Italy - Walking holiday along the Tuscan coast - Pisa to Elba
- On the trail of the Etruscans from Pisa to Elba -
The Etruscan coast - as the region is known between Pisa and Piombino - offers not only stunning coastlines, cultural highlights and villages worth visiting, but also a great hiking area. Varied walks both inland and along the coast make this holiday a great experience. The routes take you through pine and deciduous forests, Mediterranean maquis, as well as wild plateau plantations and white sandy beaches. Along the way, there's always the chance to jump into the cool waters and linger in the sunny bays. You'll stay in Pisa and lovely coastal towns, where you can really relax after each hike or explore the historic centre. The ferry takes you across to Elba, the island with the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean, an enchanting diversity of vegetation and fantastic walking trails. Here you'll spend two days by the sea, enjoying coastal walking at its best.
More about the route
The varied itineraries follow lovely walking paths in the forest and along the coast, as well as right-hand paths and small gravel roads, sometimes on narrow paths and on rocky terrain and sand. A basic level of fitness is required for the longer stages. Walking time is expected to be up to 5 hours maximum, allowing enough time for bathing and cultural enjoyment. The tours can be organised flexibly and mostly shortened.
Highlights of the trip
- Leaning Tower of Pisa
- The pretty village of Castiglioncello with its fine villas
- Countless bathing opportunities and secluded coves
- Etruscan coast: historic villages and exciting culture
- Long-range views of Elba, Corsica, La Gorgona and the sea
Itinerary See all daysClose all days
Take advantage of arrival day to visit the world-famous Leaning Tower and stroll through the bustling historic centre.
The first day of hiking takes you into the Pisa Mountains. From the fortress ruins of Ripafratta through an enchanting deciduous forest past the hermitage up to the "Passo di Dante". At the "Dante Pass" you have a fantastic view of the Pisa plain right out to sea. On lovely hiking trails along the Rio della Croce you go down to the beautiful spa town of San Giuliano Terme and return to Pisa by bus.
The Colli Livornesi, "Livorno Hills", offer long walks through woods, across meadows and pastures with grazing sheep in the heights. Let your eyes wander over the sea and the surrounding hills. You climb to the top of the volcanic Poggio Pelato, "the naked mountain", which offers wonderful views from its woodless summit, where black volcanic rocks emphasise the exotic atmosphere. In the afternoon you reach the beautiful coastal town of Castiglioncello.
Today a fantastic beach walk awaits. First you'll walk through the Pineta of Cecina, a pine forest with plenty of shade that stretches for many kilometres along the beach. Numerous paths lead through the dense forest canopy. Later you'll pass the unique nature reserve of the Bolgheri oasis and stroll along the soft sandy beach. A dip in the water is of course a must, or at least a stop at the beach bar.
You start in Golfo di Baratti, the Etruscan port for shipping to Elba. Next to it is the Popolonia Archaeological Park. On spectacular high-altitude paths, you continue directly over the water through dense vegetation on partially stony paths always along the coast, and in this way you get around the Piombino mountains. Along the impressive "Sentiero dei Cavallegeri" you reach the bay of Calamoresca, situated on the rocky outcrop of Punta Falcone. Now it's not far to Piombino with its beautiful historic centre and seaside lighthouse. A dream walk along the coast with bathing opportunities in many coves.
During the ferry ride you can enjoy the wind in your hair and see the big boats in the harbour, the coast in the distance and the island slowly approaching. At the end of the day, we recommend a visit to the historic centre of Portoferraio or a swim at the famous Le Ghiaie beach with white pebbles dotted with black. In the afternoon, we recommend a short tour that takes you along stunning coastal paths to Barbarossa beach and the colourful sea of Terranera.
A fantastic tour on top of the island of Elba. You'll hike past fragrant maquis groves with views of neighbouring islands and the glittering Mediterranean on Mediterranean forest and wonderful high altitude trails. You'll climb Monte Croce and observe mountain goats in their rocky habitat. We also recommend a visit to a hermitage hidden in the rocks. To finish, a dip on the beach and a final drink in the bar are a must.
