Top beaches near La Spezia on the Eastern Coast
Riviera di Levante starts on the east of Genoa and ends in the Gulf of Genoa. This area is not too windy, which gives several options of things to do in Genoa and have a splendid day at the beach. The most recurring route is the Blue Path or Sentiero Azurro or Blue Trail, that connects the five villages that give name to the Cinque Terre. Moreover, walking along this route you will find the spectacular settlements of Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore that will allow you to delight in some vineyards on the hillsides.
Beach of Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore is the first and starting point of the Blue Path, and the only road we have next to the sheer cliff. Driving through this road, we arrive at a pebble beach chaired by the Torre Guardiola Naturalistic Observation Center. This Ligurian beach has a very wide coastline where the sea can be rough and dangerous, with no lifeguards or supervision services. Therefore, although this area is usually sunny, we suggest you to lay down under the sun or to be really careful if you want to go into the water. For example, the typical activities here are little excursions and trips on boats during the sunset and having little appetizers. If you are thinking of spending the day here, you won't find restaurants at the feet of the beach, but going further into the city you can find restaurants such as Enoteca Dau Cila, Trattoria La Grotta or Ristoranti Borgo di Campi among others where you will be able to try the traditional cuisine. In this case, Ristoranti Borgo di Campi is located in the upper part of the city offering impressive views during the sunset.
Moreover, if you are wondering how to get there from your stay in La Spezia, you can take several options:
● By car: Take your car from La Spezia and drive about 30 minutes to Riomaggiore beach. Although there is no parking at the beach, you can leave your car at the Rio Park parking lot or The Zorza car park. The first one is located at the entrance of the village and there are just a few parking places, so you should go as early as you can. The second one, is located midway between Riomaggiore and Manarola with a parking fee.
● By taxi: You can choose to pay a taxi, and it will require just about the same time as if it was your own car but you won’t need to look for a parking spot.
● By train: It is the most recommended option. The train will take you to the beach in just 23 minutes and, once you get off, you can have a pleasant walk through the old town until you get to the beach.
● By ferry: it will take you to the beach in two hours while enjoying a very nice boat trip. This beach is family-orientated and animals are not welcomed. Since families usually come around with their kids, there are restrictions regarding animals in the beach to make a responsable use of this place. Pets, whether big or small, are not allowed.
Ligurian beaches of Manarola
Maranola is the second stop of the Blue Path, and, if you are looking for a romantic getaway, this village could be perfect as it is one of the most enchanting and lovely places of the Cinque Terre. Its houses, full of color, decorate the seafront views of these beaches near La Spezia and harbors a little seaport with local restaurants like Trattoria dal Billy or Ristorante Marina Piccola among others.
Here you can choose between two beaches: Manarola Marina Beach and Fossola Beach. Manarola Marina Beach is a pebble beach with transparent waters and whose streets are covered by all ranges of colors. Its main advantage is that it is located at the heart of the town, to where you can walk on foot as it is really close to the train station. Fassola Beach is a hidden picturesque, and as well, pebble beach located in a natural cove with crystal-clear water and surrounded by vibrant colorful houses. In both beaches of the Cinque Terre, people usually take advantage of the tranquility of these places to chill out for a little bit. However, if you are a little curious, you can go snorkeling and scuba-diving to explore the underwater full of showy reefs and nearby caves.
Use the free bathrooms and showers available if you need to. Both beaches have hammock and umbrella beach service so that you do not worry about anything but enjoy!
We suggest different options to get to your destination:
● By car: take your car from La Spezia and drive about 36 minutes to Manarola beach. You can park your car in a little parking lot next to the highway of Manarola, paying a fee of 20€ per day.
● By taxi: get comfortable and get a 36-minute lift to one of the best beaches of the Cinque Terre.
● By train: if you choose to take the train from La Spezia, you will be in Manarola Beach in 11 minutes. The train station is located in the city and connected to a tunnel that will lead you to the center.
It is noted that the only access available to Fossola beach is by Ferry.
This beach is family-orientated and animals are not welcomed. As the beach of Riomaggiore, animals are only able to go into the beach when indicated in the entrance. As in other countries, there are severe restrictions for pets and Italy is no exception.
Beach of Corniglia
Corniglia is the smallest and only village of the Cinque Terre that does not have direct access to the beach. Located on a cliff a hundred meters above sea level, there are only two ways of accessing this place: a long walk by the Blue Path or by train.
