{"id":61007,"date":"2026-10-10T21:31:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T21:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/liguria\/andora\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T21:33:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T21:33:11","slug":"andora","status":"publish","type":"localita","link":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/en\/riviera-di-ponente\/andora\/","title":{"rendered":"Andora"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andora is the last town in the province of Savona before you cross into the province of Imperia: a sandy bay between Capo Mele, towards Laigueglia<\/a>, and Capo Mimosa, towards Cervo<\/a>. It has around 7,200 inhabitants, a wide valley behind it carved by the Merula stream, and two distinct sides: the Marina, with the seafront, the marina and the beach clubs, and the inland hamlets scattered among olive groves, crowned by a fortified medieval village on a hill.<\/p>\n

Most visitors come for the sea. The beaches are fine sand with water that deepens gently, and in 2026 they were awarded the Blue Flag. The town has a higher share of free public beach than its neighbours, and it is the starting point of the Riviera dei Fiori cycle path, which follows the old railway line all the way to Ospedaletti. Andora itself is modern rather than picturesque, but it is practical: its own motorway exit, a railway station and easier parking than Alassio.<\/p>\n

If you stay a few days, head inland. The newly restored Borgo Castello has a Romanesque church, the remains of the Clavesana castle and a ten-arch medieval bridge over the Merula. Just above it is Colla Micheri, the hamlet where Thor Heyerdahl, the Kon-Tiki explorer, spent the last decades of his life. Two or three days are enough for the town and the villages; a week if you are here for the beach and the bike.<\/p>\n

What to see in Andora<\/h2>\n
\"Andora<\/figure>\n

Andora has no old town on the seafront. The modern town, which grew after the war, fills the plain at the mouth of the Merula; the historic hamlets sit inland, each on its own hill: Castello, Colla Micheri, Rollo, San Giovanni, Conna, San Pietro. To see the most interesting places you need a car or a willingness to walk: the town council has marked ten routes “between history and nature” linking hamlets, churches and stretches of Roman road.<\/p>\n

Borgo Castello<\/h3>\n

On a hill overlooking the valley from the east, inland from the Marina, is Andora’s first settlement. The castle was built in the 12th century by the Marquises of Clavesana; in 1252 the fief was sold to the Republic of Genoa, which made it the seat of a podesteria, a local governorship. What survives includes the Paraxo, the residence of the lord and later of the Genoese governor, where the “Magnificent Parliament” of the community and valley used to meet, a pointed-arch gate, the old hospital of Santa Maria Maddalena and the oratory of Saints Nicholas and Sebastian.<\/p>\n

The village has been restored with funding from Italy’s post-pandemic recovery plan (PNRR) and since 2026 hosts exhibitions and activities: from 10 August 2026 the Clavesana castle shows “Figure di donna”, more than 35 works from the Cavallini Sgarbi collection spanning the 16th to the 20th century, and there are workshops on olive growing and beekeeping. Opening times, tickets and bookings vary by season: check the Borgo Castello website<\/a> or ask at the tourist office. Park at the end of Via Castello or behind the village.<\/p>\n

Church of Santi Giacomo e Filippo<\/h3>\n

Next to the castle stands the church of Andora’s patron saints, one of the finest examples of late Romanesque architecture in Liguria: bare stone and simple lines. Its bell tower is the village’s crenellated gate-tower, originally built as a lookout and defensive tower. It is the symbol of Andora’s medieval past; the feast of Saints James and Philip falls on 3 May.<\/p>\n

The Merula bridge and the Via Julia Augusta<\/h3>\n

Below Borgo Castello the Merula is crossed by a bridge with ten arches, three of them humpbacked. Everyone calls it the Roman bridge, but the structure you see is medieval, built where the Via Julia Augusta passed, the Roman road that linked the Po Valley to Gaul along the coast. On the same route, just outside the old village walls, there is a medieval fountain.<\/p>\n

From here a signposted town walk, “Medieval Andora”, links the village, the bridge, the 15th-century church of San Giovanni Battista, once the mother church of the valley, the oratory of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the woods, and Colla Micheri. It is the walk to do if you want to understand Andora before tourism.<\/p>\n