The walking holiday in Tuscany is now over. You will leave the hotel in the morning.
Price includes
- 7 nights in 3- and 4-star hotels
- Breakfast every day
- Luggage transport between hotels
- Welcome briefing
- Transfer from Castagneto to Baratti
- Ferry ticket to Elba
- Carefully elaborated route descriptions maps and other materials
- Access to the route in our GPS-app which works offline while you walk
- 24-hour local and international service hotline for the duration of the tour
- This is a packaged holiday and is therefore covered by The Travel Guarantee Fund - See which benefits this means for you - click here
- Transportation to/from Pisa
- Handling fee (€20)
- Local tourist taxes (if necessary)
Practical info
The price is based upon two people sharing. It is also possible travel alone in a single room. If you travel alone a single room is necessary.
On this tour you will be on your own supplied with maps, route descriptions and luggage transfers. That means that your time is your own and you have plenty of time to enjoy the stages in your own pace.
Check the price quickly
You can quickly check the price of your desired trip without having to fill in anything. Here's how:
- Choose your desired start date
- Click on the green button "See price and reserve your holiday" and go to the booking form
- Select number of people, add any optional extras and see the price at the bottom of the page (you don't have to fill in anything on the form).
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For example, if you want a flight included or changes to the trip, you can order a quote for this using the "Get a quote" button. Remember to describe in detail what, if anything, you want changed.
The process of your booking
When you book, we will start booking hotels and arranging all the practical details of the trip. This process typically takes 2-5 working days, but some bookings may take longer. If you are arranging your own transport, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed your booking before arranging this.
Dates
If you can select the date in the tour calendar at the top of this page, this is a possible start date. We continually update the tours with sold-out dates, after which those dates will turn red and cannot be selected.
The flights to/from Pisa are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.
Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.
It works like this:
- You book your chosen holiday with us
- We confirm your holiday (usually within 48 hours)
- You arrange your transportation
Getting there
Here is a link for the perfect tool which will help you get an overview of how to get to the starting point of the tour: Rome2Rio
In the itinerary you can see some examples of the hotels we use on this tour. Notice that the hotels are examples and you may end up staying in different hotels. It depends on availability when you book the tour.
Breakfast is included every day. It is easy to find lunch in the small villages before the walks and you will have plenty of choices for dinner in the many restaurants.
Luggage transfer is included on this tour. Upon arrival at the first hotel you will be given luggage tags along with the rest of the welcome package. You fill out the luggage tags and put them on your bags where they will remain for the duration of the tour.
Your luggage is picked up from the hotel lobby around 9am every morning and will arrive at your next hotel at 6pm at the latest (often long before that). If there are any special exceptions to the luggage transfer you will be notified upon arrival.
Luggage transfer includes one bag per guest and the bags can weigh 20kg each.
You will recieve the following documentation
Upon booking
You recieve practical information about the tour in a digital format
One month before arrival
You recieve your hotel list and your voucher (hotel list is often supplied upon booking)
Upon arrival
You recieve the welcome package which contains the printed version of the road book, luggage tags, local specific vouchers and if you have rented bikes then they will also be delivered and fitted at the first hotel.
This tour has difficulty grade 2.
Grade 2
Easier walking at reasonable good paths. The walking time will be 4-6 hours usually in hilly terrain. Every one in good health and a normal physical fitness can participate. Luggage is mostly transported and you only go with a lighter backpack. Requires good footwear such as trekking shoes or hiking boots.
Read more about our Grading System
Travel Insurance In general we recommend that you are covered by a good travel insurance covering at least Medical Expenses, Illness, Personal Accident, Baggage and Repatriation. The customer is responsible to take the necessary travel insurance that covers these costs. Bering Travel, or our local partners, do not have any responsibility for our customers not being covered by a necessary travel insurance. You have to arrange your insurance in your home country.
It can be hard to plan your trip according to the weather, but to give an idea of the local climate, you can see the data below:
We are members of the Travel Guarantee Fund (nr. 2529) and have all available insurances. This covers you regardless of your nationality. Read more about that here.
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Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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