CTTours - Cinque Terre Private Tours and Shore Excursions
CTTours - Cinque Terre Private Tours and Shore Excursions
CTTours - Cinque Terre Private Tours and Shore Excursions
4.5
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About
Welcome! I'm Umberto Cattani professional tour guide and owner of Cinque Terre Tours. Together with my network of reliable guides and drivers I'm able to provide guided tours, day-trips and shore excursions at the highest standards. Visit the website and learn more about my tour proposals.
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CTTours - Cinque Terre Private Tours and Shore Excursions
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
349 reviews
Excellent
290
Very good
35
Average
10
Poor
8
Terrible
6
KLTSingh
Chelmsford, UK45 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
We did two tours with CTT. Amazing and knowledgable guides. Gianni took us to Genoa- passionate about his home and we did so much - we saw everything. Absolutely brilliant
Sabrina took us to Pisa and Portovenere. Excellent- dedicated and passionate. Fantastic
Umberto- we communicated with him before hand and he just knows everything. Excellent recommendations for tours and restaurants.
We will defo be back to do more with Umberto
And excellent value for money
Sabrina took us to Pisa and Portovenere. Excellent- dedicated and passionate. Fantastic
Umberto- we communicated with him before hand and he just knows everything. Excellent recommendations for tours and restaurants.
We will defo be back to do more with Umberto
And excellent value for money
Written October 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David D
Westchester County, NY86 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
Our Cinque Terre tour was nice but because of a misunderstanding/misinterpretation on our part, it was completely overpriced for us. What we wound up paying for was a private “tour” which was transportation, the convenience of being picked up at our hotel, and being escorted on and off the ferry at each town. We thought we were getting a guided tour, instead we got an escorted tour. The company’s literature is not very clear and we let them know this. Our driver Stefano and Tour Leader Luigi were very pleasant and professional but did not provide any additional information on the villages we visited. Luigi did take us to the ferry and told us there were good places to eat in each location but nothing more. We did not receive history, stories or background on the locations. If we had known this in advance, we would have taken the less expensive group tour and driven to Pisa to meet the tour bus. But, if you have a larger group, say 6 or 8 people, this type of private “tour” may work better. Our group was only 3. With a smaller party it’s better to save yourself some Euros and skip the private tour. It was not worth it.
Written November 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
whones
1 contribution
Jul 2022
We hired Umberto to take us on a private tour of the Cinque Terre, and we were not disappointed! Umberto picked us up from our apartment in Florence and brought us to the 5Terre. He is knowledgeable and passionate and was able to connect with all of us, including our teenage children. Umberto was sure to point out each towns particular nuances and was very knowledgeable and professional. This trip was a highlight of our European vacation, and we can not recommend Umberto enough. Thank you!
Written August 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathleen A
22 contributions
Mar 2022
We used Walkabout Florence tours to explore Cinque Terre, and they did a great job. Chris was our guide and he was amazing--very knowledgeable about the area and enthusiastic. I knew he did this tour often and had repeated the same info over and over, but he made it seem fresh and interesting. There were also a lot of options for those that didn't want to do the hike, but I was looking forward to it. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. I can't wait to go back!
Written April 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
apd1212
Ashland, MA158 contributions
Sep 2021
Touring Cinque Terra with Umberto was fantastic. He is a highly knowledgeable, informative, and personable guide. Walking through the towns, learning their histories, popping into small wine making "shops", all while having Umberto interact with locals was terrific. We also took a boat excursion to see Cinque Terre from the ocean and it is such a great way to see the beauty of this area. Highly recommend using CT Tours di Umberto Cattani.
Written November 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jamil2020
Stockholm, Sweden3 contributions
Umberto was our guide. We started the tour from the marble quarries in Carrara. It was incredibly interesting. We are very impressed by Umbertos knowledge about the history and activities of the quarries.
We continued to Cinque Terre. The views are stunning, and again Umberto told us about life before and nowadays in the charming villages.
We absolutely recommend this tour and Umberto as a guide. He is a very nice and knowledgeable person.
We continued to Cinque Terre. The views are stunning, and again Umberto told us about life before and nowadays in the charming villages.
We absolutely recommend this tour and Umberto as a guide. He is a very nice and knowledgeable person.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ritu D
Tallinn, Estonia18 contributions
Jun 2019
An absolute YES to this visit. The hidden man-made/constructed jewels of the beautiful landscapes would just be mesmerising as one cruises through the waters along the Italian riveira.
