Liguria Top 10 sandy beaches
The best for kids to play and for grown ups to avoid hard rocks and big stones
The Ligurian landscape is a succession of scenic rocky promontories and magnificent beaches. Not all of them are sandy, but there are plenty of options for those who don't like stones and pebbles along our 350km long coastline.
The Western Riviera (Riviera di Ponente) has much more to offer compared to the Eastern Riviera (Riviera di Levante) when it comes to sand & beaches. The sheer beauty of the Eastern coast anyway is stunning.
Over the years we have visited all of them and lately we have also started thinking about the type of grains and their thickness. Many of us Ligurians are almost convinced that the rocks and stones are more beautiful, that they suit us more, as if to confirm the commonplaces about our hard character, but we actually must admit that the sand has its advantages ..
Here are the best sandy beaches in the region according to Anders: after going and seeing (almost) all of them in person, we have sorted them in order of .. type of SAND (fineness of the sand ) and general pleasantness of the place.
THE BEST 10 SANDY BEACHES IN LIGURIA
#1 LAIGUEGLIA BEACH
We are truly at the top when it comes to beaches of perfect sand in Liguria . A beach of real fine sand (without even a pebble) rather wide and deep, a magnificent historic village just behind it, a pier that projects itself towards infinity for strolling at sunset. This is currently our choice for the most beautiful sandy beach in Liguria: go Laigueglia!
As usual, parking in high season can be problematic, but there is a station so convenient that trains almost stop on the beach.
#2 MONEGLIA BEACH
Moneglia is a jewel not well known as it would deserve. I could even say that this beach is one of the most underrated in Liguria. It is rarely mentioned among the most famous and the most beautiful, yet there is really nothing missing! Its sandy beach in front of the beautiful village, surrounded by the green of the mountains that already seems to be in the Cinque Terre, is simply wonderful: Moneglia beach fetches the second spot according to us!
Do we need to find faults? The breakwaters placed a few tens of meters from the shore make the environment a little more artificial than it could be, however they are very unobtrusive and not that close, we do not really think that they spoil the poetry of the place.
Moneglia is not that convenient to reach by car: it is not directly accessible from the motorway and can be reached either by a winding path from Passo del Bracco or through the long alternating one-way tunnel that starts from Riva Trigoso. Study the timetables of the green lights of the tunnel on our page on Moneglia 😉, take a tour here and tell me if it's not a great place. Train anyway is actually the best way to get to Moneglia, so have a look at the Trenitalia page first.
#3 PARAGGI BEACH (Portofino)
The beach of Paraggi plays in the Champions League of the top beaches and therefore the local tournament of Liguria is not enough. Considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean, it is a beach of real soft golden sand: its seabed full of life and the surrounding natural environment make it truly unique. We penalize it listing it only in third place because it is a relatively small beach and is less comfortable than others from a logistical and accessibility point of view. Those who win the Champions League don't always win the Scudetto too… 😉
#4 The BAY OF SILENCE BEACH
Here is another magical place that you will find mentioned in articles on the New York Times or the Guardian. Who hasn't heard of it? In a few lines I cannot convey the emotion that the place communicates in its union between man's ingenuity and nature, the only possible advice is to go and see it once: if you want to know more we talked about it here.
In the area you have other choices if you find it too crowded: crossing the road you will find sand and a few small stones at the Baia delle Favole, or with a few kilometers following the cycle path the beach of Riva Trigoso, also in Sestri. That is a magnificent beach divided in half by shipyards, which in any case do not pollute its beautiful waters. Yes sandy also that one, for the record, even if you will find a few pebbles scattered here and there on top of the fine grains of brown sand. To the other side - going west - the first location is Cavi di Lavagna, also another great alternative.
#5 ALASSIO BEACH
Another amazing sandy beach , everything that has been said for the beach of Laigueglia applies to that of Alassio. After all, Alassio and Laigueglia are so close, next to each other and occupy the same beautiful bay. Unfortunately Alassio, compared to Laigueglia, has a very narrow beach which in recent years has been eroded by the sea. Now that I really think about it: you can find a few more pebbles mixed with sand compared to Laigueglia in Alassio, but this is real sand, with a sloping seabed as if it were on the Adriatic Sea but with transparent water! (the Adriatic Sea is known in Italy for its wide sandy beaches but also for its murky shallow waters...)
