Casino of Sanremo

History of the Casino

At the end of the 19th century Sanremo was a winter health resort for Russian, British and German aristocrats, and it needed a social venue to match. The French architect Eugène Ferret won a competition against seven other projects. The Kursaal opened on 14 January 1905 as a theatre for parties, concerts and shows; Ferret was also its first gaming manager.

Gambling only got a permanent licence with a royal decree of 22 December 1927, and the Casino officially opened with a gala evening on 21 January 1928. In those years the building was extended with two wings, a sixteenth-century-style interior hall and two side domes on the facade. It closed in June 1940 by order of the Interior Ministry and reopened at the end of 1945. Since 2001 the operating company, Casinò Spa, has had the Municipality of Sanremo as its sole shareholder.

The Sanremo Festival started here

On 29 January 1951 the Casino’s Salone delle Feste hosted the first Italian Song Festival, presented by Nunzio Filogamo. It stayed at the Casino until 1976; since 1977 it has been held at the Teatro Ariston on via Matteotti. The Casino theatre still works with the festival world: on 14 December 2025 it hosted the final evening of Sanremo Giovani. For the festival today, read our Sanremo Festival guide.

What you can see

If you don’t gamble, the visit is about the architecture and the atmosphere. The Casino has a traditional games room (roulette and tables), a slot room, two restaurant-bars (the Bistrot and the Biribissi) and the Roof Garden on the terrace. The casino management organises guided visits of the rooms, but we have no dates or prices: ask at reception before you go.

The theatre

The Casino theatre seats 400 (255 in the stalls, 99 in the gallery, 9 boxes) and is decorated in gold and red, with the city’s lion symbol above the curtain. According to the Casino’s website it hosts about 100 concerts a year by the Sanremo Symphony Orchestra, plays and the Martedì Letterari (Literary Tuesdays) series. The programme is on the official website.

Dress code and rules

A jacket is not required, despite what some blogs say. The rules on the official website:

• Traditional games: no caps, shorts, tank tops, sandals, flip-flops or tracksuits. Women may dress casually.
• Slots: casual but appropriate clothing.
• Bistrot: smart casual.
• In all rooms: bulky coats, umbrellas and hats go to the cloakroom; no animals.

Getting there and parking

The Casino is in the centre and you can walk to it from via Matteotti and the Empress’s Promenade. By car, there are blue-line paid spaces around lungomare Italo Calvino and piazzale Dapporto, but the area can be closed during events. For the rest see where to park in Sanremo.

Nearby

From the Casino you can walk to the Russian Church, the Forte di Santa Tecla by the harbour and, the other way, the old town of La Pigna. To stay in the centre see where to stay in Sanremo.