Top 5 hiking trails in Liguria: Beautiful routes for Cinque Terre, Sanremo & Punta Manara

Top 5 hiking trails in Liguria – The blue sea crashes against the rocks, while brave hikers follow their path up the cliffs.
Did you know that Liguria is one of the most beautiful hiking regions in Italy?
No?
Then find out why here!
Liguria offers you mountain passes such as the Bracco Pass and coastal paths between five picturesque villages – the famous Cinque Terre.
Whether you start in Genoa, Savona or Sanremo, you will also find plenty of hiking opportunities in the larger cities.
No preference is neglected: mountains, coasts and forests, here you will find a route for every taste!

Uphill & downhill: even on the coast!

Liguria describes an approximately 300-kilometre-long coastal strip in the west of Italy.
Tip: You can easily travel to the starting point of your next hike with a rooftop tent. This destination is particularly well-known for its beautiful sandy beaches, unusual hiking trails and rocky mountain landscape.
Here you can hike directly along the coast, climbing between 200 and 2,100 meters in altitude.
Liguria is generally divided into three areas.
First is the Riviera di Ponente, the stretch of coast from the French border to Genoa.
This is followed by the Riviera di Levante, which stretches from Genoa to La Spezia and the mountainous hinterland beyond.
You will also find beautiful hiking trails in all three areas.

You can see the landscape in advance in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVjIaO5D-Ok

Learning to hike: it’s so easy!

There are a few things you should bear in mind so that you can hit the ground running on your hiking vacation:

• Check stamina beforehand
• Plan route with breaks
• Pack enough water
• Map, compass & sat nav

Are you a novice hiker or planning your first hike?
Here you will find more tips to make your hike in Liguria a complete success:

• Learn to hike

You should know these hiking trails!

On the Riviera di Ponente, the rocky coastal path near Savona is a great option.
On the Riviera di Levante, you can conquer the Punta Manara hiking trail or venture along the Cinque Terre high-altitude hiking trail.
This is considered particularly difficult, but also exciting.
We also present two other hiking trails in the mountainous hinterland: the mountain hike at the Bracco Pass and the water springs near Sanremo.
At a glance – you can take a look at these hiking trails here:

• Coastal path at Punta Manara
• Mountain roads at Bracco Pass
• Coastal stretch near Savona
• Forest & mountains near Sanremo
• High trail of the Cinque Terre

Panoramic hiking trail along the coast

We start with a hiking trail directly on Liguria’s coast.
From the small town of Sestri Lavante, this route takes you out into the countryside.
Sestri Levante is located between Genoa and La Spezia, in the Riviera di Levante, which is known for its beautiful hiking trails.
This trail is one of the most popular.
You ascend around 220 meters to Punta Manara.
From this vantage point, you have a picturesque view over the sea.
On particularly clear days, you can even see the island of Elba near Sardinia.
The walk takes about an hour and ten minutes without breaks.
As the route is relatively short, mostly asphalted and has a less difficult ascent, it is also suitable for beginners.
A summary of the hiking trail:

• From Sestri Levante to Punta Manera
• About 220 meters of altitude to overcome
• Punta Manara: View over the sea
• Relatively short & asphalted route

The most important thing:

• approx. 4.5 km
• approx. 1h 10 min
• Suitable for beginners

Here you can see the route on the map: This view awaits you once you have climbed Punta Manara:

Mountain hike over the Bracco Pass

The Bracco Pass is one of the mountains north of the Cinque Terre.
You can even see the sea from this mountain.
It is a popular destination for hiking and cycling.
The best place to start your hike is in Corrodano, east of the Bracco Pass.
From here, you will pass the green valleys of the Ligurian mountains.
Fortunately, you walk on a carefully paved road and only have to climb almost 300 meters in altitude, but you will be on the road for almost two hours without a break.
This hike is also suitable for (older) children, as the road is not very busy.
However, you should consider the physical abilities of your children and always remember to bring enough water.
You can prepare for this on the hike over the Bracco Pass:

• From Corrodano to Bracco Pass
• View of the sea while hiking
• 300 meters of asphalt road
• Low traffic: hiking with children
• Also popular with cyclists

The most important data:

• approx. 8.5 km
• approx. 1h 50 min
• Medium difficulty

You can start your hike with the help of this map: You can even see the sea from the Bracco Pass:

