Discover Liguria: Coast, Culture and Trails

Liguria combines a UNESCO-influenced coastal landscape with historic cities, long-distance trails and protected natural areas. For you, this means a region with different travel focuses: Porto Venere and the Cinque Terre combine cultural heritage and coastal trails, Genoa brings together urban history and maritime experiences, while the Ligurian Alps offer waterfalls and mountain routes.

Cultural Landscape and Cities

The UNESCO World Heritage site in Liguria includes Porto Venere, the three islands of its archipelago—Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto—and the Cinque Terre. Through historically developed small towns and terraces, the cultural landscape on the Ligurian coast between the Cinque Terre and Porto Venere documents the continuous history of human settlement over the past millennium. In the coastal settlement of Porto Venere, Doria Castle dominates. The archipelago with Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto contains remains of early monastic complexes. In Genoa, the Palazzi dei Rolli have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006.

Genoa’s Porto Antico brings together museums, the Acquario, the Bigo and the Nave Italia. The exhibition at the Acquario displays around 10,000 specimens from 400 species from seas around the world. At the Padiglione Cetacei, you can observe bottlenose dolphins from the surface of the water and from an underwater perspective. Whale-watching tours with biologists and experienced guides regularly depart from the Porto Antico. The narrow-gauge Trenino di Casella travels from the centre of Genoa to the mountains behind the city in less than an hour. In Savona, the Museo della Ceramica presents a complete pharmacy collection with seven traditional types of containers.

Trails for Hiking and Active Days

Those wishing to explore Liguria on foot will find a network of more than 120 km of trails and seven themed routes throughout the entire Cinque Terre National Park. A circular route leads along high-level trails with sea views, Jurassic rocks, old lemon groves and blossoms. Four trails starting from the Colle del Telegrafo can be completed in full by people with disabilities. The Alta Via dei Monti Liguri is a 422 km trekking route through Liguria from Ventimiglia to Ceparana, which can be travelled on foot, on horseback or by bicycle. Along the entire route, red-white-red markings with the initials AV indicate the way. In the Parco Naturale Regionale delle Alpi Liguri, the Sentiero Italia crosses a section of the AVML; the Sentiero degli Alpini also runs there.

Nature, Sea and Regional Specialities

Liguria has one national park and nine regional nature parks. Between Mendatica and Montegrosso Pian Latte, the Cascate dell’Arroscia form a series of waterfalls, the highest of which reaches more than 20 m. The waters of the Pelagos Sanctuary are home to dolphins, fin whales, sperm whales and numerous other marine species. The approximately 461 m long sensory trail in the Giardini Botanici Hanbury includes five tactile boards with texts in Italian, English and Braille. The region’s character is also reflected in Genovese basil D.O.P., the wheat-flour-based Farinata bianca between Savona and the Albissole, the IGP production area of Focaccia di Recco, and Cinque Terre Sciacchetrà made from Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes, which are dried for at least two months on special mats.

When choosing your hotel, your preferred daily rhythm can be decisive: coastal culture, city visits, mountain trails, marine observation and regional cuisine offer different focuses for planning your trip to Liguria. For regional orientation, you can then compare Imperia, Savona, Genoa and La Spezia with one another.

More About the Destination

Useful information for planning your trip:

Liguria holidays: coastal towns, beaches & getting there | Piazze, extra virgin DOP olive oil from Liguria.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Molise, Lombardy.