The town of Alassio really has it all: spectacular shopping and bars of all kinds for an aperitif or a dream meal by the sea. The beach is literally inside the city, it must be experienced together with its streets and alleys.
#6 CALANDRE BEACH in Ventimiglia
This is the first sandy beach in Liguria coming from France and it is absolutely the only one of its kind in Ventimiglia (whose beaches are mostly of big rounded pebbles). It is real soft sand with a gently sloping seabed . The dimensions of the beach are variable in depth: about ten meters or almost nothing if the sea is rough. If the sea is rough, the waves can erase the beach, which unfortunately appears to be eroding. To get there you have to go along a steep path which makes it slightly difficult to reach, however it is served by a coffee shop/beach bar.
#7 BLUE BAY BEACH in LERICI (La spiaggia della Baia Blu)
Among the many nice beaches around Lerici our preference goes to the wonderful beach called the Baia Blu i.e. the Blue Bay . The other beaches to see are the Venere Azzurra beach in Lerici and the San Terenzo beach.
# 8 DIANO MARINA BEACH
The coast of Diano Marina is sandy, no pebbles. I like the beautiful promenade that makes the Ligurian Riviera, for a few hundred meters feel a bit like another place. The sea here degrades very, very slowly: something rare in Liguria with the seabed always plunging into the abyss after a few meters . It feels a bit like the Adriatic Sea almost, but the difference is that the waters, however, are clearer and decidedly less murky than in the Adriatic.
You will also be able to enjoy a walk around the beautiful historic center in this town located between Imperia and San Bartolomeo al Mare, I would say that this is quite a nice place to be. Perfect for families with children!
#8 bis ANDORA BEACH
Near Diano Marina, just past the adjacent town of San Bartolomeo al Mare and the village of Cervo, the real sand can also be found in Andora.
The beaches of Andora are made of sand. It's not that there are so many distinctions to make: soft, it gently takes you in the water with its degrading seabed. Excellent for families offering greater convenience than average for parking lots and spaces . We are very close to Alassio and Laigueglia, clearly this is the area of ​​the finest sand in Liguria.
# 9 BEACH OF FEGINA IN MONTEROSSO
THE ONLY "BIG" BEACH OF THE CINQUE TERRE
We will expose a contrarian thesis here. Granted this is a very beautiful beach, I am getting a bit tired of finding it always listed among the most beautiful in Liguria - even in prestigious foreign magazines -, just because it is the only real beach in the Cinque Terre. Clearly most of these people that write about it have never seen it or maybe have just seen this beach only because is in the Cinque Terre...
That said, nothing is wrong with this beach: it is super convenient by train, the station is right there. We put it a little further back in this list because its sand is a bit grainy and you can find pebbles here and there.
We can suggest some fantastic alternatives nearby such as:
BEACH OF LEVANTO
Levanto is just before Monterosso, by train it is really a matter of minutes. Wide, rather sandy and beautiful beach.
BONASSOLA BEACH
Immediately after Levanto, following the cycle path, you can quickly (also on foot of course) reach Bonassola where you will find with another magnificent beach. Don't forget the next place Deiva Marina by the way.
# 10 The SAND BEACHES of SANREMO and ARMA DI TAGGIA:
SANREMO DUE PORTI BEACH
The Due Porti beach you will find it right there, between the two marinas in Sanremo . It is not the most natural of the sandy beaches of Liguria, but it is really comfortable and super sandy. The two marinas are only dedicated to pleasure boats and therefore the quality of the water is more than acceptable. Thanks to the piers that surround them, the waters are always calm and safe even for the little ones
BUSSANA BEACH IN SANREMO
Another possible option in Sanremo if you are looking for sand. It is sand, but some stones here and there will be found. Bussana is the beach of the famous old village and is located just outside the center in the direction of Genoa. Another perk is that it can be reached by bike along the famous Ospedaletti - Sanremo - San Lorenzo cycle path.
ARMA DI TAGGIA BEACH
I will make an inspection as soon as possible because I don't like talking about a place without having seen it recently. There are other very well written portals that describe our region, but I find many more truly comical ones. Some of those will describe beaches with stones as big as tennis balls as sandy, often posting a photo of another beach in the area of which they don't know the name. Clearly those lists are written by someone who perhaps never even came to Liguria. Ok....
As for me I can say that I have actually physically stepped on Arma di Taggia beach many years ago: I distinctly remember that it is a real sand beach. I put it slightly further back due to the unnatural presence of the breakwaters in front of the beach. For now I don't have the photo and therefore, it will be added when I go there.
