Wonderful Walks in Italy - known as "Bel Paese" - the beautiful country

With more UNESCO world heritage sites than anywhere on Earth, you’ll experience a profound sense of diversity between each region, with the geography, culture and cuisine promising much in the way of discovery.  From the vineyards of Piedmont and Tuscany to the clifftop routes of the Western coast and Puglia, walking in Italy offers the chance to take a breather, tune out and enjoy the picturesque surroundings of Bella Italia.

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Overview of Italy’s Paths

From the alpine, vineyard paths of the north, the quiet country lanes of Tuscany and the clifftop paths of the south, walking Italy is the insider's tip for seeing the best of a beautiful country without the crowds and queuing that comes with its popular status.
Although Italy is not commonly thought of as a hiking destination, the country in fact holds a comprehensive network of trails, and you could argue that visiting Italy becomes a more magical experience once you leave the city, with the traditional life and landscape of the countryside open for discovery. Routes have their background in the life of the area, with ancient droving trails or 'Traturri' formerly used by shepherds and clifftop paths formerly used for trading between the area’s villages.

Walking Holidays in Italy

When to Walk

Italy enjoys some of the most radiant weather found while travelling in Europe, and there’s a great deal of diversity in climate to be found across its provinces. Before you set off, it's best practice to consider a number of factors that could impact your walking experience.

If you’re planning on setting off during July and August, you may wish to consider walking in Piedmont, with the alpine area being considerably less sweltering than its more southerly neighbours, as well as less busy overall. Although this is especially the case in Amalfi and the Cinque Terre National Park, you may find that taking to the hiking trails promises a more peaceful and natural environment than the area’s busy beaches.

How to Get to Italy

The most common means of getting to the start of a walk is by flight to a major airport, with a connecting train, bus or taxi to your starting point further out into the country.

Celtic Trails transports all luggage, and books all accommodation and taxi transfers as standard. Transport to and from the start of your walk is not included, but we are more than happy to advise on the best ways to get there.

By Plane – As you may expect from a country with a booming tourist industry, flights to and from Italy are frequent and cover broad swathes of the country. There are frequent internal flight to smaller airports, though you’ll find that the range of airports being visited by international destinations is greater than ever.

If you’re travelling from the UK, you can expect your flight to take around 2-3 hours. Visitors from the US can expect a flight to Italy to last around 11-13 hours, and from Australia, approximately 20-22 hours.

By Train – Taking a train from most places in the UK and the continent will necessitate taking a journey over two days. That being said, it is possible to travel from London to Turin (in the north, between Genoa and Milan) over the course of a single day.

Travel Documents

EU citizens are free to visit Italy for any length of time with just their passport, Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, etc. can stay for up to 90 days.

Most non-EU citizens will not require a visa to enter Italy, it is however best policy to check your travel status first.

Italy Client Reviews

4.6/5 based on 22 reviews
The walking guide materials and the app were very well done and helpful.
- October 2023
Our walking trip in Italy was good, we could also talk to S-cape in the office of Florence and just like yourselves, they were very kind too. We are going to do two walks with you again, in Wales next April.
- September 2023
Very professional, comprehensive, responsive and excellent communication and support right throughout; could not recommend more highly.
- September 2023
The walks are priced fairly and the service was excellent. Communication is clear and concise.
- September 2023
I would recommend Celtic Trails.
- June 2023
This was our 4th Celtic Trails trip. We have been well satisfied with all of them. We had a day of illness and the agent was very responsive in arranging a taxi for us to get to that next point.
- May 2023
We have done a lot of long distance walking earlier, but have arranged everything ourselves. We wanted to walk on the heel of Italy and we found the Celtic Trail arrangement interresting and they did live up to our expectations. We loved this walk along the Adriatic sea with perfect timing for spring flowers blossoming and in sunny weather.
- April 2023
This was was a perfect way to see the area - it was both relaxing and uplifting. The transfers were flawless. I would recommend Celtic Trails to a friend.
- April 2023
Celtic Trails has become my go to company for hiking as I trust their accommodations and hiking directions. They are easy to communicate with too. Much better than other companies.
- November 2022
Our experience with Celtic Trails was: well planned - helpful - effective - nice accomm.
- October 2022
Celtic Trails are an excellent company to book a walking tour through. Great walking packed.
- October 2022
We will wax lyrical about our experience with Celtic Trails. Everything worked out well.
- September 2022
Celtic Trails are a professional service - engaging team who helped us navigate through the different options, with a deep knowledge of their offering. Customer service was excellent - informative, friendly, knowledgeable and always prompt.
- June 2022
Celtic Trails were very accommodating about applying 2020 deposits for a 2022 trips, adding extra nights and other requests. Loved the beautiful scenery and met nice people, but June was too hot for hiking in Tuscany.
- June 2022
An enjoyable challenge. Most accommodation was a high standard. Definitely need to download apps.
- May 2022
Walk info and travel arrangements were excellent.
- April 2022
All superb. No thinking, just walk and everything will be spick and span. I managed to find much needed serenity and peave. Breathtaking scenery was an additional plus. All accommodations were super clean and definitely excellent value for the money. Staff helpful and kind. I enjoyed every single part and will walk again. Celtic Trails and their partner made my holiday! Excellent experience.
- August 2021
Celtic Trail were prompt and efficient. Excellent organisation of arrangements in Italy. This holiday had a positive impact on our health and well-being - we have returned to Australia refreshed, with the batteries recharged.
- November 2019
Very good.
- October 2019
After three summers of hiking in cooler climates, the team decided to try Italy. The Puglia region was fascinating and relatively undiscovered. The scenery and water were wonderful. People were very friendly and helpful, with a language barrier. Celtic Trails are better than other companies we've used - they provide a complete hike trip. The hikes are very well planned, material arrives in a timely manner; accommodations are well situated for the hike. The hikes are well orchestrated , leaving little to chance.
- July 2019
Nathan has always responded to my queries promptly. The walk pack is excellent and it was great to receive it 4 weeks before departure so that I could get train times and other information organised before our arrival in Italy. It was good to have the same person dealing with my booking - and the walk pack was excellent.
- June 2019
Celtic Trails provided excellent logistics. We returned feeling refreshed, with a desire to do another walking tour. The scenery was spectacular and varied; some paths followed the coastline and sometimes they went inland. There were paths through olive groves and fields of wildflowers.
- May 2019
Leave your own review of your Italy Walking Holiday with us - add review.

