Ospedaletti guide: station closed since 2001, Villa Sultana, FAI Casa Laura, beaches, cycle path, bus line 2 and how to get there.
Welcome to Ospedaletti
Ospedaletti is a small town of about 3,200 people on the Riviera dei Fiori, in the province of Imperia, in a sheltered bay between Capo Nero and Capo Sant’Ampelio. It sits between Bordighera to the west and Sanremo to the east, a few minutes from both. The municipality is tiny, just over 5 km², and covers only the town itself: everything is within walking or cycling distance.
People come for three reasons. The sea is calm and the flat seafront is far less crowded than Sanremo’s. The cycle path starts here: it follows the old railway line towards Sanremo and beyond. And the history is unusual: Italy’s first casino (Villa Sultana), an art collection run by the FAI, and a street circuit that hosted car and motorcycle Grand Prix races from 1947 to 1972.
One practical point before you go: Ospedaletti no longer has a railway station. It closed on 24 September 2001, when the line moved inland into a tunnel. You arrive at Bordighera or Sanremo and take a bus for the last 10 to 13 minutes (details below).
Ospedaletti is in Liguria (Riviera di Ponente, Riviera dei Fiori, province of Imperia).
What to see
The town takes two or three hours to see. The sights are few and close together along the sea and the main avenue, plus one FAI house that you must book. For the bike path, see the dedicated page: cycle path from Ospedaletti.
This is Ospedaletti’s “boulevard”: a flat, palm-lined avenue built in the late 19th century by a French company, when the town was promoted as a winter health resort. It is the easiest walk if you want no hills. The story goes that in 1860 a doctor, Kerel, called it a place “to banish winter for good”. That is a promotional anecdote, but it explains the town’s early fame.
At number 93 on the avenue stands Villa La Sultana, with three domes and a park of about 14,000 m². It was built in 1883–84 to a design by the Nice architect Sébastien-Marcel Biasini and housed Italy’s first casino from 1884 to 1905. In 1905 the operating company handed its licence to Sanremo, where the casino is today.
The villa is private and abandoned, and cannot be visited. You can see it from the street. Ask the town hall or the tourist office about any special openings.
Formerly Villa San Luca, at via Cavour 40: an Anglican church damaged in the Second World War and turned into a home in 1953 by the antiques dealer Luigi Anton Laura and his wife Renata. It holds about 6,000 pieces: European, Italian and Chinese furniture, porcelain, sculpture, majolica and silver. It was donated to the FAI in 2001 and has been open to the public since 2021.
You can only visit on a guided tour, normally Thursday to Sunday at fixed times. A full ticket costs 15 euros (7 euros for FAI members and ages 6–18). Booking is advisable; check times and closures on the FAI website. Group tours in English and French are available on request. There are stairs on three floors, so it is not suited to limited mobility. Parking is on the public street.
The Baroque parish church was built between 1817 and 1824 and holds a copy of Raphael’s Madonna of Foligno by Tommaso Rossi. The patron saint is John the Baptist, celebrated on 24 June.
The “sailors’ chapel” was the town’s first parish church. According to tradition, a Grand Master of the Knights of St John, saved from a shipwreck in the bay, had it built in the 14th century; the same tradition explains the town’s name, from a hospice for pilgrims. A small museum holds ship models, an anchor and a Roman amphora. Visiting days are not confirmed: ask locally.
The sanctuary dates from the 16th century and was raised to sanctuary status in 1858. Opening times are not confirmed.
The town has two coastal towers, a lookout from 1558 and a defence tower finished in 1597. The Pian d’Aschè gardens, laid out in 1892 by a hybridiser from Nice for a flower-growing company, housed the first flower market. Ask the tourist office about access and opening times.
From 1947 to 1972 the town’s streets were a circuit for car and motorcycle Grands Prix, nicknamed a “little Tourist Trophy”. Today the memory lives on in a historic reenactment held every two years (the last confirmed edition was in late September 2024); check the organiser’s website before you plan around it.
The promenade is for pedestrians and cyclists, with palms and views over the bay. It is the town section of the cycle path and where most beach clubs are.
Sea
The sea at Ospedaletti, in a sheltered bay, is part of the Pelagos Sanctuary, the protected area for whales and dolphins in the Ligurian Sea. The coast has free beaches and paid beach clubs. Official sources do not give figures, so I will not invent any: ask the tourist office (via XX Settembre 34) which stretches are free.
The shore is mostly shingle and pebbles, with a few finer stretches: bring water shoes and a thick towel. The promenade lets you walk to whichever beach you prefer.
Worth knowing: Ospedaletti does not have a Blue Flag in 2026, unlike Bordighera, Sanremo, Arma di Taggia and Riva Ligure. Swimming is fine, but do not look for the flag. Information on dogs, prices and beach club hours is not confirmed: call first.
Where to stay
The town is small, so choose by area. I do not name individual hotels because no official list is published.
If you find nothing here, also look at Bordighera and Sanremo, linked by bus.
Getting there
The Via Aurelia (SS1) runs through the town between Bordighera and Sanremo. Leave the A10 motorway at Sanremo or Bordighera; from France take the A8 and then the A10. The town has no motorway exit of its own.
