The Italian Riviera - coastal villages, palaces and the song of the sea

A coast in three movements

Liguria is Italy's third-smallest region and nowhere is more than 30km from the sea. The coast is divided naturally into the Riviera di Levante east of Genoa and the Riviera di Ponente to the west. Levante is steeper and more associated with Portofino, the Golfo dei Poeti and the Cinque Terre. Ponente has longer beaches, a milder climate and a stronger local holiday culture, leading through Savona, Finale Ligure, Sanremo and the French border. Genoa sits between them as the historic and transport anchor.

When to travel the coast

Summer brings the warmest water and the fullest beaches, but it also brings the heaviest traffic, highest prices and crowds in Portofino and Cinque Terre. Early spring and September or October are better for walking and village visits. Winters are mild, although many coastal businesses close or reduce their hours. The main fixed events include the Festival di San Remo in February, Sanremo's Corso Fiorito in early March, Genoa's Rolli Days around mid-May and mid-October, and the Christmas Nativity scene above Manarola from early December to mid-January.

Getting around Liguria

Trains are the primary way to travel the Riviera. The east-west line links Genoa, Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, Levanto, La Spezia, Savona, Sanremo and Ventimiglia. Local buses fill the gaps: bus 782 joins Santa Margherita's station with Portofino, bus 11 or P reaches Porto Venere from La Spezia, and buses L or S reach Lerici. Boats are scenic but seasonal and weather-dependent. A car is useful for inland vineyards and mountain villages, but parking, narrow coastal roads and pedestrian historic centres make it a burden for the main route.

Genoa: the hinge between two Rivieras

Genoa grew rich as an independent maritime republic, and its former power survives in the port, the caruggi and the Palazzi Rolli. The 16th- and 17th-century residences on the Strade Nuove were built for the Genoese nobility and hosted visiting dignitaries. Of 163 surviving Rolli houses, 42 were recognised by UNESCO in 2006. The most useful first walk connects Via Balbi, Via Cairoli and Via Garibaldi with Piazza de Ferrari, the Porto Antico and the Spianata Castelletto viewpoint.

Genoa's food is as regional as its palaces. Trofie with pesto, pansotti with walnut sauce, minestrone, rabbit ragù, farinata, vegetable pies and anchovies are the core vocabulary. Pesto genovese is built from local basil, pine nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, pecorino, salt and a small amount of raw garlic. The best places to encounter the cuisine are the simple trattorias in the caruggi and the focaccerie that sell bread by weight.

Boccadasse, Nervi and the forts

Boccadasse is reached along the 2.5km Corso Italia promenade from the city centre. Its sheltered pebble beach, sea-grizzled bars and sunset passeggiata make it an easy evening extension. Farther east, Nervi has four art museums and the 2km Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, an elevated terracotta path above rocky coves. The Galleria d'Arte Moderna and Wolfsoniana can be visited on an €8 joint ticket. Inland, the Parco delle Mura follows Genoa's 1626-39New Walls: a three-hour circular hike from Righi passes Castellaccio, Forte Begato, Forte Sperone and Forte Diamante at 667m. The forts are closed, but the trails and views remain accessible.

The Portofino Peninsula

Portofino is a tiny fishing village turned celebrity resort, wrapped by a regional natural park and reached through larger neighbours Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure and Rapallo. The main train line serves the three larger towns. From Santa Margherita, bus 782 runs to Portofino, a 4km footpath follows the bay, and boats connect Rapallo, Santa Margherita, Portofino and San Fruttuoso. Santa Margherita is the practical place to sleep: it is less expensive and linked to Portofino by a beautiful 4km path via Paraggi.

Portofino's view and its price

The Castello Brown climb is steep but rewards the effort with views over the harbour. The fourth version of the castle was turned into a private mansion in 1867; admission is €12. Paraggi, 1km north of the harbour, is an exceptionally polished beach where a private club's sunlounger and umbrella can cost €200, while a small public beach and a rocky entry remain free. The peninsula has 60km of free, signposted trails. A demanding 18km coastal walk connects Camogli, San Fruttuoso, Portofino and Santa Margherita.

San Fruttuoso and Santa Margherita

San Fruttuoso is a boat-in beach backed by a 10th-century abbey. Arrive by passenger boat from Camogli or Santa Margherita, or hike from Camogli via Le Batterie and the exposed Passo di Baccio. Easier alternatives run through Toca and Pietre Strette, 7km from Camogli, or along the wooded Base O trail from Portofino. The Abbazia di San Fruttuoso costs €9/5.50 and preserves a Romanesque cloister, an octagonal bell tower and the Doria family crypt. Offshore, the Cristo degli Abissi statue stands 17m below the surface, 300m from the beach.

Santa Margherita's Villa Durazzo was built in the 1670s over Roman remains and remodelled in the 1820s. Its Italian gardens, lemon trees, hydrangeas, camellias, balustrade and neoclassical rooms are open for €5.50/3. Rapallo's Funivia Rapallo-Montallegro climbs 612m from town to the Santuario Basilica di Montallegro; a single/return fare is €7/10. The 3km Pilgrim's climb reaches the sanctuary through woodland.