Walking Holidays In Italy - Destination Guide

Language

Though the many Italians you meet working in the main tourists towns and cities will be likely to speak English, it's considered polite to put your requests in Italian. Most will appreciate the effort, and switch the exchange to English if they can see that you’re struggling. Please bear in mind that in more remote and less populous communities, you'll be less likely to be able to converse in English, especially with older generations.

As is often the case with travelling to a new country, a few handy phrases, dictionary or App - can get you a long way. As with your own language, a simple change in the way you phrase requests can elicit a much more favourable response. Subtle differences like ‘posso avere un bicchiere di vino?’ (could I have a glass of wine?) rather than ‘voglio un bicchiere di vino’ (I want a glass of wine) creates a much more considerate impression.

Cuisine

It’s a fact that Italian cuisine is one of the country's most famous cultural exports, and there’s no better way to try celebrated dishes than in their place of origin. A visit to somewhere like Amalfi wouldn’t be complete without trying pizza in the area in which it originated, and while you’re visiting Positano (on the Amalfi Coast), the Pizzeria Ristorante Saraceno d'Oro or the Ristorante il Fornillo ae both fantastic choices for pizza rustica.

Differences in cuisine can vary quite dramatically between localities, and it's not uncommon for communes and small towns to hold festivals (sagre) celebrating the most famous dish/ingredient of their region.

Wine

With over 350 indigenous varieties of wine across Italy alone, picking the best bottle can be an intimidating prospect. Even so, having a rough idea of what to look for should put you in good stead. Sometimes sticking to the classics is the best policy, and walkers in Tuscany may be aware of the famous Chianti and Brunello wines produced in the region. Further north in Piedmont, you’ll find the celebrated Barolo wine, produced in the Langhe region. The vineyards of these regions are a common fixture of the countryside, and you can experience the satisfaction of exploring the very landscapes where these prestigious wines are produced.

A good indicator of quality is the DOCG (translated as: controlled and guaranteed designation of origin) label emblazoned on the bottle - a guarantee that a traditional set of processes and ingredients have gone into the wine’s production.

Extending Your Trip

Italy is one of the most diverse countries you can hope to visit, with a lot to offer in terms of culture, geography and activities. No matter where you wander across the country, you can be assured that there is somewhere special to visit or spend a few days out exploring, following the end of your journey. Looking for an island retreat? Well, look no further than Sardinia (flights to Caligari), or the Aeolian Isles (just off the coast of Sicily), and if it's rich history and culture you’re after, then why not extend a walking break in Tuscany with a visit to the city of Florence or Pisa.

Money

Italy uses the Euro. Most shops, hotels and restaurants accept all major debit and credit cards, although you should always carry a little cash with you, particularly when visiting more rural areas or when using small businesses. You will also find an ATM in most small towns.

Tipping in most cafes and restaurants is not mandatory, most establishments will include a tip as part of the servizio (service charge) on your restaurant bill and/or the coperto (cover charge). Where this isn’t the case, anything between 5% and 15%, depending on the quality of service is acceptable. It is not necessary to tip bar staff as you will usually order and collect your drinks at the bar.

Internet and Phone coverage

EU legislation means that normal rates on what were called ‘roaming charges’, have been slashed significantly, which means you won't be charged any extra fees to use your UK allowance of minutes, texts or (most) data in the EU. However if you use mobile phone data quite frequently, you may be charged significantly when not connected to free wi-fi. If you’re travelling from outside the EU, or use data on your phone quite often, you may want to consider buying an Italian sim card as this can be quite handy for finding museum hours, booking tables and calling taxis etc.

Whilst phone and internet coverage across Italian cities is generally good, with 4G/5G rolled out successfully across communities in recent years, be aware that rural areas may have limited coverage. For this reason it is best to plan ahead and not rely on having coverage when you are out and about. In towns and villages there will generally be phone reception but not always mobile internet. It is increasingly common to have free wi-fi in cafes, hotels and B&Bs, but not guaranteed.

Medical Cover

Healthcare systems vary from one country to the next and may not include everything you expect to be free of charge where you come from. EU nationals can use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access the necessary state-provided healthcare in Italy at a reduced cost, or even for free. The EHIC card also covers pre-existing medical conditions, although not for anyone travelling with the express purpose of seeking medical treatment. How to apply and more information is found on the NHS site. Emergency numbers and contacts are included as part of your walk pack.

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