Travelling to Liguria in early July. Can anyone recommend special places to visit? Is it best to hire a car or go by train once ovre there?

If you just want to stick to the seaside, trans are frequent and they connect even the smallest villages of the Region. You may want to rent a car for one or two days to visit the mountains, that hold real gems such as Dolceaqua, but most villages on the mountains can still be visited by bus.

My daughter visited the town of Santa Margherita Ligure (near the more famous Portofino). She came back in raptures over the place. Judging by her travel photos, we agree.

It is well connected by train and bus.

I love Liguria and have traveled there several times. If you truly want special places then I suggest Camogli and Portovenere, and I would have a car.
Of course, visit SML and Portofino from the former, and the Cinque Terre from the latter. Have fun !

Genoa is supposed to have a great aquarium. We had a choice, go out on a friend's boat, or to the aquarium. We took a boat tour of the CT. It was a great way to see it.

We had a rental car, but kept it parked the entire time we stayed in Portofino.

We returned about four weeks ago from the Liguian region...and fell in love with it. We are still experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Bob's recommendations are right on the money. I want to add that the Hotel Continental in SML was outstanding in every way. I wish it were me going back in July!

To answer your question about transportation...we always use public transportation, whether it's a taxi, train, ferry or bus. It was no different in Liguria: trains, ferries, cabs and buses are very convenient and reasonablly priced.

I would not rent a car in Liguria, it is not necessary. You can access everything via train, bus, boat, or foot. The local 5-digit trains run back and forth throughout the CT several times a day well into the evening and other trains are easily accessible up and down the Italian Riviera coast. I would definitely go to Portovenere, just south of the CT. You can access Portovenere via a boat in Riomaggiore or from any of the other CT towns. When in Portovenere you can view "Byron's Grotto" overlooking the Golfe di Poeti, walk through the still-imposing castello that used to guard the bay, lunch at a delightful cafe along the waterfront and spend a truly wonderful afternoon there among the locals. Another visit could be into Lerici, which is accessible via bus from the La Spezia train station. We spent a very nice day there walking along the boardwalk around the bay (Golfe di Poeti) and seeing Lord Byron's and Percy Shelley's homes, amongst the fleet of pleasure craft docked there. Going north from the 5 CT I would recommend visiting Levanto, the former summer residence of Mussolini, for a true Italian town experience without all the tourists that flood the 5 CT towns these days. Also, further north, try visting Camogli, the charming fishing village with the pastel-hued homes and buildings surrounding the old harbor. With its black/gray sand beach and shop-lined boardwalk, it makes for a truly unique place. Buon viaggio!

I can't wait!

Thank you for your responses.

We loved Camogli. From there you can take the train to Cinque Terre - we loved that too...especially riding the boat between the villages on a nice sunny day!

I would second not driving in the region. Whereas you can get between the CT villages in under 10 minutes by train, it takes over an hour between them by car. The trains run fairly often between the regions. Do not miss CT, much more quaint than the other villages in this area. You can walk between all five villages, but I think some parts are more challenging than others so plan well. It will take two full days to see a glimpse of them all. Have fun!