What to see in Sanremo

16 things to see in Sanremo

Sanremo is the largest city in the Riviera of Flowers and, therefore, in addition to having beautiful beaches, it also has many things to see more or less hidden.

In this city, history prevails, culture and architecture. The list of things to see is rich, just choose according to your tastes.

Do not miss the best: here is the list of the 15 things to see absolutely in Sanremo.

The Cathedral of San Siro was built in 811 AD and was rebuilt in the 13th century. This makes it the oldest religious building in San Remo.
According to tradition, the bishop of Genoa Siro, who later became a saint used to celebrate mass here.
The oldest parts of the church are the two side doors with their bas-reliefs.
Inside the church are the works of Anton Maria Maragliano, including a statue of Our Lady of the Rosary. Another interesting work is the black crucifix by an unknown 15th-century author.

Address: Piazza S. Siro, 51, 18038 San Remo IM
Hours: open all day
Cost: free

The Russian Church was built, in 1912, when the Russian community, vacationing in San Remo, reached a thousand people.
Today this work of art is one in the most famous symbols of San Remo.
This beautiful building stands at the beginning of the Empress’s Promenade, which was named after Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna.

The structure is characterized by the typical round domes of Russian architecture and inside the courtyard you can admire the busts of Vittorio Emanuele III and Elena of Montenegro.

Address: Via Nuvoloni, 2, 18038 San Remo IM
Hours: open all day
Cost: free

At the top of Pigna, the historic center of San Remo, stands the shrine of Madonna della Costa, about 100 meters above sea level.

This church has a Latin cross plan and a Baroque style facade where the marble representations of Saints Siro and Romolo are placed. The interior is enriched with many wooden statues.
The shrine was probably built in 1361 when the castle was ceded to the Republic of Genoa by the Dorias.

On that occasion the tradition of the famous feast of chains began: every year the Sanremo people go to the sanctuary dragging chains to celebrate the liberation from the Dorias.

Address: Piazzale Santuario Assunta, 15, 18038 Sanremo IM
Hours: open all day
Cost: free

The San Remo Civic Museum is housed in the monumental eighteenth-century building of Palazzo Nota.
This palace, which was formerly the residence The Genoese commissioner and municipal seat, has been restored in all its beauty.
On the second floor the museum holds ancient evidence of the San Remo area since prehistoric times.
On the second floor you can admire the historic Hall of the City Council with frescoes in the 1700s, and in the other rooms is the picture gallery that holds valuable paintings and sculptures from the 1600s onward.
Within the itinerary you can take advantage of engaging multimedia tours.

Address: Piazza Alberto Nota, 6, 18038 Sanremo IM
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: full 5€, reduced 3€ (over 65, students and groups minimum 10 people)

Villa Nobel it owes its name to the Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel, the same who invented dynamite and who created the most important prize in the world in the field of science, literature and peace.
The scientist, like many foreigners at the end of the nineteenth century, chose Sanremo and the Riviera dei Fiori as a retreat for health reasons and to install a laboratory for his studies.
The villa which dates back to 1870 is built in the Moorish style.
Inside it houses the exhibition “Discover the 19th century” which illustrates the technological development of that century and the role that Nobel and his inventions had in various fields. The other rooms of the Villa are dedicated to the life and personality of Nobel.

Even the garden of the Villa has a certain value: according to the style of the 19th century Riviera gardens, the park was created by housing both typical plants and exotic and rare species.

Address: Corso Felice Cavallotti, 116, 18038 Sanremo IM
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Closed Mondays
Cost: variable depending on event or exhibition

The San Remo Casino is one of the three Italian gambling houses still in operation.
The Art Nouveau-style structure was designed by Parisian architect Eugenio Ferret, who was also its manager the first 2 years.
Apart from the period of World War II, where it was closed by royal decree, the San Remo Casino has been open since 1905.
During your stay, a visit to the San Remo Casino is recommended if only to admire the structure and the gambling halls up close. free admission but is reserved for adults only.

Address: Corso degli Inglesi, 18, 18038 San Remo IM
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Cost: free but reserved for those over 18 years old

The Ariston theater in San Remo is the famous stage where the Italian song festival or, simply, Festival di Sanremo takes place every year.
The Ariston, during the year, is a multiplex cinema, and a theater where ballet, opera, exhibitions, cabaret and other musical events such as the Tenco Prize are performed.
The main hall where the festival is held has a seating capacity of 2,000.
If during your stay in San Remo you feel like spending an evening at the cinema, I recommend that you do just that at the Ariston, to breathe in the atmosphere of this historic place. Otherwise you can simply take a picture of me in front of the famous entrance.

Address: Via Giacomo Matteotti, 212, 18038 San Remo IM
Hours: 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Cost: varies by show

The Regina Elena Gardens can be reached by crossing the narrow caruggi of Pigna, San Remo’s historic center.

This park is certainly one of the most curious and suggestive areas of the city: the garden full of palm trees is just below the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Costa and offers a wonderful view of the city of Sanremo, the port, in an expanse of roofs from which the bell towers of the churches stand out. The blue background of the gulf of the city of flowers makes the panorama unique.

