Liguria is my favorite region of Italy without question. This has a lot to do with the fact that hiking and the sea are both so important here. You can hike along the whole coast and visit the most gorgeous places. The towns here are well connected by trains and ferries and ease of travel here is excellent. This is an underrated wine region of Italy in my opinion. You can go wine tasting or on vineyard hiking tours in many areas here. The food here is seafood heavy of course, being so close to the ocean. Liguria is also known for focaccia and pesto! Honestly, I love every single town and village I’ve ever been to in this region. But this post sums up 9 that I have chosen to showcase so you can get an idea for the region and what might be your style!
If you like colorful villages, communal sunsets, hiking, and rocky beaches…
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore is one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre and one of the most lovely places in Italy. In my opinion this village still retains a lot of its local charm. You can still see people strolling around in the mornings going about their business, fishing boats going out, bakeries opening, and it feels a bit more “real” than some of the other towns of the Cinque Terre.
One of the most talked about things to do in all of the Cinque Terre is to grab snacks and drinks and watch the sunset on the rocks in Riomaggiore. This is a popular activity and in my opinion it’s so cute to enjoy the sunset with other travelers.
This town doesn’t have a sand beach but it does have a rocky and unique area where you can go swimming. Admittedly, this probably isn’t for everyone. But if you enjoy basking in the sun on the rocks like a lizard and climbing into the ocean from a ladder for a swim, this is your spot.
There are so many wonderful food and drink options in this town and we absolutely loved staying up over the town at Villa Caterina. We did one of our favorite experiences ever here “Bach Yard”.
We LOVED using this village as a base for hiking. You can hike towards neighboring Manarola. You can also walk on a gorgeous coastal path called the Via dell’Amore. You can hike to Portovenere which is considered the unofficial 6th village of the Cinque Terre and is so lovely as well.
If you’re looking for more in depth info on Riomaggiore you can check out my blog post here —-> Riomaggiore as a Base for the Cinque Terre
If you’re interested in where we stayed in Riomaggiore we LOVED our apartment so much! The terrace here was a literal dream. —-> Villa Caterina Guest House
Also if you want to get out on a boat, you have to book with my girl Jenny and the greatest pink boat in the villages! —–> Book a Boat Day here!
If you like sandy beaches, a charming old town, wine tasting and walkability…
Monterosso
Monterosso is my favorite town of the five villages of the Cinque Terre and also the most accessible from other parts of Italy. Otherwise you need to connect here or in La Spezia. The town is flat and has both an old and new side that are connected by a small tunnel.
If you’re traveling with kids or with those who are a bit older, this is the ideal town in my opinion. This is also where you want to be if you want to enjoy the Cinque Terre but still have sandy beaches.
The food scene here is fantastic and there are countless recommendations I could make for lunch and dinner here. One of my favorite parts of this village is Buranco Winery. It is tucked up behind the old town and is so dreamy and idyllic. The wines are wonderful, the property is a dream, and the food is in my opinion the best in the Cinque Terre.
There are also quite a number of great accommodation options here, including the only hotel in the Cinque Terre with an ocean view pool.
Hiking from here is some of the best! The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza is one of the most popular in the area. Hiking from Monterosso to neighboring Levanto is also an amazing option.
I have now visited/based in this town 5 times and I am returning for a 6th this summer. If you’re looking for more info you can check out my blog post here. ——> Guide to Monterosso Al Mare
My favorite hotel in Monterosso is Hotel Amici. It is budget friendly, has a lovely garden, great breakfast, great location, and nice rooms. Overall I think it’s a great value for your money. There are other wonderful options too listed in my post above. But if you wanna skip that and just go straight for Amici, here is the link. —–> Hotel Amici Monterosso
If you want super small town vibes, charming seaside seafood spots, and easy train access…
Bogliasco
This is very small town vibes compared to the touristy buzz of the Cinque Terre. You can walk the entire town in probably 30 minutes. This is the place where you come to find peace and quiet.
This is on the same train line as all of the Cinque Terre towns and connects with the neighboring hub of Genoa as well. This makes it very easy to use as a base for day trips, or to just stay a while and really slow down.
We had a fantastic dinner here overlooking the sea at a place called “Just Peruzzi” and I would highly recommend getting a spot on the terrace here. This is such a sweet little gem and if you like the relaxed life, this is the place for you.
If you want a village feel basically inside a big city that also has beaches…
Bocadasse
Bocadasse is one of the most unique places we’ve stayed. It is basically a village inside the city of Genoa. It has a small but insanely popular beach and I truly didn’t expect the lively vibes. We stayed in an apartment overlooking the beach that truly had the most amazing views and was so clean and comfortable.
Though small, the little area of Bocadasse really packs a punch. Even if you don’t stay here, this is a great place to come for aperitivo. It was SO popular and I loved that people just did drinks right on the beach. People just seem to spill out of all of the little bars and windows into the streets and onto the beach it was so jovial. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it when I woke up in the morning and there were still a few people on the beach from the night before.
