Key facts
Liguria at a glance
Areas and places
Liguria area by area
Each area has its own page, with its own character, plans and map.
Plan the trip
Liguria, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Liguria
From April to June and in September and October: open trails, warm sea from June and fewer people on the Cinque Terre trains. July and August are hot and the villages fill up by mid-morning. In winter the coast is mild and Genoa is easy to visit, but after heavy rain stretches of trail close.
How you travel
Liguria your way
The ways of travelling that suit Liguria. We are writing a guide to each one: where to stay, how to get around and which services you will need.
By planeCar-free
Nearby
Near Liguria
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
44.49° N · 11.34° E
Emilia-Romagna
By planeCar-free
44.70° N · 8.03° E
Piedmont
By carBy plane
43.43° N · 11.47° E
Tuscany
By carBy planeCar-free
42.31° N · 9.15° E
Corsica
By carBy campervanCampingOn footBy motorbikeBy bike
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Sleep in Levanto or La Spezia if the Cinque Terre are too pricey
Both are on the train line, a few minutes from the villages, with more choice and lower prices.
- 2Check the state of the trails before you set out
The Cinque Terre park publishes which stretches are open. After heavy rain some close.
- 3Eat focaccia in Genoa
In the morning, freshly made, at a bakery in the old town. And try trofie with pesto in its home territory.
- 4Reach Portofino by sea
From Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure, the boat avoids the narrow road and the scarce parking.
The villages are pedestrian, car parks are scarce and the mountain road is slow. Leave the car in La Spezia or Levanto and continue by train.
Which part of Liguria should you choose?
Liguria is a narrow strip of coast between France and Tuscany, with the Apennines dropping almost straight into the sea. It has no big sandy beaches: it has colourful villages packed into coves, terraces of vines and olive trees, footpaths above the water and a cuisine of pesto, focaccia and fish. Genoa, in the middle, divides it into two rivieras.
The Eastern Riviera, east of Genoa, is the most famous. This is where the Cinque Terre are: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, five villages linked by train and footpaths, a national park and World Heritage Site along with Portovenere. They're for walking, not for lying on a beach: sleep in a village or in Levanto and set out early. Closer to Genoa are Camogli, a fishing village with tall houses above the beach, the abbey of San Fruttuoso, reached only on foot or by boat, and Portofino, the region's luxury harbour.
Genoa deserves a day or two and often surprises. It has one of the biggest medieval centres in Europe, a maze of alleys, the caruggi, that runs down to the old port, and the palaces of the Strade Nuove, a World Heritage Site. It's also the city of focaccia and pesto, and its aquarium is a good plan with children.
The Western Riviera, towards France, is quieter and more family-oriented, with longer beaches: Alassio, Finale Ligure, with its walled old town of Finalborgo and a reputation among climbers and mountain bikers, and Sanremo. Inland, stone villages such as Dolceacqua, with its bridge over the river.
How do you get there from Spain?
By plane, for the Cinque Terre the most practical airport is Pisa, with flights from many Spanish cities and a train to La Spezia. Genoa has its own airport, with few routes from Spain. For the Western Riviera, Nice airport, in France, is a short distance from the Ventimiglia border. You can also fly to Milan and take a train down to Genoa in under two hours.
By boat, GNV links Barcelona with Genoa. It's the option for arriving with your car or motorhome without crossing France.
By car, Liguria is the first Italian region you meet from Spain. From Barcelona you cross the south of France on the coastal motorway and enter Italy at Ventimiglia; from there the A10 motorway continues to Genoa and the A12 to La Spezia, with many tunnels and viaducts. They're tolled.
How do you get around Liguria?
By train, which is the best way. A coastal line runs the whole region, from Ventimiglia to Genoa and from Genoa to La Spezia, with regional trains that stop at almost every village. In the Cinque Terre the train is the normal way to get between villages, with the Cinque Terre Treno Card. By boat, in summer, there are services between the Cinque Terre villages and Portovenere, and between Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino.
The car is useful for the Western Riviera and for inland villages. In the Cinque Terre and in Portofino it's more of a problem than a help: the villages are pedestrian or nearly so, and parking is scarce and expensive.
When should you go and what does it cost?
Spring and early autumn. In April and May the trails are green and in flower; in September and October the sea is still warm and the grape harvest takes place on the terraces. July and August are hot, and in the Cinque Terre the trains and trails are packed. In winter the coast has a mild climate and Genoa works all year round, but heavy autumn rains can close stretches of trail.
The Cinque Terre and Portofino are expensive, especially for sleeping in summer. Genoa, La Spezia, Levanto and the Western Riviera are more affordable.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need for Liguria?
Three or four: two for the Cinque Terre, one for Genoa and another for Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino. A week if you add the Western Riviera.
Can you drive to Liguria from Spain?
Yes. It's the first region of Italy by road: you enter at Ventimiglia after crossing the south of France by motorway.
Is there a ferry from Barcelona to Genoa?
Yes, with GNV. It takes cars and motorhomes.
Are there sandy beaches in Liguria?
Few in the East, where pebble coves and rock platforms abound. The Western Riviera has longer beaches, such as the one at Alassio.
Which airport suits me best?
Pisa for the Cinque Terre, Genoa or Milan for the capital and Nice for the Western Riviera.
Is Genoa a city to visit or just to pass through?
To visit: it has an enormous medieval centre, World Heritage palaces, the old port and good food. A day or two.