# Fitness level for guided tours: how much walking is there really?

**URL:** <https://community.tourradar.com/t/fitness-level-for-guided-tours-how-much-walking-is-there-really/45795>\
**Category:** Trip Planning Tips\
**Created:** [May 17, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://community.tourradar.com/t/fitness-level-for-guided-tours-how-much-walking-is-there-really/45795 "2026-05-17T15:02:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![brian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@brian](https://community.tourradar.com/u/brian)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://community.tourradar.com/t/fitness-level-for-guided-tours-how-much-walking-is-there-really/45795/1 "2026-05-17T15:02:22Z")

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My parents (both 70) want to do a guided tour of Italy but my mom has bad knees and can only walk for about 30 minutes before needing to rest. The tour says “moderate fitness level required” but what does that actually mean?

How much walking is typical on a guided tour per day? Are there usually options to sit out certain activities, or is it all or nothing? I don’t want to book something and have her struggling every day. Some tours seem to have “comfort” or “easy pace” versions, are those actually easier or just marketing?

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**Author:** ![WanderFuel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.tourradar.com/wanderfuel/32/11683_2.png) [@WanderFuel](https://community.tourradar.com/u/WanderFuel)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 1:53pm UTC](https://community.tourradar.com/t/fitness-level-for-guided-tours-how-much-walking-is-there-really/45795/2 "2026-06-17T13:53:39Z")

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When you’re comparing tours, actually look for ones that list “low intensity” on the details page itself. Some sites literally filter by this now which is so helpful. If it has no specifics I’d honestly contact the operators and ask them directly how many kms a typical day covers.

The thing I’d actually look into is partially guided tours, and I feel like this doesn’t get recommended enough!!! You still get the guided excursions for the big stuff (so your parents aren’t navigating the Vatican or the Colosseum on their own which would be way more overwhelming) but then on the free leisure days they can fully set their own pace. The key, though, is doing a little research on those free days yourself so you know which cities are more walkable or have good rest spots built in naturally.

Italy is also genuinely one of the better destinations for this because so much of the good stuff: the food, the piazzas, the views… is just _there_ without needing to hike to it. _ **Which cities are on their Italy wishlist?** _ Because some are def more knee-friendly than others!