We had an excellent dinner in a little hidden square right behind the main beach. It is also very easily walkable to the promenade of Genoa. You can literally walk for miles and see endless beach club options along the way. This is also the kind of place where locals still live, bread is still delivered and hanging from the doorways, and it feels pretty undiscovered as far as outside tourists.
If you want a lovable & colorful, local spot with insane food and dreamy views…
Camogli
This is my favorite town in Liguria and honestly in all of Italy. I could/and have gone on and on about how much I love this place. You can find my post about it here —–> Camogli Travel Guide
Camogli still feels real. When you visit here you can see locals going about their days, kids playing soccer, dance recitals on the main promenade by the sea. It is honestly magical and the kind of place I hope to live someday. It still caters to tourists in that there is amazing food, great cafes, excellent gelato choices, and lovely beaches. But though tourists are welcome, it doesn’t feel like it was made for tourists.
There are many beautiful hikes you can do from here. Many beautiful towns you can access on the same train line. As well as a ferry connection to some incredible places along the Italian Riviera. Camogli is accessible and still very relaxed at the same time.
The colorful promenade is picture perfect, the water color is unreal, and you can pass days here without even realizing they’ve gone by just by staring at all of it.
Boat tours on this coast are so amazing and I highly recommend checking out some options. You can check out a few here —-> Coastal Boat Tours
You want private evenings, but don’t mind crowds during the day and can handle a ferry ride…
San Fruttuoso
This isn’t a city or village with lots of options. This place can only be reached by ferry or hike. If you’re staying here overnight you REALLY want some peace and quiet, at least during the evening. Your options are limited but would be very special. During the day this place is a hugely popular day trip destination. People take ferries in from all up and down the coast and the beach/restaurants fill up quickly.
If you don’t like the idea of staying here overnight you can also visit during the day. It’s absolutely lovely but I recommend going early. We hiked here from Camogli and the hike was a fun one! However, when we arrived the place was already packed. The first time we visited we came by private boats before the crowds. It was really neat to have it all to ourselves to take a look around.
You want authentic, not flashy, real and relaxed Italian beach vibes it’s…
Ventimiglia
This town in Italy isn’t showing off for tourists. It’s beautiful… but it’s not flashy. The old town is incredibly charming, you can get lost in the colorful and narrow alleyways. The newer side is lively and vibrant. There is a Friday market here that is absolutely huge and people come from all over to check it out. Theres a long beach here and a really nice long beach promenade you can stroll in the evenings or run in the morning. There’s also a really cute little port area and some fantastic food.
The last time we were here we stopped off the train for an hour and just popped into a quick little spot and the food was amazing. The aperitivo vibes here are also fantastic. We loved drink hopping in the new town side and checking out a few different spots. This really feels like the kind of place where you just dropped in on a normal Italian town, nobody is showing off for tourists, it just is what it is, in the best way.
If you like the idea of this place I wrote a whole post about it, you can find it here —–> Ventimiglia Mini Guide
The ultimate luxury village, colorful, expensive, and gorgeous it’s…
Portofino
Theres a reason that people like Taylor Swift sing about this town and the Kardashians shut it down for Kourtney to get married here. It’s so charming and I consider it to be the high end version of a lot of Liguria. It doesn’t look that much different at first glance, but there is a lot of luxury here. The restaurants and cafes are very chic and all set up along the water. The shops are high end brands instead of small town shops. The beaches are some of the most expensive on the coast and the views are what dreams are made of.
This is a great place to boat into for a leisurely lunch, check out the castle, and walk the streets a bit. I haven’t stayed here yet, but my day will come!
If you want another car free village, numerous sand beaches, a promenade you could walk back and forth for hours, not one but two castles, and some excellent seafood…
Lerici
This place is within spitting distance of the Cinque Terre but is entirely overlooked by the major tourist crowds. This village is SO lovely and so relaxed. It’s colorful, fun, and full of seafood and pesto! The great thing about Lerici is that it has tons of beach options and access to the sea.
The whole town is basically along the sea and Lerici is connected to the small village of San Terenzo by a beautiful promenade along the water. If you stay here you’ll end up walking it endlessly. There are castles at both ends that are lovely to explore as well.
We loved staying at Doria Park Hotel right above the town, it had parking and endless views over Lerici and the coast.
We only had about 24 hours here but I loved it so much I wrote a blog post about it, you can find more details here —-> Lerici: A Peaceful Alternative to the Cinque Terre
The Best Part
The best part about this area of Italy is that you don’t have to choose just one. You can visit many of these spots in the same trip if you’d like. The train line in Liguria is so well connected and stops in so many beautiful places. The ferry also makes it easy to get around as well. Car is probably your least desirable option in this region, but it is possible. Overall, if you’re planning Liguria you could EASILY spend a week or two checking out all of these spots.
If I didn’t mention a specific town you’re interested in, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been there. Feel free to message me here or at planforme.dani on instagram.
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