Florence: Cinque Terre Day Trip with Optional Hiking or Pisa
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Can you take a family holiday to the beach in Liguria with children? Absolutely, you can! And what’s more, it’s an excellent idea: Liguria is one of Italy’s regions with the most Blue Flag beaches, boasts high-quality tourist services and excellent waste management that keeps beaches and streets clean.
Many seaside establishments in Liguria offer specific services for those travelling with children including play areas, entertainment and kids’ clubs, bicycle hire, sports courses and babysitting services: plenty of options to keep the little ones entertained and parents able to relax by the sea!
That said, not all areas of Liguria are suitable for a family holiday. Some beaches should be avoided, either because of the deep water close to shore, difficult access, or lack of shade.
It’s better to play it safe and choose beaches with gently sloping seabeds, easily accessible by car or on foot without scrambling up steep, slippery paths, and equipped with toilets, showers and other facilities necessary for your children’s safety and hygiene. Even better if these beaches are in places with family-friendly attractions, so you’ll have something to do besides swimming and sunbathing.
We’ve selected the best family beaches in Liguria for you: 15 suggestions for a stress-free seaside holiday with your loved ones.
The Ligurian Western Riviera extends westwards from Genoa. In this stretch, the mountains are set further inland and in several places the valleys reach down to the sea: the coastline therefore has a gentle profile and it’s easy to find long sandy beaches with shallow waters, perfect for children to play and swim safely.
For this reason the Western Riviera is the favourite among families. Here are the best beaches in this area.
Finalmarina is the coastal district of Finale Ligure, a municipality that brings together three villages with distinct identities. Awarded the Blue Flag on several occasions, the Finale Ligure beach is one of Liguria’s largest, both in length and width. It’s a sandy beach with free access areas and equipped establishments.
Lively yet unpretentious, San Lorenzo al Mare is one of the most beloved seaside resorts for families on the Western Riviera.
The village has a curious anchor-shaped layout and stretches between the hills and the sea. Along the shoreline are numerous fine sand beaches, including one very close to the old town that’s perfect for travelling with young children. It’s easy to reach and well equipped with all amenities.
Another location on the western coast divided between hills and sea is Bergeggi, located just a few kilometres from Savona and very easy to reach.
At Torre del Mare, the coastal district, there are three town beaches; of these, the most suitable for families is the one simply known as Bergeggi beach, with sand mixed with pebbles, lined with both free and equipped areas.
Pietra Ligure is one of the most popular seaside destinations on the western coast, loved for its crystal-clear water and vast range of services for all ages. For those wanting a comfortable holiday with plenty to do without needing to travel far, it’s the ideal destination.
The Pietra Ligure beach is a fine sand and shingle shoreline, with seaside establishments and free access areas.
The first renowned seaside resort you encounter heading west from Genoa is Alassio, famous for its extremely fine grey-white sand with a high percentage of quartz and silicates, soft to the touch and rich in therapeutic properties.
The Alassio beach is narrow but very long; the seaside establishments offer entertainment activities specifically designed for young children.
If you prefer a proper town over a typical beach resort, the ideal destination is Sanremo: just avoid the periods of major events (first and foremost the Festival) and the capital of the Riviera dei Fiori becomes welcoming and family-friendly.
Among Sanremo’s beaches, the most suitable for travelling with young children is the Spiaggia dei Porti, an equipped beach between the Old Port and Portosole, easily reached on foot from the town centre and close to a public garden where you can take shelter from excessive heat.
An ideal base for a Liguria holiday with day trips to the Côte d’Azur is Ventimiglia. But there’s no need to travel to find a lovely family-friendly beach: the town beach, known as the Spiaggia delle Calandre, is a stretch of soft golden sand easily accessible and equipped with all services.
Varigotti is known as “Liguria’s Saracen village” and is famous for its colourful houses with their distinctive shape evoking Arab architecture.
It has a pebble town beach, behind which runs the classic seafront promenade lined with palm trees. Equipped with all services, the Varigotti beach is generally very busy, but if you want more peace and quiet, you’ll only need to move a little away from the town centre.
Albissola Marina is a popular seaside resort in the province of Savona. Famous as the city of ceramics, Albissola Marina boasts a long golden sand beach perfect for a family holiday. It’s easily accessible and offers a wealth of services.
The Ligurian Eastern Riviera is the stretch that extends eastwards from Genoa. Here the mountains come right down to the sea and the coastline is highly jagged, characterised by steep cliffs, headlands and escarpments. The beaches are almost always small groups of rocks or tiny strips of sand nestled in bays and coves sometimes difficult to access.
Even in this fascinating yet rugged area there are family-friendly options. Here are the most beautiful family beaches in the east.
Parents want to see the romantic villages of Cinque Terre and the children want to play on the beach? Monterosso al Mare keeps everyone happy.
It’s the most accessible of the Cinque Terre villages, but no less beautiful for that, and it’s here you’ll find the Fegina Beach, a wide strip of sand that’s considered the best family beach in Cinque Terre. Access is via a convenient staircase; there are both free and equipped areas.
Santa Margherita Ligure, or simply “Santa” as locals call it, is an ideal base for exploring the beauties of Tigullio Gulf.
The beaches in the area are mostly very small, but you can find some sandy beaches suitable for children too, including some equipped resorts with play areas.
Camogli is a charming village nestled along the Golfo Paradiso close to the glamorous Portofino: here you’ll find one of Liguria’s most beautiful town beaches.
Right in the historic centre, it’s a pebble and shingle beach bordered at the back by a row of tall pastel-coloured houses; there’s an equipped zone.
The nerve centre of Tigullio Gulf, Chiavari is a destination for all ages. Along its shoreline stretch sand and shingle beaches, both free and equipped.
The most suitable for travelling with children is the beach near the station, loved by the little ones for its Waterpark with slides and inflatables. They’ll definitely want to go: how could you say no?
Sestri Levante is Liguria’s land of fairy tales. Beloved by Hans Christian Andersen, author of the finest fairy tales of all time, the town hosts an important annual Fairy Tale Festival whose programme includes events and activities specifically for young children.
Among the many beaches in the area you’ll find family-friendly sandy beaches too.
Between Chiavari and Sestri Levante lies Lavagna, a less famous town but one that can boast one of the longest beaches on the eastern coast. At a full 4 km long, it’s a mixed pebble and sand beach with an extensive seafront promenade behind it where children can have fun cycling safely.
The Lavagna beach is equipped with seaside establishments offering all services.
In the following map you can see the location of the main places of interest mentioned in this article.
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