mikewalsh

Hi,

My wife and I (mid-40s) have targeted Liguria for a 12-day trip next July to the Italian Riviera. I was surprised when researching it just how expansive this area is. We'd like to visit Genoa, but then what? We typically like to rent a car and explore, and stay at 3-5 different hotels in the process.

Any suggestions are greatly welcomed!

Mike

Weadles

Mike,

We spent a lovely few days this August in Santa Margherita. Santa Margherita is a beautiful coastal city which is a popular destination for vacationing Italians. It also tends to be a more affordable place to stay than Portofino, which is just down the road.

Santa Margherita is full of restaurants, cafes, and has a marina full of yachts. And it's easy to day trip to Cinque Terre, Portofino, and Camogli. Pisa is only about a two-hour drive away, Siena is about four hours.

If you post your budget, I'd be happy to make some hotel suggestions. You also might want to check previous posts for more info on Santa Margherita.

Have a great time!

bobthenavigator

Mike, you really only need 3 locations to explore the entire region.I would pick San Remo, Santa Margherita, and Portovenere. Be sure to explore the hills above San Remo and cross the border to Menton and Monaco. Use Portovenere as your gateway to the CT.

owlwoman

Hi Mike,

We stayed in a charming seaside town called "Lerici", the castle used in Shelly's Frankenstein is located there. Stayed at the "Hotel Florida" which was reasonable and right across from the beach. From there, a boat ride away, is the Cinque Terre and Portovenere. We also took a day trip to Lucca. The hotel recommended restaurants, which were a 10 minute walk away and made reservations for us every night. Great seafood. It was nice to have a base for 4 nights as we had been travelling 2 nights here, 2 nights there at that point. Have a great time, we loved this area of Italy.

mikewalsh

Thank you Weadles, Bob and Owlwoman!

I now feel like I can start some real research. I'm sure I will have more questions, thanks again.

Mike

mikewalsh

Can anyone recommmend some good guidebooks on the Ligurian Coast?

Also, should I use Genoa as my airport hub (flying into Genoa from one of the major cities and leaving from there)? We start out in Boston. Thanks.

GAC

You can save money by taking the train and local buses. Public transportation in the Liguria region is excellent and cheap. You can fly into/out of either Genoa or Milan-Malpensa.

bobthenavigator

Do not overlook Pisa as an entry point.
Only Euro carriers will fly into genoa or Pisa. Or, fly into Nice and start at the Cote d' Azur.

pat

We did spend one night in Genoa, before heading off to the CT. It was an interesting town for one night. We went to one restaurant where they gave us a menu, and a dictionary! We did a ferry ride on the bay, and walked around alot, before we picked up our car. We did have one problem. When we went to the auto europe place in Genoa next to the train station, they said no, our car was at the airport. So we took a bus to the airport only to hear our car was back in Genoa. My friend started crying, and they ended up giving us a nice BMW station at no extra cost. So be careful about where you need to pick up your car.