This village is the only one out of the five that compose the Cinque Terre and does have a nudist beach. This beach is called “Guvano Beach” and is located between Corniglia and Vernazza. The beach has a lot of rocks, but it has the most crystal turquoise water that you can find in Cinque Terre inviting the tourists to take a dip in the water. If you want to spend the day, bear in mind that there are no restaurants on the beach. However, you can go into the village and enjoy the local cuisine. Moreover, if you want to move around , this place is perfect to do some sightseeing by its sand trails, or take a boat and go on a little excursion.
● By car: Note that, because of the slopes and narrow paths, driving by car can be risky and take you longer than expected. However, you can get awe-inspiring views from the roads. There are a limited number of parking spots right in the entrance of the village.
● By taxi: it can take around 35 minutes, or longer than expected.
● By train: once you take the train, it will leave you at the train station in 14 minutes, although it is a bit far away from the center of the village. Once there, climb the 377 steps of the stair that is in the street “Lardarina”.
Beaches of Vernazza near La Spezia
Vernazza has the best-built-and-protected seaport of the Cinque Terre as it still preserves its defensive turrets with great views.
Walking through Vernazza, you will see that it is a village with a very nice square flanked by the renowned Church of Santa Margherita d’Antiochia and a castle on both sides (left and right). Here you can find two surprising beaches: the first, is a small half-moon sand stretch in the center of the city’s harbor. This beach has very calm water and flat rocks, which is perfect to lay down and get some sun. The second beach is located on the other side of the village, next to the main square, with a rocky landscape that can be tricky and dangerous sometimes. This hidden gem is much less visited by tourists. The main activities you can do in Vernazza, in any of its Ligurian beaches, is to go for a long walk by its sandy trails to have an awesome view of the village. Both beaches are public and have bathrooms for everyone’s use, and there are some parts where you can pay for hammock and umbrella beach services.
If you want to visit these beaches from La Spezia, it will take you:
● By car: drive 33 minutes until you get to Vernazza through very hilly narrow roads. There are two parking lots: the parking lot of Vernassoa, a kilometer away from the Church of Santa Margherita d’Antiochia, that offers free transportation, and Vernazza’s parking lot, is on the right a little bit further ahead from Vernassoa.
● By train: it is highly recommended to take the train. You will be in Vernazza in 18 minutes without any danger, compared to the trip by car.
● By ferry: you can take a ferry that will leave you in Vernazza in an hour and 55 minutes. This beach is family-orientated and animals are not welcomed. Italy has restrictions to keep their beaches clean and in order. Moreover, there might be people who do not feel comfortable around animals and it is a public beach.
Last stop of Cinque Terre beaches: Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso al Mare is the last stop of the Cinque Terre beaches and the only territory to have a beach with sand instead of pebbles. Even though the space of this beach has lost space due to the erosion of the sea and extension of the parking lot, it also is the biggest beach and has panoramic mind-blowing views of the mountain chain and the new part of Monterosso Town.
The second and best beach to spend the day is “La Spiaggia di Fegina”, a beach about 400 meters long with turquoise crystal-clear water. Geographically, Fegina Beach is part of the Ligurian Sea, and it is the place where you will see the most famous monument of the Cinque Terre: “The Giant''. Right after the parking lot of the beach, you will run into a monument made of iron representing Neptune, that will mark “The Giant Beach''. It comprises a very big open space, whose shores are reached by the water imitating a shell (Villa Pastine).
Fegina Beach contains beach hammocks and umbrellas for rent and you can use showers and the bathroom for free. However, it is a private beach with just one, and usually crowded, side of the beach opened to everyone. Therefore, the parking lot you can find there, is completely full, it doesn’t have very good access and there is a paying fee. For those who are more adventurous, Fegina Beach offers you the opportunity to try activities like kayaking or snorkeling, scuba-diving, explorations through the sea on a boat.
To get to this beach near La Spezia, you can choose one of the following options:
● By car: take your car from La Spezia and drive about 35 minutes to Monterosso al Mare.
● By taxi: you can choose to pay a taxi, and it will require just about the same time as if it was your own car. The only advantage is that you won’t need to look for a parking spot.
● By train: it is the most recommended option. The train will take you to the beach in just 23 minutes and, once you get off, you can have a pleasant walk through the old town until you get to the beach.
● By ferry: it will take you to the beach in two hours and five minutes. It is a very nice boat trip.
This beach is family-orientated and it isn’t pet-friendly. This is one of the beaches that families like to visit since it is the very end of the route. Therefore, there are strict rules to keep the beaches clean as it is a public space. Animals are only welcomed when indicated in the entrance.
