Guided or self-guided? What is the best trip for you?
What does an independent/self-guided trip mean?
- Our independent or self-guided walking tours (we use the two terms interchangeably) offer the best selection of walks & treks around Italy, where you get to choose who you go with, what pace to go at, and when you want to go. You get to be the guide! We provide you with our detailed Route Notes & Maps, outlining the recommended walking routes that take you to your evening’s accommodation, on a step-by-step basis. This gives you the freedom to do some spectacular walks without the need for a guide.
- Meanwhile, we take care of your luggage and accommodation: our driver transports your luggage from accommodation to accommodation and we sort out your room/s for the night, so you don’t need to carry much more than your camera, water and perhaps a picnic lunch. You can enjoy your walk in the knowledge that your luggage will be ready and waiting for you at your next accommodation.
What does self-guided cycling mean?
- Our self-guided/independent cycling tours offer a wide range of cycling routes, featuring the most beautiful regions in Italy, where you get to choose who you cycle with, what pace to go at, and when you want to go. You get to be the guide! We provide you with our detailed Route Notes & Maps, outlining the recommended cycling routes that take you to your evening’s accommodation, on a step-by-step basis. This gives you the freedom to cycle some spectacular routes without the need for a guide.
- Meanwhile, we take care of your luggage and accommodation: our driver transports your luggage from accommodation to accommodation and we sort out your room/s for the night, so you don’t need to carry much more than your camera, water and perhaps a picnic lunch. You can enjoy your ride in the knowledge that your luggage will be ready and waiting for you at your next accommodation.
What about a small group hiking adventure ?
- Our small group adventure walking tours offer the best selection of walks & treks around Italy, where you get to explore a fascinating area (or areas) with a small group of fellow travellers from around the globe, led by our knowledgeable expert local guides.
- Genius Loci Travel has always strived to stay away from mass tourism. For this reason we never have more than 15 people in a group (in fact, on most trips we limit the group to 12) – small enough to be able to select the best little ‘boutique’ hotels and avoid having a negative impact on the places you visit. The small group size also allows you to travel to special places and immerse yourself in the real country, without having to follow an umbrella…
- In the meantime, we take care of your luggage and accommodation: our driver transports your luggage from accommodation to accommodation and we sort out your room/s for the night, so you don’t need to carry much more than your camera, water and perhaps a picnic lunch. You can enjoy your walk in the knowledge that your luggage will be ready and waiting for you at your next accommodation.
What about a small group cycling adventure ?
- On our small group adventure cycling tours you get to explore a fascinating area (or areas) with a small group of fellow travellers from around the globe, led by our knowledgeable expert local guides. Our guides will ride along with you – on the bike – while a second route manager/expert mechanic ride with our support vewhicle behind the group.
- All our group tours have full vehicle support !
- Genius Loci Travel has always strived to stay away from mass tourism. For this reason we never have more than 15 people in a group (in fact, on most trips we limit the group to 12) – small enough to be able to select the best little ‘boutique’ hotels and avoid having a negative impact on the places you visit. The small group size also allows you to travel to special places and immerse yourself in the real country, without having to follow an umbrella…
- In the meantime, we take care of your luggage and accommodation: our driver transports your luggage from accommodation to accommodation and we sort out your room/s for the night, so you don’t need to carry much more than your camera, water and perhaps a picnic lunch. You can enjoy your ride in the knowledge that your luggage will be ready and waiting for you at your next accommodation.
What does a drive & hike tour mean?
- Our drive & hike tours offer the best selection of walks & treks around Italy, where you get to choose who you go with, what pace to go at, and when you want to go. You get to be the guide! We provide you with our detailed Route Notes & Maps, outlining the recommended excursions or things to see, on a step-by-step basis. These give you the freedom to do some spectacular walking and cycling excursions without the need for a guide. The difference on these tours is that the car allows you to explore a much wider area of Italy with relative ease.
- These tours arguably give you more freedom than any others. They are carefully planned, yet offer you the opportunity to add a personal touch to your holiday. The freedom comes from having your own transport: the car (either your own or rented) allows you to cover a much wider area of Italy and you can walk, cycle, go sightseeing, or simply relax for a bit – the choice is entirely up to you!
- Meanwhile, we arrange the nicest hotels and agriturismos for you at special, carefully chosen locations. Furthermore, we provide you with local information and plenty of alternative activities for each day: inside tips on sightseeing opportunities and cultural highlights, and extensive notes on walking and cycling excursions.
Which tour is best for you?
- If you prefer to travel with just your own companions or by yourself, and are confident about walking or cycling in a foreign country, we recommend doing the self-guided/independent or drive & hike If instead you prefer to meet new travelling companions from across the world, are less confident or have less experience in travelling and interacting in a foreign country, or are simply interested in getting the expert local insight offered by our guides, then we recommend doing the small group adventures (both walking and cycling available).
- What are your main interests: a serious walking/cycling challenge? Nature? Culture? History? Gastronomy? A combination of all of these things? All of our trips have been specially designed to find the most spectacular and interesting walking or cycling routes.
You can of course tailor your trip to your own interests, but you may find that we have already chosen the best options on our range of trips. You will notice that there are often several different trips covering the same areas (there are a number of different self-guided walking trips around Amalfi, for example). This is because each trip takes in different aspects that appeal to different travellers and their interests. Our staff will be happy to give you advice about which trip is best for you according to your specific interests.
Please contact us in case you want advise.