Written February 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RedondoTraveler
Redondo Beach, CA9 contributions
Sep 2019
Our half-day Carrara Marble Tour with Umberto was one of the highlights of our trip to Italy. When we realized that we wanted to book a tour from where we were staying in Lucca, we were initially disappointed to discover that there were none available on the day we had free. But as it turned out, we could not have hoped for a better tour than the one that we had with Umberto.
The day began with Umberto picking us up from our hotel in Lucca, then driving us to Carrara. He not only discussed the history of the region and the marble quarries in the area, but took us to visit a marble factory, a sculptor's workshop, a museum, and a place where we could watch the workers in the quarry. It was fascinating!
After our visit to the quarry, he was most helpful with our buying train tickets for our trip onward to Florence and taking us to a place where we could buy lunch to take along with us. Going "above and beyond", when he discovered that my husband had left his sunglasses in the car, Umberto came back to the train station and found us. We appreciated so much this extra, personal touch.
When I look at our pictures, I will always be happy with this memorable experience.
The day began with Umberto picking us up from our hotel in Lucca, then driving us to Carrara. He not only discussed the history of the region and the marble quarries in the area, but took us to visit a marble factory, a sculptor's workshop, a museum, and a place where we could watch the workers in the quarry. It was fascinating!
After our visit to the quarry, he was most helpful with our buying train tickets for our trip onward to Florence and taking us to a place where we could buy lunch to take along with us. Going "above and beyond", when he discovered that my husband had left his sunglasses in the car, Umberto came back to the train station and found us. We appreciated so much this extra, personal touch.
When I look at our pictures, I will always be happy with this memorable experience.
Written October 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glenn G
Conception Bay South, Canada28 contributions
Sep 2019
Where do I begin and end. We booked this tour through Celebrity Cruiseline, a great cruise in itself. The positive; Duna herself was very calm, obliging friendly and easy to understand. Cinque Terre and Portovenere are amazingly beautiful; these are gems not to be left uncovered for sure. So the visits themselves were worth the time and some of the money. So stunningly picturesque. The driver, I will spell it my way as Andrewso, not it but along those lines, was a very good driver and so protective.
Now the Negative: Far too long bus encounters; Needs to be a couple more stop and stretches at places that can be used as photo opps there were so many; but part of this I know was that there was NO ferry which we all expected wholly and chose the visitation for this reason mainly, same as with the Amalfi Coast tour. Too bad we didn't know as I believe without the boat ride, I would say several would have declined. The time on the bus was far too long overall. Then came all the "What the hell?"s. Back to Duna, the friendly obliging guide. She was constantly feeding us information that never transpired or very late or was contradictory. Along the way she talked about having lunch and a wine tasting experience. We thought it may be one in the same or one followed by the other, as per the prescribed time. Well..... that's just it NOTHING was a prescribed time from the start. It kept changing as did the meeting points and times and everyone was totally confused........ and very hungry by 3:30. We expected to eat maybe in Cinque Terre, but we didn't know for sure, but in hindsight we should have; there was not enough time spent there and enjoy it better and to have lunch at the near empty restaurants would have been ideal. Instead we ended up travelling forever, timelines unknown, and finally we had to say Duna we are hungry and need to eat. That became quite challenging as even at 3:30 most places were packed in Portovenere. There is far too much to tell you about the open and closed places we were supposed, or not supposed to see. Nobody knew for sure. In all there was no structure to this tour and to see or not to see that was the question. Want to know about "The Wine tasting"? Well, it was to take place at 12:40pm. There was no ferry as specified so that should have given the buses more time to follow Plan B; Hello? There was not much Plan A let alone Plan B. So......... ALL the buses ended up at the "Wine Tasting" at about 3pm at the same time! Yes 200 people in line to receive "communion", a small morsel of bread or 2, to be washed down with about 2 ounces of wine, in a very small squatty area where my wife personally was asked to pass around multiple glasses of "the wine" because too many people were jammed into the small cafe area. Say a prayer after communion and get the hell out. So then everyone "was released" to find a place to hopefully EAT, even though Duna was convinced that most places were closed at 2pm, near the end of tourist season. Well most places were OPEN but packed. We managed to get a great meal however, then just enough time to get to our meeting place and get back on a packed train in order to climb the bus for another half hour, hour, we weren't sure.
