could do that are "not too rigorous" will not be particularly steep nor precipitious and should be fine for most 12 year olds. The trails are very well marked, very well used, and mostly not difficult. If you take the higher ones or between certain town the trails can be steeper and narrower, especially as they go along the vineyards. I don't do particularly strenous trails usually and didn't find any problems there. If you want a guide, go for it. Most people don't use one there is my experience.

Just a data point, my 5-year-old walked the main Cinque Terre trails with me, including the Monterosso-Vernazza-Corniglia legs, with no issues at all. If anything, a 12-year-old would probably be more aware of the need to not step off the trail when there's a dropoff. We carried our 2-year-old though ;-)

Wow thank you all so much...I am a nervous nelly when it comes to my son ! :) I read the Rick Steves Italy book and it said some areas of the hike were a bit dangerous with steep drop offs so that got me a bit nervous. Thanks! Ellen

Try TrekGuyd.com. My wife and I plan to do the trails on our our, but he has been more than willing to provide information on suggested routes, conditions, etc.

Thank you Greg!!