The station has been closed since 24 September 2001. Get off at Bordighera or Sanremo and take the bus. From Nice or Monaco, change at Ventimiglia. In September and October 2026 Trenitalia planned works with replacement buses on the line: check before you travel.
Riviera Trasporti line 2 links Ventimiglia, Bordighera Centro, Ospedaletti, Capo Nero, Villa Helios and Sanremo Autostazione. On the winter timetable in force from 14 September 2026, Ospedaletti is about 10–12 minutes from Bordighera and about 13 from Sanremo. On weekdays buses run roughly every 15 minutes; on holidays about every 20. Check times and fares on the Riviera Trasporti website. The Sanremo–Ventimiglia trolleybus that some guides still mention has been discontinued.
The nearest airport is Nice Côte d’Azur, about 60 km away, an hour by car. From there you can continue by train to Bordighera or Sanremo.
No official list of car parks, fares or blue zones is published. Ask the town hall or the tourist office. The simplest way around the problem is to come by bus line 2 or by bike.
By car
SS1 Aurelia between Bordighera and Sanremo; A10 motorway, exit Sanremo or Bordighera
By train
No station since 2001: get off at Bordighera or Sanremo, then bus line 2 (about 10–13 min)
By plane
Nice Côte d'Azur, about 60 km (one hour by car)
The guide
Ospedaletti is the starting point of the Riviera dei Fiori cycle path. It does not pass through halfway: it starts here and heads east. The first complete stretch reaches San Lorenzo al Mare (about 24 km), and since 20 June 2026, with the opening of the Imperia–Diano Marina link, the route is continuous for about 45–48 km to Andora. Its official name is “Pista ciclabile del Parco costiero della Riviera dei Fiori”, but it is not a protected park: that is only the path’s name.
Towards Bordighera there is no path: the last stretch is missing and you must use the busy Aurelia road. Details, the tunnel and returning by bus: cycle path from Ospedaletti.
On the way out of town towards Sanremo, the path enters the former railway tunnel of Capo Nero, 1,750 metres long. Since 2014 it has been the Milano–Sanremo Gallery, with a panel every 30 metres telling the story of the cycling classic. Entry is free.
Where the station used to be, closed in 2001, the path now runs; a bike rental is visible in the area (hours and prices to be checked). In 2023 a stretch of about 350 m was reopened, with an outdoor gym planned beside it (work status to be checked). It is the easiest place to start.
On the third Saturday of the month there is an antiques market (place and season to be checked). In June the town celebrates Sant’Erasmo and St John, in early August there is the Sagra du Pignurin pan e vin, a fish-and-wine festival, and Halloween follows at the end of October. In mid-October 2026 the town hall’s site listed no events.
Local specialities are the small fried fish of the Ponente, artichokes and a local white wine. I do not name restaurants: pick places open on the avenue or the seafront and ask for the dish of the day.
Weather
June–September for the sea; spring and autumn for cycling and visits
Forecast: MET Norway (Yr), CC BY 4.0 licence. Updated hourly.
Ospedaletti weather: 10-day forecast and climate →
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea | Off season | Off season | Off season | Off season | Possible | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Possible | Off season | Off season |
| Sightseeing and hiking | Possible | Possible | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Possible |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Few people | Few people | Few people | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Few people | Quiet | Few people |
| Don't miss | Sant'Erasmo and St John (24 June) | Sagra du Pignurin pan e vin (fish and wine festival) | Halloween (31 October) | |||||||||
IdealGoodPossibleOff season
Crowds:QuietFew peopleBusyVery busy
Gallery
FAQ
No, it closed on 24 September 2001. Get off at Bordighera or Sanremo and take Riviera Trasporti line 2.
About 13 minutes from the bus station; from Bordighera Centro about 10–12 minutes.
No. It is private and abandoned; you can only see it from Corso Regina Margherita.
There isn’t one. Italy’s first casino ran at Villa Sultana from 1884 to 1905; today the area’s casino is in Sanremo.
Only on a guided tour at fixed times. A full ticket is 15 euros. Book on the FAI website.
Mostly shingle and pebbles, with a few finer stretches.
Not in 2026.
It starts here. East it leads to Sanremo and on to Andora; towards Bordighera there is no path.
About 45–48 km from Ospedaletti to Andora since June 2026; the first stretch to San Lorenzo al Mare is about 24 km.
Half a day for the town and the FAI house; a full day with a bike.
Nearby
3 km as the crow flies
The Principality village above Bordighera: Piazza San Martino, Palazzo dei Monaci, sentry boxes, mimosa and views over the Côte d'Azur.
Discover →4 km as the crow flies
The city of palms: Bordighera Alta, Capo Sant'Ampelio, the villas and gardens of the English colony, Blue Flag beaches and…
Discover →5 km as the crow flies
The town of the Festival and flowers: La Pigna, the Liberty-style Casino, the Russian Church, the Passeggiata Imperatrice, Blue Flag…
Discover →8 km as the crow flies
Ridge village at 572 m, birthplace of Cassini: observatory, museum, sundial, violet artichoke and the old track to Apricale.
Discover →
