By feature
Sandy beaches are not a given in Liguria: most of the coastline is pebbly. These are beaches where the bottom is sand or fine sand-gravel, and water shoes are not required.
alassio · Savona
Quasi tre chilometri di sabbia fine e fondale che digrada piano, nel cuore della Baia del Sole. Una delle spiagge più comode della Riviera di Ponente, con un nodo: in alta stagione lo spazio libero si restringe e i costi salgono.
Downside: Riparata dalla tramontana
savona citta · Savona
La spiaggia più centrale di Savona, tra il Letimbro e la Fortezza del Priamar. Sabbia dorata, fondale basso, stabilimenti e spiaggia libera, a dieci minuti a piedi dalla stazione. Cosa aspettarti e quando andarci.
Downside: Sabbia dorata in pieno centro
savona citta · Savona
Un chilometro e duecento metri di sabbia dorata all'estremo ponente di Savona, con quattro tratti liberi e nove stabilimenti. Fondale basso, famiglie benvenute, parcheggio difficile: quello che devi sapere prima di andarci.
Downside: Parcheggio difficile d'estate
How we select
Out of 350 kilometres of Ligurian coastline, genuinely sandy stretches are concentrated almost entirely on the Ponente Riviera, between Savona and the French border. Varigotti has golden sand mixed with fine gravel; Spotorno has one of the region's widest beaches; Alassio and Andora offer kilometres of sandy shore. The Levante is dominated by rock and pebbles, and many coves require water shoes. The naturist beach at Varazze is an exception: it is rocky despite being in the Ponente area. If sand is your main criterion, the Ponente is the right choice.
Other useful filters
On the beaches in this list, no, or rarely. But if you plan to explore coves, rocky shores or the Levante coastline, water shoes are useful almost everywhere. They are cheap and easy to pack.
For many it is Baia dei Saraceni at Varigotti: turquoise water, fine sand and white pebbles in a sheltered bay. Alassio has the longest sandy shoreline. Spotorno is the best compromise between sand, services and accessibility.
Very few. The Cinque Terre and the Gulf of Poets are almost entirely rocky or pebbly. The Fegina beach at Monterosso is the most famous exception on the Ligurian Levante, but it is not among the profiles we currently have.
