Sanremo

Sanremo is the grand old resort town of the Italian Riviera, sitting on the Ligurian coast just a short hop from the French border and Monaco. It rose to prominence in the 19th century as a winter retreat for European aristocracy, and that belle-époque legacy is still visible in its grand hotels, ornate villas, and the elegant Casino di Sanremo that anchors the seafront. Today the city is best known internationally for the Sanremo Music Festival, Italy's biggest annual pop music event and the direct inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest, held every February at the Teatro Ariston.

Beyond the festival, Sanremo has a quieter identity as the heart of Italy's flower-growing industry - greenhouses cover the hillsides around the city, and the surrounding coast is nicknamed the Riviera dei Fiori, the "Riviera of Flowers." The old town, La Pigna, is a maze of steep medieval lanes climbing the hill behind the modern seafront, a sharp contrast to the wide palm-lined promenade below.

With its mild winters, mix of Italian and French influences, and position as a natural base for exploring both the Ligurian and French Rivieras, Sanremo works well as either a relaxed seaside stay or a launchpad for day trips along the coast.

Summer (June to August)

Summers are warm and mostly dry, with daytime temperatures typically in the high 20s°C (low-to-mid 80s°F), tempered by sea breezes that keep it more comfortable than inland Italy. This is peak tourist season, with beach clubs, restaurants, and hotels at their busiest and priciest.

Spring and Autumn (April–May, September–October)

Mild, pleasant weather makes these the most comfortable months for sightseeing and cycling the coastal path, with far fewer crowds than summer. Spring also coincides with the tail end of Sanremo's flower-growing season, when the surrounding hillsides are especially colorful.

Winter (November to March)

Sanremo's winters are unusually mild for northern Italy, protected by the Maritime Alps behind the city, which is exactly why it became a fashionable winter resort in the first place. February brings the Sanremo Music Festival, when the city fills with visitors despite the cooler weather.

Late spring and early autumn offer the best mix of warm weather and manageable crowds; travelers specifically chasing the festival atmosphere should plan around February, while beach-focused visitors should aim for June or September.

By Air

Sanremo has no airport of its own. Most visitors fly into Nice Côte d'Azur Airport in France, about 50 km (30 miles) away and roughly an hour's drive, which offers a wide range of international connections. Genoa and Albenga airports on the Italian side are further alternatives, useful mainly for travelers already elsewhere in Liguria.

By Train

Sanremo sits on the coastal railway line linking Genoa to Ventimiglia, the Italian border town where the line connects into the French rail network toward Nice and beyond. Trains from Nice Airport typically involve a transfer at Ventimiglia, with the full journey to Sanremo taking around 1.5 to 2 hours.

By Car or Bus

The A10 motorway runs along the coast connecting Sanremo to Genoa, Ventimiglia, and the French border, making a rental car a straightforward option, especially for combining Sanremo with Riviera towns on both sides of the border. Direct buses also run between Nice Airport and Sanremo, with a stop near the city.

On Foot

The modern seafront and shopping streets are flat and easy to walk, while the old town of La Pigna climbs steeply uphill on narrow stepped lanes - comfortable shoes are worth it here. Most of central Sanremo's sights are within a 20-minute walk of each other.

The Coastal Cycle Path

One of Sanremo's standout features is the Pista Ciclabile del Ponente Ligure, a flat, car-free path built along a decommissioned railway line that runs for roughly 24 km (15 miles) along the coast toward Ospedaletti and San Lorenzo al Mare. Bike rental shops near the seafront make it easy to spend a half-day riding or walking the route.

Public Transit and Taxis

Local buses connect Sanremo's neighborhoods and nearby towns along the coast, and taxi ranks are available near the train station and casino for shorter trips or late-night travel.

Renting a Car

A car is useful for reaching hillside villages, the French border towns, and Monaco, though it's not necessary for exploring central Sanremo itself, where parking can be tight and traffic heavier along the seafront in summer.

Landmarks and Culture

The Teatro Ariston is the beating heart of Sanremo's musical fame, hosting the Sanremo Music Festival each February and drawing music fans year-round even outside festival season. The Casino di Sanremo, a grand early-20th-century building overlooking the sea, remains an active gambling hall and one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. The onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church, built for the Russian aristocrats who once wintered here, is a striking architectural outlier worth a stop.

La Pigna Old Town

Climbing the hill behind the modern city, La Pigna's tangle of covered alleys, stone archways, and stairways is Sanremo's medieval core, culminating at the hilltop Santuario della Madonna della Costa with sweeping views over the coastline.