Address: Via Tapoletti, 2, 18038 San Remo IM
Hours: open all day
Cost: free

The Empress Promenade is one of the symbols of the splendor that San Remo, and the entire Riviera dei Fiori, had between 1800 and 1900.
This beautiful seaside promenade, paved with marble and adorned with a statue of Spring by sculptor Vincenzo Pasquali, is named after the Empress of Russia, Maria Alexandrovna.

Some of the palm trees that make this Promenade unique are still those that the Tsarina decided to donate to the city of Sanremo to thank during a pleasant stay on the Riviera.

Address: Lungomare Imperatrice, 118, 18038 San Remo IM
Hours: open all day
Cost: free

Palazzo Borea d’Olmo is a magnificent example of architecture a few meters from the Ariston Theater and is one of the most important Baroque buildings in western Liguria.

Pope Pius VII also slept there on February 11, 1814 on his return from Paris bound for Savona after the Russian Campaign

Until a few years ago it was the home of the San Remo Civic Museum. Since the museum was moved to the Palazzo nota this stunning building can be admired from the outside while walking along the shopping street, Via Matteotti.

Address: Via Matteotti, 143, 18038 San Remo IM
Hours: closed, visible from outside
Cost: free

Sanremo retains all the charm of the Middle Ages in the “old city” district also called the pine cone for its characteristic conformation, a labyrinth of alleys, stairways, arches, covered passages that branch off in concentric rings from the top of the hill and all of its important facing the central Piazza San Siro.

Here, especially during the day, it is curious to get lost in the alleys and climb to the top to visit the Madonna della Costa Sanctuary and admire the view from the Regina Elena gardens.

Address: historic center of San Remo
Hours: open all day
Cost: free

In the eastern part of the city, on Corso Cavallotti, you can visit the park of Villa Ormond.
For lovers of nature and gardens, this is an absolute must-see: The garden is full of exotic, rare plants and very old specimens that have reached truly remarkable dimensions.
A particular characteristic of this garden is that it has a “room-like” layout with thematic zones characterized by the types of plants present: there is the ficus zone, the palm grove, the orangery, the Japanese garden, and the central part has the classic conformation of the Italian garden.

Address: Corso Felice Cavallotti, 113, 18038 Sanremo IM
Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: free

With the displacement of the railway line behind the city, today one of the cycle paths, probably the most beautiful in Europe, passes in Sanremo: the cycle path of the Riviera dei Fiori that connects San Lorenzo al Mare to Ospedaletti.
It is absolutely recommended during your visit to the Riviera to dedicate half a day to discovering this wonderful 24 km long walk, perhaps by renting a bike in the many kiosks that offer this service.

Address: various
Hours: always open
Cost: free

The fort of Santa Tecla stands in one of the most beautiful areas of the city, right next to the Porto Vecchio.
This fort with a triangular plan was built by the Republic of Genoa to keep the rebel city of San Remo at bay.
One bastion is right toward the city and was well equipped with artillery. And that is the oddity, the cannons were facing the rebel town and not the sea for defensive purposes.
It was then used as a prison until 1997 and now, after restoration, is used by the municipality as a venue for cultural exhibitions.

Address: Giardini Vitt. Veneto, 34, 18038 Sanremo IM
Hours: open during events and exhibitions
Cost: variable depending on the event or exhibition

Via Matteotti is San Remo’s shopping street and the nerve center of the city.
Along the street are historic boutiques with selections from the big names in fashion and plenty of flagship stores of the most famous brands.
Along the street, and in the alleys next to it, there are numerous bars and small restaurants where you can have a coffee or a snack.
In this area there are many of the other points of interest mentioned in this guide such as the Ariston Theater, Palazzo Borea d’Olmo, the Sanremo Casino, and a little further on the Russian church.

Address: Via Matteotti, 18038 San Remo IM
Hours: always open
Cost: free

Bussana vecchia is a charming village just a stone’s throw from San Remo that is definitely worth a visit.
Its history is somewhat peculiar: the village was abandoned by order of the military authority imposed by the government in 1887 after a violent earthquake. At that time the inhabitants founded Bussana Nuova a little closer to the sea.

At the end of the 1950s it began to be inhabited by a group of artists attracted by the beauty and uniqueness of the place. This small community began to grow and a real one was created village of artists and free thinkers . In this enchanted place they were free to express their creativity.

If you want to visit Bussana vecchia you will have to dedicate yourself about an hour . You can take a tour of the characteristic workshops and ateliers of the Artists scattered throughout the ancient Borgo.
Points of interest to visit in old Bussana are definitely the old Church of St. Egidio, which still shows traces of the old stucco and original paintings, and the Oratory of John the Baptist located in the eastern part of the village. Both of these structures can only be visited from the outside.

Address: Bussana vecchia
Hours: always open
Cost: free

Bussana Vecchia

Nestled in the hills of Liguria lies Bussana Vecchia, a fairytale medieval village reborn from desolation. Its past rich in calamity and rebirth, its present rich in artistic heritage, make it a unique and unmissable jewel.

Find out more