First of all, if you haven’t heard of Lerici, I am glad to introduce you. Lerici is very close to the Cinque Terre in Italy. Yet somehow it does not get nearly the amount of attention the Cinque Terre seems to get.
Throughout this post I hope to convince you that Lerici is in fact, very much worth a visit. It is colorful, local, relaxed, and a bit more peaceful. You can enjoy the beaches all day, climb up to the castle, explore the neighboring town of San Terenzo, have aperitivo on the water, and enjoy a lovely dinner as the sun sets over the sea. Repeat this pattern for as many days as you’d like! You can also access the towns of the Cinque Terre by ferry! This makes Lerici an excellent option as a base for exploring around this area.
How to Get to Lerici
By Car/Taxi
You can drive right into Lerici but I highly recommend you make arrangements for a parking space before you do. This is a smaller town and space is limited. You also don’t need a car for anything while you are here, the entire town is easily walkable. If you choose the right accommodation they may also offer parking. Ours did, it will be mentioned below in the where to stay section.
It is also a quick and easy taxi ride from La Spezia. This might be your best bet if you don’t want/need the hassle of a car.
By Ferry
You can also arrive to Lerici by ferry. The ferry runs to a number of other towns and locations on the Ligurian Coast. It is also a convenient way to make day trips to other towns and villages.
Where to Stay in Lerici
We loved our stay at the Doria Park Hotel. We were stuck with a car on our trip (long story) and it worked out well that our hotel had parking. Beyond that, this hotel had the most beautiful view over Lerici. It is up on the hills on the side of the town so you can look down over the surrounding area. I highly recommend booking a room with a terrace or view over the sea. The breakfast here was fantastic and I enjoyed waking up here and sitting on the terrace with my espresso in the morning.
My only regret about our entire visit to Lerici was that we didn’t stay longer. When you spend time in a place and you get to wander around a bit, you’re able to scope out some other accommodation options. If we were to return to Lerici I’d like to try Hotel San Terenzo. I love that this hotel is right on the sea and has a lot of spaces to relax and just be by the ocean.
If neither of these fit your vibe of course you can always search yourself for options in Lerici. You can search here —–> Hotels in Lerici
Where to Eat in Lerici
We only stayed one night here so I didn’t get to enjoy as much food as I would have liked! But we still did a great job while we were there!
We had lunch at the most lovely little local spot, it was called “Lerici Bistro”. I had an excellent fritto misto and a nice crisp white wine. This spot is right down in the main area of town you can’t miss it.
We also had a fancier dinner at “Ristorante Golfo Dei Poeti”. This seemed like a special occasion kind of spot so definitely make a reservation before going. I don’t know if we were there on a special night, but we saw quite a few special events going on. We had a great meal here and loved being able to sit down near the sea and people watch over the town.
Things to do In Lerici
Be prepared to take it slow
Lerici isn’t the bustling town with ample tours and things to do, and that is the beauty of it. This is the place you bring the good book you’ve been wanting to finish and settle in the sunshine for a few days. It would be a great place to spend some time after a more fast paced part of your trip. A place where you turn to each other and say “I could live here”
Enjoy the beaches
In this area of Liguria, and in fact in a lot of Italy, you wont always find sandy beaches. Many beaches are rocks, pebbles, or seashells, etc. In Lerici you are bit spoiled for sandy beach. There are lots of options all the way from Lerici to San Terenzo and you can choose what suits you.
I love that there are also a lot of rock areas to hang out on if you’re not a person who loves the sand (like me). There are also both paid and free options depending on your style.
Walk the Promenade to San Terenzo
We probably walked between Lerici and San Terenzo 20 times during our visit. We even hiked a bit beyond San Terenzo as well. There is a castle in each town on either end of this walk. Walking along the sea and seeing all of the beaches was so enjoyable at all times of day. I also ran a few times in the morning to check out the scene. This walk is mostly flat and doable for anyone at your own pace.
Enjoy aperitivo and watch the sunset
If you don’t already know, aperitivo is Italys version of “happy hour”. Honestly, its one of my favorite things about traveling in Italy. Before dinner you grab a drink somewhere, socialize, and eat some snacks with friends/family. I always recommend wandering around a bit and checking out the snacks at multiple places before settling on one.
Visit the Castle
Castello San Giorgio di Lerici is a really neat castle to explore. When we visited they also had some art installations inside. You can get some excellent views over Lerici from the different terraces and towers. You can also learn a bit about the history.
Check out bakeries and get gelato
I believe these two things are mandatory in pretty much any town you visit in Italy. Even more so in small local towns like Lerici!
Tours
Lerici isn’t the jumping off point for many major tours. However, its proximity to La Spezia and the Cinque Terre make it easy to access tours that you may want to do. You can check out tours in the area here —-> Tours Near Lerici
Nearby Villages/Attractions
Visit the Cinque Terre by Ferry
You can reach the villages of the Cinque Terre by ferry from here. The Cinque Terre is the touristy, hyped up version of Lerici. This is where you’ll find all the tours, activities, but also the crowds. Despite all that hype, the Cinque Terre remains one of my all time favorite places to visit in Italy.
I have many posts about visiting this area and you can find them here —–> Cinque Terre Posts
Other towns in Liguria
You can also easily visit La Spezia, Levanto, and Portovenere from here. All three are also lovely and have a similar feel. La Spezia is larger and is a port city so it has a bit more going on. People often base here as well for a visit to the Cinque Terre.
Portovenere is SO lovely and is often considered to be the “unofficial 6th town” of the Cinque Terre. You can see why, it is on the sea, it has the same colorful village buildings, cute alleys, and delicious pesto. I highly recommend a stop here if you’re in the area as well.
If you’re interested in the towns mentioned above or other small towns that I find to be similar to Lerici and the Cinque Terre you can check out my post here —–> 12 Towns You’ll Love If You Love the Cinque Terre.
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