Walks of the Cinque Terre and Portofino

Trip was great, sites and scenery was amazing. One of the best places in Italy to visit. Our guide Michela was brilliant, well organised efficient and loads of fun as well. Nothing was to much trouble for her.

At the end of September we were a bit surprised that the villages were still quite crowded, but really pretty, especially when viewed from the hills above. The walks were quite long, and steep in places, but everyone managed them; there are options to cut some of the walks short by taking the train back, but nobody wanted to miss out on the whole experience. The trip notes warn that some of the long downhill sections are not ideal for vulnerable knees, and I would suggest taking this advice seriously. Our guide, Michele, was efficient and great company. The Picollo hotel in Moneglia is a very good choice; family run, friendly, with good food, a pool, sun deck and close to the beach. The trains we used were excellent.

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.

This was my first Exodus walking holiday and I will definetly be doing more. Our guide Michela was fantastic, making every day a day to remember. Her walks were sometimes challenging but always within everyone's capabilities and we visited some amazing villages. The holiday did not stop there as Moneglia where we stayed was full of restaurants which made for wonderful evenings out.

We have only very recently returned from the Exodus Adventure Holiday 'Walks of the Cinque Terre and Portofino' We had the most wonderful time exploring the stunning coast line and beautiful villages in this UNESCO World Heritage region. Using the excellent and efficient Italian train service we were able to access the start of each days walk. We climbed, and we descended through the steep hills and promontories that are the feature of this coast line, and go someway to preserving its unspoilt beauty. It was a hot week, but all of the walks were perfectly paced to meet all of the group needs, and expertly led by our wonderful guide. The History and geography of the area was explained to us as we went. The Cinque Terre villages revealed themselves through tantalising glimpses from upon high before we finally descended into their charming hearts. For anyone wanting to experience this stunning area of Italy, then this holiday is the perfect presentation. Exodus continue to deliver experiences to cherish for a lifetime.

This was a great holiday walking in lovely countryside by the coast and visiting the picturesque villages of the Cinque Terre and Portofino. The walks themselves were usually very steep and would not suit everyone, a good level of fitness is required although you don't need to be a mountaineer. The hotel in Moneglia is on the beach and we were able to swim after the walk every day. I was away during the first week of October, I didn't see any rain and the average daily temperature was 24-25C but the previous week had been wet so no guarantees!

A very well organised trip and excellent guide who was always decisive and unruffled when there were changes forced on her by weather or authorities. The hotel in Moneglia was very good, serving a good evening meal on the first night and a wide selection of breakfast food in the mornings. Moneglia was certainly quieter than the places we visited during week, so was quite restful. Travelling by train to each start point was enjoyable and quick in comparison to road travel around the area. The walks I would have said were graded a bit low at 3, certainly the steps and rocky climbs and descents needed a good set of knees and or walking poles, walking boots essential. Not a set of walks for trainers, though one did see idiots in insubstantial footwear attempting them. Wonderful views of the villages of the Cinque Terre and coastline as the walks progressed. Walk to Portofino was pleasant but the place was quite crowded even in May as we experienced . Three cruise ships anchored in the bay on one day would not have helped matters. If you don't mind being organised by someone and can go with the flow this is an excellent trip. We did not have to pay for anything in terms of travel during the days apart from lunch on the those when packed lunches were not provided. On the basis on this trip which was my first with Exodus I would definitely consider other tours with them.

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.

Moneglia, a small seaside resort, was a great base for our walking holiday away from the crowds of the more popular villages of Cinque Terre. The Hotel Piccolo was perfectand the staff were very friendly. Our room was spacious and clean with a safe and tea and coffee making facilities. We also had a small balcony where we could sit and have a beer but there was also a sun terrace with a jacuzzi and outside terraces facing the street to sit on and have a drink with our group. It was great to have access to the indoor swimming pool at the end of the day's walk but unfortunately the sauna was never switched on. Breakfast was more than adequate with a limited range of cereals, scrambled eggs and bacon, ham and cheese, bread, fruit, yogurt and cakes. The daily walks all started with a trip to the train station to get us to the start of our walk.

This was my third Italian walking trip with Exodus, and certainly matched the previous walks in the excellence of our guide (Michela), hotel accommodation and experience of this fascinating part of Italy. We had two bad days of torrential rain, which forced a re-think on how we would spend our free day. On the second day, the scheduled walk would have been dangerous so a different option was chosen. The walks we were able to do in the good weather were challenging, but definately worth the effort for the glorious views down to the cinque terra towns. There were options for those that found the going a bit tough, and preferred a more relaxing pace but most chose to follow our guide.