Walking in Umbria

The trip is ideal for travelers who want to delve deep into Umbria’s cultural and historical roots, enjoying a slower pace that allows for ample time to savor local wines and traditional cuisine. This tour offers a mix of easy and easy to moderate hikes following routes through the Umbrian countryside, staying in hand-picked accommodations in historical and very appealing towns. It will be of particular interest to those who love architecture, art (oh those frescoes!), the delicious local cuisine (oh those truffles!) and, of course, world-class wines. It also includes some walks on the famed Way of St Francis pilgrimage route and finishes in St Francis's birthplace Assisi. The hiking distances are manageable with the longest hike being 16kms (10mi), and there is an included rest day in the hill top town of Montefalco, where you can wander through the medieval streets and take in the incredible far-reaching views. It's perfect for anyone who hikes regularly and wants to explore at their own pace. There are ascents/descents to the hill towns, due to the nature of the rolling Umbrian scenery, so it’s best to train ahead of time and do some practice hikes including stairs and ascents and descents like those you will experience on the trip while carrying your day bag. If time allows, we suggest adding an additional day at the end of the trip in historic Assisi to soak up the atmosphere of this important pilgrimage stop on the Way of St Francis, and rejuvenate before continuing with onward travel.

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers, Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This trip is graded ‘easy to moderate’ overall with hiking days of up to 16km/10mi. Most of the hikes are not that hilly, but the hikes on days 2 and 3 do include more significant ascents/descents of over 500m/1,640ft. Also the hikes on days 2 and 6 are the longest on the tour, and are just shy of 16km/10mi in distance.

On day 7 there are two hikes and we have based the trip grading and distances on the easier option. If you choose to take the longer and harder hiking option this day, this is a moderate graded hike. This trip is suitable for those with a good level of fitness, and it is advisable that you have had previous hiking experience. Most of the route follows either gravel or dirt tracks and trails, and you will also be walking on quiet rural roads.  It’s best ahead to train of time and do some practice hikes including ascents and descents like those you will experience on the trip while carrying your day bag. Should you wish to skip a hike between towns then you will be responsible for taking a taxi or bus (if possible) to the next place.

Stay in charming small hotels, guesthouses and agriturismos. We carefully select small and friendly accommodation that offers great value, so you enjoy every minute. All ae located in glorious settings, be it a town, a hamlet, or rolling countryside.

Many of our hikers choose to add extra nights along the hike to sample more of the wonderful hiking and attractions available in Umbria. If time allows, we recommend adding an additional night at the end of the tour in Assisi to further explore this iconic city.

Solo Hikers & Single Rooms

This trip is available to solo hikers, although there is a supplement due to the fact that some of the costs (such as transfers) are not shared. Single rooms are available on request and a supplement is payable.

Meals

The delicious Umbrian food and wine are undoubtedly a highlight of this vacation.

Breakfast is included each morning and normally consists of a traditional European style continental breakfast or buffet breakfast that often includes coffee, tea, yogurt, granola, meat, cheese, and baked goods. In some cases, a hot dish (eggs, pancakes, etc.) will be served or offered á la carte. 

Lunches and dinners are not included in this trip. We recommend finding cafés or restaurants located in the towns or along the hiking route, or to purchase snacks and a picnic lunch to bring along on the hikes from local supermarkets and markets. Alternatively, most accommodations will be happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby restaurants. Further details can be found within your Information Pack and the Macs Adventure Smartphone App.

The routes are waymarked in some areas, especially when you are hiking on the Way of St Francis, but not in others. However, we provide the Macs Adventure Smartphone App making it simple to follow the route using a smartphone. Rest assured that by downloading the route maps in our app, that this will continue to work even in areas without any mobile or internet reception. For extra reassurance there are turn-by-turn route notes within the app too for the majority of hikes.

This tour is available to start anytime between April to October.

Peak Season Availability

Umbria is a popular destination, so we suggest booking as soon as possible to ensure availability for specific dates. Availability in Spoleto is challenging around the time of the Festival di Spoleto, which is held each year, normally in the first two weeks of July. There may also be a supplement to pay if you wish to go during this time.

Time of Year

The spring months of April, May and June offer warm sunshine, fewer crowds, and pleasant hiking conditions. May is when most wildflowers are coming into bloom. The autumn months of September and October are also a favourable time of year, boasting cooler weather and a striking landscape made up of autumnal colours. June, July and August are good months to go but can be very hot for walking and therefore aren’t best suited for everyone. You will have to start early to miss the heat of the day, rest in the shade during the height of the heat of the day, and carry a lot of water (additional weight) with you. You also need to ensure you dress appropriately and have sun protection with you including a sun hat that protects your head and neck, and high SPF sunscreen. The towns and villages are buzzing at this time of year which is great to see.

It's worth noting that the later in the year you choose to travel, the higher the likelihood of rain (October-March is when the rainfall is more likely). Also before Easter and in late October some local shops and restaurants may have reduced opening times or have closed for the winter.

In order to get to Spoleto you can fly into Umbria Airport (PEG) in Perugia or either of the Rome Airports (FCO or CIA). Flights in and out of Umbria Airport are limited, however there may be connecting flights out of London and other smaller European airports.

From Umbria Airport (PEG) you can take a shuttle bus to the city centre and then board a train to Spoleto which takes approx. 1 hour.

Rome has two airports. From Fiumicino Airport (FCO) take a train to Rome's central train station - Roma Termini (taking about 30 minutes). From Ciampino Airport (CIA) there’s a bus to Roma Termini. (taking about 45 minutes). From here board a train to Spoleto, which takes approx. 1.5 hrs.

Please check the Trenitalia website for train timetable planning. Another useful website is Go Euro.

Since Assisi Train Station is located about 3km/1.9mi from central Assisi, you will need to take either a bus or taxi to get to it. Once at the train station, Assisi is on the main train line between Perugia and Rome, therefore Umbria Airport in Perugia or either of the Rome Airports are easily accessible. It will take only 20 minutes to Perugia and just over 2 hours to get to Rome, not taking into account the shuttles to the airports from the center of both cities (see getting to the start for further information about these).

It is also possible to get a direct bus (E007) from the center of Assisi to Umbria Airport. It runs twice daily (morning and evening service) and takes about 50 minutes.

One bag of up to 20kg/44lbs per person will be transferred from each accommodation to the next.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.