So if this description was written in Celebrity's Shore Excursions brochure, would you pay $159 for it? I know that the Shore Excursions counters back on board Celebrity was blocked with people lined to complain after that tour and refunding the ferry ride only is a joke. Celebrity was fantastic as a cruise and everything it offered but NOT THIS TOUR! So the visit was beautiful indeed, but the times allocated to each place was terrible, lack of structure, and no plan B, all contributed to a terrible experience. And just to compare, we did the Amalfi Coast and Pompei tour 2 days later. That was almost a 10, because it did EVERYTHING that did not happen on the Cinque Terre and Portovenere tour, ie. fantastic meal on time in a beautiful non crowded restaurant with beverages, "INCLUDED" in the tour price, so this Cinque Terre tour I wrote about gets a "2", just for the pictures I could get. Celebrity Cruiselines; fantastic; Shore Excursions Don't Bother. I still can't believe I paid $159 x 2 for that fiasco.
Now the Negative: Far too long bus encounters; Needs to be a couple more stop and stretches at places that can be used as photo opps there were so many; but part of this I know was that there was NO ferry which we all expected wholly and chose the visitation for this reason mainly, same as with the Amalfi Coast tour. Too bad we didn't know as I believe without the boat ride, I would say several would have declined. The time on the bus was far too long overall. Then came all the "What the hell?"s. Back to Duna, the friendly obliging guide. She was constantly feeding us information that never transpired or very late or was contradictory. Along the way she talked about having lunch and a wine tasting experience. We thought it may be one in the same or one followed by the other, as per the prescribed time. Well..... that's just it NOTHING was a prescribed time from the start. It kept changing as did the meeting points and times and everyone was totally confused........ and very hungry by 3:30. We expected to eat maybe in Cinque Terre, but we didn't know for sure, but in hindsight we should have; there was not enough time spent there and enjoy it better and to have lunch at the near empty restaurants would have been ideal. Instead we ended up travelling forever, timelines unknown, and finally we had to say Duna we are hungry and need to eat. That became quite challenging as even at 3:30 most places were packed in Portovenere. There is far too much to tell you about the open and closed places we were supposed, or not supposed to see. Nobody knew for sure. In all there was no structure to this tour and to see or not to see that was the question. Want to know about "The Wine tasting"? Well, it was to take place at 12:40pm. There was no ferry as specified so that should have given the buses more time to follow Plan B; Hello? There was not much Plan A let alone Plan B. So......... ALL the buses ended up at the "Wine Tasting" at about 3pm at the same time! Yes 200 people in line to receive "communion", a small morsel of bread or 2, to be washed down with about 2 ounces of wine, in a very small squatty area where my wife personally was asked to pass around multiple glasses of "the wine" because too many people were jammed into the small cafe area. Say a prayer after communion and get the hell out. So then everyone "was released" to find a place to hopefully EAT, even though Duna was convinced that most places were closed at 2pm, near the end of tourist season. Well most places were OPEN but packed. We managed to get a great meal however, then just enough time to get to our meeting place and get back on a packed train in order to climb the bus for another half hour, hour, we weren't sure.
So if this description was written in Celebrity's Shore Excursions brochure, would you pay $159 for it? I know that the Shore Excursions counters back on board Celebrity was blocked with people lined to complain after that tour and refunding the ferry ride only is a joke. Celebrity was fantastic as a cruise and everything it offered but NOT THIS TOUR! So the visit was beautiful indeed, but the times allocated to each place was terrible, lack of structure, and no plan B, all contributed to a terrible experience. And just to compare, we did the Amalfi Coast and Pompei tour 2 days later. That was almost a 10, because it did EVERYTHING that did not happen on the Cinque Terre and Portovenere tour, ie. fantastic meal on time in a beautiful non crowded restaurant with beverages, "INCLUDED" in the tour price, so this Cinque Terre tour I wrote about gets a "2", just for the pictures I could get. Celebrity Cruiselines; fantastic; Shore Excursions Don't Bother. I still can't believe I paid $159 x 2 for that fiasco.
Written October 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Glenn,
pardon for the late reply but I missed you review about your Cinque Terre experience. I apologize that you did not enjoy the 5 Terre as they deserve, eventually next time book one of my tours. In your case CTTours was not your tour provider simply because we organize private tours only on foot and by van.
Please next time pay attention to where you post your review.
I hope to see you again in 5 Terre!
Regards
Umberto
Written November 5, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ctang
Bangkok, Thailand17 contributions
Jul 2019
I had a private tour of Pisa and Cinque Terre with CT tours in late July. It was a shore excursion from La Spezia. Umberto had been very helpful during the time of booking. He had offered various options that best suited my family of 7 people (including my parents in their 80’s). I had earlier considered having a private boat ride but Umberto suggested the sea might be too rough for small boat. He recommended we took the ferry (which was also much cheaper).