CONCLUSION
In Liguria you will find everything, even the most beautiful sand. Yes, sandy beaches hundreds of meters deep and with a very slowly sloping seabed do not actually exist in Liguria. However, there are many magnificent beaches with sand of various weights. The incredible variety of panoramas and seabeds with crystaline waters more than compensate for the smaller spaces and pebbles that you will sometimes find mixed with the finest sand.
MORE (almost) SANDY BEACHES IN LIGURIA:
We like to be very clear and accurate, we cannot recommend a sandy beach if it is actually made of very thick grains or if you will find lots of small pebbles. However there are quite a few not really sandy, not actually stony either beaches in Liguria that you really should consider. In this list - these mixed type - are difficult to place, also because storms reshuffle the cards. But do not worry, it's mostly sandy and softish 😊 + they are all beautiful.
Actually bigger grains are perfect, as comfortable as sand with the huge advantage that you will not find them for the next weeks in your bags and car 😉.
(ALMOST) SANDY BEACHES OF THE WESTERN RIVIERA AROUND SAVONA
In this area, more precisely in the stretch of coast that goes from Albenga to Varazze area, there are dozens of beautiful beaches that are characterized by a very similar type of beach: there is a lot of sand, but it is never only sand, there are always some pebbles too. In any case, wherever you go in these locations you will always find a beautiful historic center, a pleasant promenade and a nice soft beach where you can relax and walk barefoot without worrying too much.
There are many examples, let's follow a geographical order from west to east.
BEACH OF CERIALE
BEACH OF BORGHETTO SANTO SPIRITO < / strong>
BEACH OF LOANO
BEACH OF PIETRA LIGURE
BEACH OF FINALE MARINA, FINALPIA BEACH, THE BEACH OF THE PORT OF FINALE LIGURE, SAN DONATO BEACH in FINALE LIGURE
IN VARIGOTTI - The BEACH of the VILLAGE of VARIGOTTI
Generations of families and children have been in Varigotti's Saracen village in the shadow of the promontory with the tower. A very long beach (by Ligurian standards) to walk on the water's edge.
THE PUNTA CRENA BEACH in VARIGOTTI, MALPASSO BEACH (BAIA DEI SARACENI) in VARIGOTTI
The BEACH of the FISHERMEN of NOLI
THE BEACH OF SPOTORNO and THE BEACH OF TORRE DEL MARE IN SPOTORNO
THE BEACH OF BERGEGGI AND THE LIDO DELLE SIRENE IN BERGEGGI.
THE BEACHES OF ALBISOLA MARINA, CELLE LIGURE and VARAZZE.
THE (mostly) SANDY BEACHES OF THE GULF OF POETS IN LA SPEZIA
The Gulf of Poets (of which also the Lerici's beach we talked about are part) will quench the thirst of sand of those who have just been to the rocky Cinque Terre. You will find:
FIASCHERINO BEACH
Small beach of pleasant sand and a few stones just before the Borgo Tellaro village
BEACH OF PUNTA CORVO
Dark and thick sand mixed with pebbles, beautiful and unreachable (if not on foot or by boat) near Monte Marcello.
THE BEACHES OF FIUMARETTA
You can already feel the smell of Versilia on the border with Tuscany
GENOVA SANDY BEACHES
...this was a joke, I wanted to see if you were paying attention and if you had taken the time to really read up to here .. In Genoa and the immediate vicinity there are no sandy beaches, but you can still find many nice spots on our city shores. If if you are looking for softer, there are some excellent mixed sand / pebbles alternatives for example:
ARENZANO BEACH
SORI BEACH
THE BEACHES OF STONES AND PEBBLES OF LIGURIA
Is it only us Ligurians that like them?
Personally, I don't like sand that is too fine, I hate it when it sticks to my feet and legs after the last dip of the day .. Don't you feel utterly annoyed when it dries and on your skin and becomes dusty? 😉 It is way better to take a chiropractor course to learn how to align your spine with the stones ...isn't it? Maybe even us Ligurians don't really believe it completely, sandy beaches are indeed nice. But the true Ligurian chooses the beauty of the hard rocks in order to stay out of the crowd that so little suits his character ... but then one day your vespa scooter becomes a soccer mum minivan .. you don't know where to park it, kids are crying, someone is throwing stones at people... and then you understand why the sand at the beach is really important.