Sanremo

Sanremo it is undoubtedly the most popular tourist destination of the Riviera dei Fiori and one of the most renowned in all of Liguria.

Since the end of the 1800s, international tourism, especially the English and Russian ones, have elected this wonderful land as a favorite tourist destination.

Since then Sanremo has been transformed and today, in addition to being an ideal city for summer and seaside tourism, it is one popular destination all year round.
In addition to the extraordinary climate that unites it to the whole Riviera of Flowers and the many things to see, Sanremo is the scene of famous international events.

In this guide and in the insights, you will find out everything you need to know about Sanremo for a pleasant stay: the best times, the beaches, what to visit and points of interest, all the events and other useful information.

The center of the Riviera dei Fiori

Sanremo is located in western Liguria right in the center of the Riviera dei Fiori.
In about 30 minutes from Sanremo you can reach the neighboring France , passing through the coastal city of Bordighera is Ventimiglia .
To the east of the city of Sanremo, crossing Arma di Taggia, land of the Taggiasca olive, and other small municipalities, we arrive at Imperia, the provincial capital.

Behind Sanremo there is a rich hinterland , characteristic of the whole Ponente Ligure. The most famous towns around Sanremo are Bussana Vecchia and Triora, the town of witches.

A long summer and big events all year round

Sanremo like the other destinations in Western Liguria is a place to stay 365 days a year.
In Sanremo, however, you need to know what kind of holiday you want to do: a characteristic of this city is the large presence of international events which make it extremely popular, and a bit chaotic, even in periods when it would normally be low season.

If you want to have a totally relaxing holiday, perhaps with few people and without having to book the restaurant in advance, you need to avoid high season and big events.

The high season it starts from mid-June until the end of August. Christmas and Easter are also times when the whole Riviera is quite popular.

The events where it is often sold out are, of course, the Sanremo Festival , the Tenco Award , the Milan-Sanremo , i Flowered wagons .

For these moments of greatest tourist influx it is advisable book well in advance to find more choice of hotels and the best vacation rentals.

If you can choose when to go on vacation, the best times to visit Sanremo are there spring , from April to early June, e the autumn , which is often full of beautiful days.

The beaches are the great theater of the long Sanremo summers.
Along the coast of the city they really are many bathing establishments which offer the classic rental services for umbrellas, sunbeds and deck chairs. Many have a bar and restaurant service, some turn into the liveliest clubs of the Riviera dei Fiori at night.

For those arriving in Sanremo for the first time, finding their way around the numerous beaches is not easy.
The city’s coastline is not unique, but there are several areas to choose from.

Here is how the beach of Sanremo is divided from west to east:

• Foce beach : This stretch that goes from the athletics field to the beginning of the empress is a succession of private bathing establishments along the cycle path.
• Empress beach: this is the stretch of beach that runs along the beautiful promenade of the empress, a stone’s throw from the casino.
• Center beach: This part of the coast remains below the large parking lot in the area of the old station.
• Morgana beach: This beach is nestled within the two ports of Sanremo. It is probably the most spacious in Sanremo and is also equipped with a football pitch and beach volleyball.
• Tre Ponti Beach: Some say it is the beach of Sanremo. Surely the beach of the three bridges is the quietest one with the cleanest water.
• Bussana beach: The easternmost beach of Sanremo, perfect for those seeking tranquility and a slightly deeper seabed.

In Sanremo the beach is mainly of an end golden sand and the seabed drops gently and is also ideal for less experienced swimmers.

To move between the beaches it is advisable to use the convenient bicycle lane , also because, in certain areas, parking is not at all easy.

In Sanremo there are so many things to see, here history has left many testimonies of a glorious and sometimes complex past.
The various art nouveau buildings testify this, including Borea d’Olmo Palace , between Corso Matteotti and via Cavour, a curious mix between Mannerism and Baroque.

Another testimony of the Belle Epoque is the Municipal Casino , designed by Eugenio Ferret in 1904 with large halls. The feature dates back to the same period Russian orthodox church in corso nuvoloni, with its unmistakable domes, erected at the behest of Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna.

But also Sanremo like the other cities in Western Liguria retains the charm of the Middle Ages in the district called “La Pigna” , historical center of the city.
Here the houses cling to the hill in a concentric ring layout, divided into a maze of alleys, stairways, arches and covered passages with which the houses often support each other.

Here there are very important monuments all close to the central Piazza San Siro: the San Siro Cathedral , the Baptistery, the oratory of the Immaculate Conception and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the coast.

From the famous empress walk , named in honor of Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna, sea walks begin. Through the Vittorio Emanuele II promenade and the promenade of the Nations, streets divided by flower beds and flanked by large green Old Port.

At the end of Corso Trento and Trieste after the gardens of Villa Ormond is situated Villa Nobel , now home to cultural institutions, where the famous Swedish scientist lived and died in 1896.

Find out more about what to see in Sanremo

The Sanremo Festival

The Italian song festival holds you every year in February and is one of the main Italian media events.

During this event the hotels are often sold out and the city comes alive with side events, parties and demonstrations.

Flowering wagons

The manifestation of the flowered floats of Sanremo is a parade of allegorical floats set up with flowers, created by the municipalities of the Province of Imperia.
The municipalities challenge each other to create the most beautiful float and the infloration, made exclusively with fresh flowers, is carried out only in the night before the parade.

Milan-Sanremo

The Milan-Sanremo is one of the most important cycling races on the international circuit and the first great classic of the seasonal cycling calendar.

It always takes place on the Saturday closest to March 19 and that weekend the city lights up and the city center is closed to traffic to await the arrival of the runners.

Tenco Award

The first Tenco is one of the most important Italian musical awards which is awarded annually on the occasion of the review of the Sanremo songwriting.

The easiest way to reach Sanremo is by car with the A10 Genoa-Ventimiglia motorway . After the exit, at the Sanremo toll booth, there is a road that descends from the hill with a beautiful view of the gulf.

Alternatively, you can exit at Arma di Taggia and take the Aurelia bis shortly after the motorway exit.

It is also very simple to get to Sanremo by train : all trains from Milan, Genoa and France stop at the city station.

The airport the closest is Nice and, by car, without traffic, it is about 1 hour. To reach the airport, city taxis (cheaper than French ones) and taxi services are recommended car rental with driver , extremely professional.