On the day of the tour, Cristian was our driver/guide. He was on time and patient with us being late during sightseeing in Pisa. He also managed to find a parking spot not far from the entrance gate at Pisa (though it was pretty crowded at that time). We then went to Porto Venere for lunch and to board the ferry. We got off the ferry in Vernazza (which is pretty flat compared to other towns in the area). We were met by Cristian at the meeting point and had a ride back to La Spezia. The views of Cinque Terre were breathtaking, both from sea (during the ferry ride) and on land (on the road back).
My appreciation for Umberto and Cristian who were very professional and did a good job on this pleasant one-day trip for my family. Grazie mille!
On the day of the tour, Cristian was our driver/guide. He was on time and patient with us being late during sightseeing in Pisa. He also managed to find a parking spot not far from the entrance gate at Pisa (though it was pretty crowded at that time). We then went to Porto Venere for lunch and to board the ferry. We got off the ferry in Vernazza (which is pretty flat compared to other towns in the area). We were met by Cristian at the meeting point and had a ride back to La Spezia. The views of Cinque Terre were breathtaking, both from sea (during the ferry ride) and on land (on the road back).
My appreciation for Umberto and Cristian who were very professional and did a good job on this pleasant one-day trip for my family. Grazie mille!
Written August 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, We are cruising with Royal carribean vision of the seas and are arriving in Marina Di carra port 10/4/22. We really wanted to see the tower of Pisa and cinque terra. Is that possible with the cruise itinerary and how can I get a quote? We are 4 adults and 2 kids.
Written June 21, 2022
We would like to have a private tour from La Spezia on July 9th. We have 6 people, one of whom is an elderly woman who can't do a lot of walking. We would like to visit Pisa and also see some of the Cinque Terre. I am worried about the crowds and small, uneven roads in Cinque Terre villages. Would it be advisable to view them from a boat instead?
Written February 23, 2020
Thanks for your request, I have the program perfect for your needs: Pisa in the morning lunch in Portovenre and from there by boat see the 5 Terre in the afternoon.
Email me for a quotation please, have a great day.
Umberto
Written February 23, 2020
Hello, we will be visiting La Spezia on 27th May and would like to arrange a visit to Cinque Terre for 4 people 2 adults and 2 children. Would you be able to provide a price and let me know if you have availability?
Thanks
Written February 16, 2020
Ciao Rebecca, I do provide this type of tour and in my personal page you find one type of proposal with prices that you can book right away.
Otherwise email me, you find my address in the info box of my Trip Advisor page, otherwise look for Umberto Cinque Terre in internet.
Have a good day
Umberto
Written February 17, 2020
Wanting to know the cost of hiring a car and driver to spend the day travelling to Florence/Tuscany for 4 adults from LaSpezia on 9 or 10th July. Stopping on the way and coming back after dinner. Thanks
Written June 22, 2019
Where is your email address please?
Written June 25, 2019
Somos um grupo de 6 pessoas e queríamos fazer um bate e volta para conhecer Cinque Terre. Estaremos em Florença, logo existe alguma Van/ carro / excursão que saia este passeio desde Florença a Cinque Terre. Obrigado
Written April 30, 2019
Io faccio queste escursioni da Firenze, manda un'email provata.
Grazie
Written May 2, 2019
I am interested in a private tour for 5 from La Spezia (Royal Caribbean) to both Pisa and maybe 3-4 of the Cinque Terra towns. I just want to make sure there is guaranteed return to ship on time also. Thanks in advance.
Written April 28, 2019
Ciao and thanks for your inquiry, I've been doing this tour for many years and the schedule is set in order to arrive at least one hour before the "all aboard".
Email me privately and I'll send you a detailed itinerary.
Regards
Umberto
Written April 29, 2019
My party of 6 has requested a transfer/tour on 23 May. Arriving at La Spezia Centrale at 1220, would like tour of Vernazza and Corniglia on way to Monterosso. Can you confirm that you can provide this service?
Written February 25, 2019
I do provide this service, please find the email icon and emnail me directly.
Thanks
Umberto
Written February 26, 2019
I have been unable to receive email response from Umberto - has this company email address changed recently? Thanks, Kathy C.
Written February 11, 2019
This is Umberto Kathy and the email did not change. Please try again.
Regards
Written February 12, 2019
Hi, Nelvin. What would you like to know about this attraction? Actually wanted to know if there's a day tour available from Port of Genoa to Milan and back on the 24th of March. Shore excursion from MSC Bellissima which docks at 800Am and leaves at 5PM from Genoa Port.
Written February 5, 2019
Sorry, I only provide excursions in the 5 Terre and Portofino coast.
Written February 7, 2019
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