Essential Tips for Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera

If you’ve been to the Italian Riviera between June and August, this scene looks familiar. For some families, this rocky stretch of coastline in Liguria is the ultimate summer holiday destination.

In fact, questions about visiting Italian beaches with kids in the summertime comes up more often than almost any other topic on Ciao Bambino. Given this, I thought it would be fun to showcase some recent family vacation photos, as well as need to know tips for visiting this area.

Cinque Terre with Kids Tips and Advice

What town is this?

The town pictured above is Camogli and not part of Cinque Terre. Surprised?

Rick Steves seems to be single-handedly behind the American obsession with visiting Cinque Terre. It’s not that I don’t enjoy Cinque Terre. In fact, I do, but I have to admit you couldn’t pay me to stay there between June and August as it’s simply too darn popular with everyone but Italians.

The point is that there are other picturesque places to stay and visit in this part of Italy. Cinque Terre is known for being remote and accessible only from the water, although the fact is you can get there easily via train today, so the remote factor isn’t a reason to go. Moreover, you can always visit Cinque Terre and take one of the famous hikes between the villages for a day trip; you don’t need to overnight there to appreciate the experience.

In June through August, expect people, lots of them

Here is a broad photo of the beach in Camogli. What do you notice most? People! And, this was June in a town that the average tourist doesn’t know about. The fact is that you cannot escape people anywhere on this part of the Italian coastline over the summer months.

hotel-continental-water-in-camogli-on-italian-riviera
Swimming in the Italian Riviera

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks

If your beach vision includes miles of sand, look elsewhere. What makes this part of the Italian coastline so dramatic is the rocky and dramatic shore. Swimming is appealing as the water is gorgeous, but you have to do a bit more searching to find the spots that are ideal for young kids.

hotel-continental-camogli-italy
Hotel Continental in Camogli, Italy

What hotels make a good home-base for exploring the Italian Riviera?

When we visited Camogli in June, I stopped to have lunch and check in on Cenobio dei Dogi, one of our recommended hotels in the Italian Riviera and was reminded why I like it for families.

Located just south of Genova, the highlight of this 4 star hotel is without a doubt, the view. Perched on a cliff above the town with stunning sea and coastline views, guests have permanent smiles on sunny days. Although there is no flat grass for kids to run around (in short supply in this area), there are plenty of families at the pool during holiday periods.

There are a few large “rocks” that have chairs on them, as well as a small beach club where guests can go.

The food here is excellent and the service is friendly. The main public areas aren’t shabby, but they are very dated. Guest rooms, however, have undergone recent renovations and feature updated (traditional not stylish) furnishings and bathrooms.

hotel-continental-exterior
Hotel Continental

Further south in Santa Margherita Ligure, Hotel Continental is highly recommended by Shannon Venable of ItaliaKids.com, the author of this review. Although I haven’t stayed here, I did a walk through a few years ago. Given the close proximity to Portofino, you get a bit more of the jet set factor in this area than you do by Camogli. There is also some grass for kids to roam. Rooms and public areas are fully updated, upscale, with a more modern feel than Cenobio dei Dogi.

Ciao Bambino can help you plan an incredible family vacation to the Italian Riviera

Our Family Vacation Consulting Team will work with you to book accommodations, recommend activities and more, all with one-on-one support. Click here to send us a request >

Head to Forte dei Marmi for sand and kid-friendly swimming

If you are looking for a sandy beach paired with the ultimate Italian resort town experience, I adore Forte dei Marmi. It’s actually in Tuscany, just on the border with Liguria.

Full-service beach clubs line a flat beach with a gentle surf. Kid and adult-heaven as everybody has a chance for downtime.

Some clubs like Bagno Annetta offer a swimming pool and kids’ activities. Other favorite clubs for families are Bagno Costanza, Bagno Peppe Ponete, and Bagno Piero. Average pricing runs from 75€ to 150€ per day. During summer months these clubs are very busy; be sure have make reservations ahead of time.

When you are not on the beach — loitering is a fine art here with shopping and dining galore. There’s also a terrific beachfront promenade that is ideal for all-family bike rides. Our favorite hotel with kids is the family-run California Park Hotel with room for children to play in a laid-back setting just blocks from the beach.

I wrote a full article about visiting Forte dei Marmi for Dream of Italy earlier this season. If you are an Italophile of any sort, this newsletter is for you. Get full details here.

All photos except the exterior shot of Hotel Continental were taken by Amie O’Shaughnessy

Now available on Ciao Bambino: packaged Italy family trips!

We've paired our favorite accommodations and activities in one easy, book-and-go package. Get more details and make a request >

Travel Blog Mob

More Summer Vacation Photos posts from the Travel Blog Mob:

Wandering Educators: Top 10 Beach Towns on Michigan’s Sunset Coast

Boots n All: Our Best Days Ever

Kid-friendly tour guides in Italy 

Traveling with MJ: Italian Vacation: Gondolas in Venice

Spot Cool Stuff: 3 Cool Ways to Share Photos While You Travel

Wanderlust and Lipstick: Summer (Seattle) Lovin’ – Photo of the Day

Start a Discussion

10 Comments
  • We will be traveling to Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome in early June. We have a couple of extra days and we are trying to figure out the best place to visit. We thought about taking the Chunnel from Paris to London for a day trip. Or visiting the Amalfi coast, Pompeii or maybe Cinque Terra. Do you have any recommendations on which may be the most interesting for my 7 and 10 year old girls?
    Thanks!

  • Hi. thanks for the helpful info!
    we will be visiting camogli, italy next summer (late june early july)
    i am not familiar w/ crowded italian beaches. we were in positano a few years ago, but we spent our time on the hotel’s private beach w/ no crowds.
    w/ the public beach in camogli, do you have to go out pretty early to claim your spot? i guess we would rent a few beach chairs and umbrellas and hang out all day and relax. do you have an idea of how much something like that costs? (to rent.) also, do you know if you can you just pack a picnic basket and drink alcohol on the beaches? i am thinking that we are all going to need the water shoes too, but i am going to look for something that looks alittle chic! gotta keep up w/ those stylish europeans!
    grazie!

  • Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let Ciao Bambino! Plan Your Dream Trip with Kids
Get the latest family travel news, exclusive deals & more!

Sign up for our newsletter and you’ll be the first to know about special promotions, perks, tips and hot destinations.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign In

Want to save all the great intel and tips you are finding on Ciao Bambino? My Trip Planner allows you to bookmark articles, family-friendly hotel reviews, and family vacation packages. Simply click the heart icon on anything you want to save. Site registration is required to get started. Happy planning!

Create an Account

Please fillout the form below to create your free My Trip Planner account.