Walks of the Cinque Terre and Portofino

This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip. The location in Moneglia is superb. The beach right opposite is beautiful. The breakfasts were great in the Piccolo too. We loved the spectacular scenery of the Cinque Terre and Portofino although they are very busy locations. The best views are from above as you walk down towards them. We made wonderful new friends and enjoyed sharing meals and drinks with them. 100% recommendation.

This was a great trip, with spectacular scenery, delicious food and a comfortable hotel. Although the steps (up and down) involved should not be underestimated, the 'amber warning' refers to the rainstorm that coincided with our day off. Despite this, I would recommend this trip to anyone who enoys coastal scenery and even suggest this relatively late departure date to avoid some of the crowds in the popular Cinque Terre villages.

Wonderful location, wonderful people, wonderful walks, wonderful leader, wonderful weather - what more could you want!

Stunning scenery, great guide, very well organised.

A wonderful way to spend a week, walking the beautiful Ligurian coast, visiting the Cinque Terre villages and Portofino. The walks are well planned stopping at great places to eat lunch (Lots of good places in Moneglia to pick up a delicious slice of focaccia). Moneglia was a very pleasant town with a great atmosphere, ideal for strolling round on a warm evening. The hotel was very pleasant, and I liked the breakfasts, though fans of a Full English will be disappointed.

A fabulous week in the Cinque Terre - not to be missed! The uphill sections can be a slog but the views are so rewarding that it really is worth it. Walking between the villages of the Cinque Terre is the best way to see the beauty of the area and, on the less used paths, see fewer tourists! The group was great fun, we all got on really well. Hotel Piccolo offers great breakfasts and the rooms are clean and adequate - it's easy to find walking from the station.

I loved this trip, the scenery was stunning and definitely worth the hike up to get the best views. The Piccolo Hotel was situated about 50 yards from the Beach which was great for when we got back and could pop in for a quick swim and to ease to achy legs. Not forgetting the daily Gelato. My only criticism was I felt my room was very basic, it was also dark, the air conditioning only worked when the windows and shutters were closed. Unfortunately no natural daylight which was a shame as there were some lovely rooms. I had paid £400 for the single room supplement, I wouldn’t have been happy having to share with someone. On the upside the breakfasts were amazing, plenty of choice.

An excellent week in every way - sunny weather, wonderfully scenic walks along coastal paths, through forests and across high terraces and a good hotel base in Moneglia where a number of restaurants offered a choice for evening meals. On the “free” day we took the boat from Monterosso to Porto Venere which enabled us to see all the villages from the sea and recognise some of the paths we’d walked.

We had a great time hiking the Ligurian hills and the Cinque Terre towns. Michela was a great guide, she immediately became an integral part of our group with her gentle, yet thoughtful leadership. We had wonderful views, beautifully-maintained trails and a lot of laughs. Some of us raced ahead to explore all that nature had to offer while others meandered slowly taking pictures of everything. The trail options made our trip accessible to everyone in our group with all our varied walking and hiking abilities. We enjoyed exploring new towns everyday and trying our language skills with everyone we met.

A very pleasant week exploring the coastal walks. Emily, our guide, was very well prepared and flexed the week to suit recent feedback, weather and the needs of the group members. Due to the hot weather, several of the walks were strenuous in places, but always rewarded us with spectacular views.