Gardens and the Seafront

• Corso Imperatrice - Sanremo's palm-lined seafront promenade, named for a Russian empress and lined with grand hotels and gardens
• Villa Ormond - a historic villa with landscaped botanical gardens open to the public, a quiet escape from the busier seafront
• Sanremo Cathedral (San Siro) - a Romanesque church in the old town with roots dating back centuries
• Mercato dei Fiori - the city's flower market, a reminder of the industry that shaped the region, best visited in the early morning

La Pigna

The atmospheric medieval old town, all narrow stone lanes and archways stacked up the hillside, offers a completely different mood from the resort-town feel of the seafront below.

Corso Imperatrice and the Seafront

The palm-lined promenade and surrounding streets hold Sanremo's grand hotels, the casino, and most of the upscale shopping and dining, and form the natural base for most visitors.

Portosole Marina

East of the center, this modern marina area is where Sanremo's yachting culture is most visible, with waterfront restaurants and a livelier, more contemporary feel than the historic core.

The Hillside Villages

Frazioni like San Romolo and Coldirodi, up in the hills above the city, offer a quieter, greener alternative with views back down over Sanremo and the coast, popular for a short hike or scenic drive.

Signature Dishes

Sanremo shares Liguria's classic cuisine, built around fresh herbs, olive oil, and the sea. Trofie al pesto - twisted short pasta tossed with basil pesto, potatoes, and green beans - is the region's best-known dish, alongside fresh seafood pulled straight from the Ligurian Sea and prepared simply.

Local Specialties

• Farinata - a thin, savory chickpea-flour flatbread baked until crisp, sold at bakeries and street stalls
• Focaccia - Liguria's dense, olive-oil-soaked flatbread, a staple snack throughout the day
• Taggiasca olives and oil - grown in the hills just behind Sanremo around the town of Taggia, prized across Italy for their mild, delicate flavor

Wine and Drinks

The steep terraced vineyards inland from Sanremo produce Rossese di Dolceacqua, a light, aromatic red considered one of Liguria's finest wines, along with crisp Vermentino whites that pair naturally with the region's seafood.

Seafront and Corso Imperatrice

Staying along the seafront puts you closest to the casino, grand hotels, and promenade, with easy access to the beach clubs and central shopping streets - the most classically "resort" experience Sanremo offers.

Near La Pigna and the Old Town

Smaller guesthouses near the old town offer a quieter, more local atmosphere and easy access to the hilltop views, at the cost of being slightly further from the beach.

Portosole and the Eastern Seafront

Hotels near the marina suit travelers interested in Sanremo's yachting scene and a slightly more contemporary base, still within walking or easy cycling distance of the center.

Monaco and Monte Carlo

Just over 30 minutes away by car or train, Monaco offers a completely different pace - the famous casino, the Prince's Palace, and the glamour of Monte Carlo's harbor, easily combined with a stop in Menton, France, on the way.

Ventimiglia and Bordighera

Ventimiglia, the Italian border town, hosts a well-known Friday outdoor market drawing shoppers from both sides of the border, while nearby Bordighera offers a quieter, palm-shaded seafront and its own charming old town.

Dolceacqua

This medieval hilltop village inland from Sanremo is known for its dramatic humpbacked bridge, painted by Claude Monet, and for producing Rossese di Dolceacqua wine in the surrounding terraced vineyards.

The French Riviera

Nice and Cannes are both reachable by train or car in one to two hours, making a full day trip into the French Riviera an easy add-on for travelers based in Sanremo, especially given how closely linked the two coasts are by rail.

Customs and Etiquette

Sanremo's proximity to France gives it a slightly more international, formal feel than some Italian resort towns, especially around the casino and grand hotels, where smart-casual dress is generally expected in the evening. Standard Italian dining customs apply otherwise: later meal times and a relaxed midday lull in shops.

Safety

Sanremo is generally considered a safe destination, with the main concerns being petty theft in crowded tourist areas and around the train station, as in most resort towns. Casino visitors should take normal precautions with valuables as they would at any gambling venue.

Budget and Costs

As a long-established resort town, Sanremo runs more expensive than many smaller Italian coastal towns, particularly for seafront hotels and dining, though prices are still generally lower than nearby Monaco or the French Riviera. Costs peak during the Sanremo Music Festival in February and again in the height of summer.

Day 1: Seafront and Old Town

Start along Corso Imperatrice and the Casino di Sanremo, then head up into La Pigna to wander the old town's stepped lanes and visit the hilltop sanctuary for coastal views. Round out the day with dinner featuring trofie al pesto near the seafront.

Day 2: Coastal Cycling and Nearby Towns

Rent a bike and ride the coastal cycle path toward Ospedaletti or Bordighera, stopping for a coffee or lunch along the way. In the afternoon, visit Ventimiglia's old town or, if it's a Friday, its well-known market.

Day 3: Monaco or Dolceacqua

Take a day trip either to Monaco and Monte Carlo for a taste of French Riviera glamour, or inland to the medieval village of Dolceacqua for its famous bridge and local wine. Return to Sanremo in the evening for a final seafood dinner.