Camogli remains a working fishing town. Its Sagra del Pesce takes place on the second weekend in May, when hundreds of the local catch are fried in pans 3m wide. The previous night brings a procession for San Fortunato and two huge bonfires on the waterfront.

Cinque Terre: link the regional route, do not drive it

The five villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso remain the Riviera's most famous walking landscape. Cars are banned from the villages, and the railway is the practical connector. The SVA Green-Blue trail runs about 12km between Riomaggiore and Monterosso; Via dell'Amore reopened after a 12-year closure in 2024, while the Manarola-Corniglia section has been closed since 2013 and the higher paths via Volastra are the alternative. For the full card prices, village logistics, trail conditions and beaches, use the dedicated Cinque Terre chapter.

The less crowded high route is the AV5T, formerly the Sentiero Rosso, a 35km trail from Porto Venere to Levanto that stays on ridges and avoids the five villages. The first climb from Porto Venere passes the Doria castle and Campiglia; after Colle di Telegrafo, the woods become quieter before the route reaches Santuario di Sovione and descends toward Levanto via Punta Mesco. It is a long day, so use bus P from La Spezia to the start and the train from Levanto at the end.

The Golfo dei Poeti

La Spezia is Liguria's second-largest city and the rail gateway to the Gulf of La Spezia, better known as the Golfo dei Poeti. Its compact centre leads from the 14th-century Castello di San Giorgio to the harbour and the Museo Tecnico Navale in the 1868 arsenal. The castle costs €6/4.50 and the naval museum €5/3. From La Spezia, buses 11 and P reach Porto Venere; buses L and S reach Lerici.

Porto Venere and Palmaria

Porto Venere is a citadel of seven-storey houses around Castello Doria, whose admission is €5/3. The Romans called it Portus Veneris. At the end of the quay, the Gothic Chiesa di San Pietro stands over a Roman temple to Venus and faces the open water. Palmaria is the only public island of the small archipelago and has about 50 residents, old forts, Mediterranean scrub, coves and rocky beaches; Tino and Tinetto belong to the Italian Navy and are closed to visitors.

Levanto, Lerici and Tellaro

Levanto is the Riviera's surfing base and a practical alternative to sleeping in Cinque Terre. A smooth former-railway path runs 6km through tunnels to Bonassola and Framura; Sensafreni Bike Shop rents bicycles from €10 per day. Levanto's best surf season is November to April. In the Golfo dei Poeti, San Terenzo has the best sandy beach, Lerici's castle costs €6/3, and the Sentiero delle Parole reaches tiny Tellaro along a pastoral coast path. Fiascherino Beach was a favourite of DH Lawrence, whose words appear on the entrance stairway.

Savona and the Riviera di Ponente

Ponente has a less precipitous coast, longer beaches and fewer foreign visitors. Savona, 45km west of Genoa, combines a cruise port with a graceful historic centre, the Fortezza del Priamàr, a baroque cathedral and medieval towers. The railway continues along the coast to Finale Ligure, so a car is not needed for the beach towns.

Savona's local street food includes farinata, chips and octopus in a paper cone. White farinata uses wheat rather than chickpea flour, a recipe associated with the heavy Genoese tariffs of 1528. It is baked at 400 C until crisp on top and soft underneath, then served with cheese and cured ham.

Sanremo and the Riviera dei Fiori

Sanremo is a palm-lined resort of casinos, Liberty villas, flowers and the tightly coiled medieval quarter known as La Pigna. It hosts the five-night Festival di San Remo every February and anchors the 298km Milan-Sanremo cycling classic. The Pista Ciclabile del Ponente Ligure follows 38km of former railway from Ospedaletti through Sanremo and the coastal towns to Diano Marina. The final 9km opened in late 2024; bike hire, water fountains and refreshment stops line the route.

Villa Nobel costs €7/5 and preserves Alfred Nobel's Sanremo home from 1891-96, with a museum, Moorish-Revival architecture and gardens. La Pigna rises above Via Matteotti through narrow lanes, drying laundry, churches and the Giardina Regina Elena. Walkers and cyclists can continue east through Bussana, Arma di Taggia, Santo Stefano and San Lorenzo al Mare.

Bussana Vecchia, Ventimiglia and Imperia

Bussana Vecchia was abandoned after a magnitude 7 earthquake on Ash Wednesday in 1887. In 1959, Sicilian artist Vanni Giuffre and 30 others founded an international artists' community among the ruins. Today workshops, galleries, cats, vegetation and the roofless Chiesa di Sant'Egidio fill the lanes. Reach the village by bus to Bussana and a 2km walk, or by bicycle from Sanremo. Details are at Bussana Vecchia.

Ventimiglia's Giardini Botanici Hanbury covers 18 hectares on a steep peninsula and costs €10/8. The gardens combine Mediterranean and exotic plants, cacti, palms, citrus, a villa, pergolas and a waterfront cafe. In Imperia, the Museo dell'Olivo costs €5/2.50 and follows olive oil from Phoenician trade to Roman cosmetics. Villa Grock costs €6/4 and explores the whimsical home and gardens of Swiss-born clown Adrien Wettach.

Eat the Ligurian coast