Rocky coastal path south of Savona

The city of Savona in the east of Liguria offers you a varied landscape.
For this hiking trail, we start at the Grotta dei Falsari in Savona, a cave complex made of white stone.
You can see the blue Mediterranean shimmering through it.
If you pay a visit to the Grotta dei Falsari, you can also take a hike along the roads to Torre Saracena near Sarigotti.
On this route, sandy gravel paths lead through the green scrubland, which drops steeply into the blue sea beside you.
Without any breaks, you can enjoy about an hour and a half of pure adventure with a fresh sea breeze.
You will overcome differences in altitude of almost 300 meters and can look forward to a wonderful sea view at Torre Saracena near Sarigotti.
The gradient is not too steep.
However, you will have to deal with unpaved paths in places.
If you already have some hiking experience, this can be an advantage here.
This is what makes the coastal path near Savona so special:

• From Grotta dei Falsari to Torre Sarancia
• Unpaved gravel paths with sea views
• Height differences of up to 300 meters

Overview of length, duration and difficulty level:

• approx. 5 km
• approx. 1 h 30 min
• Medium difficulty

So that you don’t get lost on the coastal roads, you can see the hiking trail on the map here: Here you can see the landscape that you can see on the way to Torre Saracena.

Water springs & hiking trail near Sanremo

In addition to the big city experience, Sanremo also offers exciting surroundings for hiking.
The valley of Molini di Prelà is popular.
Here you will find a route that takes you through the valley and the surrounding mountain landscape to a picturesque spring.
It takes about three quarters of an hour by car from the center of Sanremo to Molini di Prelà.
Once you have parked your car here and started your hike, you should first head south.
Simply follow the asphalt road.
Once you have arrived in Dolcedo, sandy hiking trails will lead you north-east to Laghetti Lecchiore.
Here you will find beautiful turquoise-colored springs in the rocks.
The hike is a little more challenging, as you cover around seven kilometers and climb around 355 metres in altitude.
There are not always paved roads, but often natural hiking trails.
This allows you to better enjoy the animals and plants in the area, but also requires more effort.
The hiking trail to the water springs near Sanremo at a glance:

• From Molini di Prelà to Laghetti Lecchiore
• Possible stopover in Dolcedo
• Asphalted roads & hiking trails
• Total: overcome 355 meters of altitude
• Destination: Turquoise springs in the forest

You should familiarize yourself with this data in advance:

• approx. 7 km
• approx. 1 h 45 min
• Medium difficulty

You can use this map to plan your tour: You can marvel at these springs when you arrive:

Cinque Terre high-altitude hiking trail

Now we come to the supreme discipline – the Cinque Terre high-altitude hiking trail, which is over 40 kilometers long.
Translated, this means five villages.
Accordingly, the Cinque Terre includes the five villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.
They are connected by a hiking trail.
One of the most popular hiking trails in Liguria is the high trail from Levanto to Portovenere, which crosses the five villages of the Cinque Terre in between.
However, it is over 40 kilometers long.
Without breaks, it would take you over twelve hours on foot if you wanted to complete it.
It makes much more sense, even as an experienced hiker, to divide this route into three stages or take five days – one day for each village.
There is also the option of taking the ferry from Manarola to Portovenere.
On your way, you will encounter paved roads as well as rocky coastal paths.
You will climb and descend almost 2,100 meters in altitude and always have the sea on your side.
For beginners, it may be worth conquering a path between two specific villages and then taking the ferry.
This stops in every village except Corniglia.
If you already have some hiking experience, you can complete two stages in one day.
If you want to do the whole tour, it’s worth it if you’re already a hiking pro!
This is what awaits you on the Cinque Terre high trail:

• Connects five small villages
• From Levanto to Portovenere
• Too long for one day: split up
• Ferry: Manarola – Portovenere
• Height differences: 2,100 m

Summary of the most important information:

• over 40 kilometers
• approx. 12 h
• Whole route?
  Advanced!

This map will give you some initial inspiration for your hike.
However, there are several more paths along the coast that will lead you to your desired destination. Once you arrive in Portovenere, you can enjoy a view like this:

Camping in Liguria

Before you plan a hike, it’s also worth picking out the most beautiful places for stopovers or excursions.
Whether it’s a small village on the Cinque Terre, a beach paradise or a casino town on the border with France, there’s something for everyone here!
You can find more travel destinations, beach tips and an overview of the region here:

• Camping in Liguria