Holiday apartments, hotels & villas in Liguria
See all cities and destinations in Liguria
Choose your holiday accommodation in Liguria and benefit from a holiday in a warm coastal climate with a fabulous mountainous landscape. Choose from many idyllic and evocative towns with both beautiful sandy beaches and charming rocky coves. At In-Italia, we have handpicked a fine collection of apartments, hotels, bed & breakfasts in Liguria and we are sure that you will find something to satisfy your holiday desires.
Let the views of and from the Cinque Terre towns take your breath away. One of the most famous areas to the east of Genoa in Liguria is called the Cinque Terre, a Nature Reserve in the eastern part of the region. The area offers quite unique scenery with steep cliffs, with five famous little towns and small sandy beaches.
The landscape here is incredibly beautiful, where the small towns with pastel-coloured houses surrounded by natural terraces sit on the steep hillside along with the vines. The five towns are (from the northwest) Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Vernazza is one of the smallest of the towns and it is a true little gem. Previously, you could only get to the towns from the water, but today there is an effective funicular railway that connects all the towns. You can also hike along the paths that connect the towns and enjoy stunning views along the way.
From Liguria it is also possible to tour the neighbouring regions of Piedmont and Tuscany. The nearest airports are in Genoa, Nice and Milan.
Read more about Liguria
Genoa is the capital of Liguria and a fascinating city to visit. The contrasts are great and you will find many interesting monuments and sights. The old arcades in the port area are charming with little boutiques and restaurants.
Ventimiglia, on the border with France, has a number of sights and modern shopping streets with stylish fashion boutiques, restaurants and cafés.
Every year San Remo lends its name to Italy's great music festival. But the town is also known as the floral town, because of the enormous amounts of flowers grown here. Tourism is an important part of the town's economy and consequently restaurants, shops and cafés are plentiful here.
Alassio is a smaller town with lovely beaches. The town is surrounded by cherry trees and chestnut groves and is full of charming little streets with shops, restaurants etc.
Levanto is situated in the eastern part of Liguria and is known for its fine beaches. Levanto's history goes back a long way and can be witnessed in a number of medieval sights. The town is also very child friendly and has a good selection of restaurants and shops.
Chiavari is not far from Genoa. It has an exciting historic centre, which is well worth visiting. It also offers a good range of restaurants serving excellent seafood.
Diano Marina is another nice town known for its lovely beaches and pleasant climate. It has a wide selection of restaurants, shops, cafés and nightclubs.
Pietra Ligure offers a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere with a number of restaurants in different price categories.
For long periods of time Liguria was under Byzantine rule until the Lombards took control of the region around 641 AD. Then it was the turn of the Franks to dominate Liguria. During this period the population suffered several attacks from the Saracens and also from the Normans who forced the people out to the coastal areas. In the Middle Ages when districts were established, Genoa quickly became the most important in Liguria and soon progressed to become the dominant and most important force in Liguria's further historic development.
For many years Genoa was a power to be reckoned with. Along with the republics of Amalfi, Pisa and Venice, Genoa fought for power and control in the Mediterranean. Later on Liguria and Genoa came under the Savoy Kingdom and for a short period prior to Italian unification, Liguria was part of the kingdom of Sardinia.
The Ligurian coastline is almost 350 km long and stretches from the French border and down to Tuscany. See the majestic Apennine mountains rise behind the shoreline, and protect the coast from the northern winds. Here you can enjoy wonderful bathing opportunities on the many beautiful beaches.
On this coast you'll find white sandy beaches, rock beaches and rocks. Most of the sandy beaches are in the western part and it is probably why the beaches here are more populated and more tourist minded than those in the east. In the eastern part you will instead find beautiful rocky areas in or around "Le Cinque Terre". Here the beaches are incredibly beautiful and natural.
Some of the best beaches are to be found in Diano Marina, Levanto and Alassio. If you prefer swimming from rocks and smaller beaches then Le Cinque Terre towns are a good choice for a beach holiday in Liguria.
Liguria has plenty to offer when it comes to nature, from sandy beaches, cliffs, mountains, caves, natural parks, soft green hills and a rich flora. The region is called "La Riviera dei Fiori" - The Riviera of flowers, which is certainly not without reason. You will find green hills all over with lots of greenhouses, where the beautiful flowers are grown.
In the hinterland of Liguria and on the border with Piemonte you find the Apennines. The great mountains, that stretches from the Ligurian coast just above the town of La Spezia and down to Florence in Tuscany. This mountainous area has a fascinating nature and provides ample opportunity for hiking, cycling and climbing all the while enjoying the beautiful surroundings.
The region also offers many natural parks, both on the coast and further inland. Among other things you can visit different nature parks; "Parco del Beguia, Parco dell'Antola, Parco di Portofino, Parco dell'Aveto, Parco Monte Marcello-Magra and last but not least the famous Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre.
Le Cinque Terre is considered to be the most unique piece of nature in Liguria with its steep cliffs. The area is known worldwide for the wonderful walking - a hiking path that connects 5 small coastal towns. Some trails are suitable for mountain biking and relaxing horseback riding, but if you want to go all the way from Monterosso to Riomaggiore, there's only one thing to do - which is putting on a good pair of hiking shoes and set aside a whole day for that purpose. The whole area has now become a national park, which means that there are charges in some places to access the trails.
The cuisine in Liguria obviously draws on its close connection to the sea. But Liguria is also famous for its fine Taggiasche olives and its excellent olive oil. In addition Liguria is also credited with the world famous pesto which when properly prepared is irresistible.
Fish and seafood: Different kinds of fish soups are widely available in Liguria. Anchovies and sardines are also very popular. In several places in Liguria, and especially around La Spezia, it is possible to taste the exquisite date mussel.
Meat, game and poultry: Lamb is very popular in Liguria. On the border to Piedmont it is also common to eat game.
Sausages and ham: The best sausages in Liguria are called Mostardella, not to be confused with Mortadella. They are made of pork. Salame di Sant'Olcese made from both pork and veal is also good. Prosciutta Castelnovese is a strangely shaped ham. At first glance it resembles a wooden log, but it has a lovely flavour.
Cheese: Most of Liguria's cheeses are made from cow's milk but a few are also made from goat's milk.
Sweets: Evidence of the many chestnut groves in Liguria are found in the region's desserts. Cakes and biscuits often feature chestnuts.
Wine and vineyards: Liguria has still not made an impact on the wine front. However, there are a few good producers such as Buranco.
You can choose from our collection of handpicked holiday accommodation including vacation rentals, self-catering apartments, hotels and B & B in the Liguria area by using the search machine at the top of the page. Feel free to ask our experienced travel experts with over 15 years experience of travel in Italy for advice on the best places to stay. Contact us by email using the contact link at the top of the page, by using the chat box to the left of the page, or call us using the number to the right of the page.