Colla Micheri<\/h3>\n
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On the ridge between Andora and Laigueglia, at around 160 metres, is a tiny hamlet of stone houses, narrow lanes and an oratory. In 1958 Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian explorer of the Kon-Tiki expedition, made it his home, restored the houses in their original style and lived here until his death in 2002; his ashes rest here. The oratory of San Sebastiano keeps the chair Pope Pius VII sat on in 1814, on his way back from captivity in France.<\/p>\n

At the end of the little square, under the arch, two roads of Roman origin split: to the right the Via Julia Augusta runs down to Borgo Castello, to the left the coastal Via Ligure heads towards the oratory of Saints Cosmas and Damian. There is a small car park at the entrance to the hamlet. To walk up from Laigueglia and continue to Capo Mele, read our guide to Colla Micheri and Capo Mele on foot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The seafront and the marina<\/h3>\n
\"Il<\/figure>\n

The promenade runs along the whole bay, from the marina past the mouth of the Merula and on to the west. In summer it is where the town takes its evening stroll, with bars and ice-cream shops; out of season it is a place to walk or run beside the sea. To the east, beneath Capo Mele, is Marina di Andora, one of the largest marinas in Liguria. In summer boat trips leave from here to look for whales and dolphins in the Pelagos Sanctuary.<\/p>\n

Palazzo Tagliaferro<\/h3>\n

On the Marina, in Largo Milano, stands the most important building of the modern town: built as the Tagliaferro family home, later a convent and a children’s seaside colony, it now houses the town council, the Natural History Museum, exhibition rooms, mementoes of Thor Heyerdahl’s voyages and, on the ground floor, the tourist information office. Nearby, an old church has become the public library.<\/p>\n

Capo Mimosa<\/h3>\n
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The headland that closes the bay to the west marks the border with Cervo. Here sand gives way to rocks and Mediterranean scrub, and the old railway line, now a cycle and walking path, enters its first tunnels. From the cape you get one of the best views over the whole bay of Andora, all the way to Capo Mele.<\/p>\n

Rollo<\/h3>\n
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Above the western end of the Marina, at about 150 metres, Rollo is a scattering of six small hamlets among olive terraces: houses built against each other, the parish church of the Holy Trinity, a fortified 16th-century rectory and small oratories. A town walk leaves from Palazzo Tagliaferro, passes under the old railway and climbs a mule track through olives and pines. It is a good spot to look down on Andora, especially at sunset.<\/p>\n

The Merula valley and its river-mouth reserve<\/h3>\n

At the mouth of the Merula there is a small protected wetland, the Oasi del Merula, managed by the town: it is one of the few places on the Ligurian coast where water birds stop. Further up the valley you will find old hamlets such as Duomo, where a living nativity is traditionally staged at Christmas, Conna with the church of Sant’Andrea, San Pietro and Molino Nuovo, plus olive mills that still press the valley’s olives.<\/p>\n

Beaches of Andora<\/h2>\n

The bay is a stretch of fine sand roughly two kilometres long, from the marina to the rocks of Capo Mimosa. The seabed slopes gently, so the water stays shallow for the first few metres: good for families with small children. In 2026 three stretches of the shore were awarded the Blue Flag. There are beach clubs and, proportionally, more free beach than in the neighbouring towns, including a free beach with optional paid services in the central section. On windy days the bay draws surfers and kitesurfers.<\/p>\n

Which stretch to choose, how to get there by bike or on foot and what to know if you travel with a dog: see our guide to the beaches of Andora<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Things to do in Andora<\/h2>\n

Cycle the coastal path<\/h3>\n
\"La<\/figure>\n

Andora is the eastern end of the Riviera dei Fiori cycle and walking path, built on the old seaside route of the Genoa\u2013Ventimiglia railway. Past Capo Mimosa you ride through the first tunnels and down towards Cervo, San Bartolomeo al Mare and Diano Marina<\/a>; since summer 2026 the path has been continuous for more than 45 kilometres to Ospedaletti, via Imperia<\/a> and Sanremo. It is almost entirely flat: even with children you can ride to Cervo and back.<\/p>\n

To the east, though, the railway is still in use: for Laigueglia and Alassio you are on the Via Aurelia road, which is busy in summer. Route, bike hire and stops along the way are in our guide to the cycle path from San Lorenzo al Mare<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Walk between the hamlets<\/h3>\n

The ten town routes, described in a leaflet available at the tourist office, link the Marina with the inland hamlets: from Piazza Santa Rita to Colla Micheri and the ruined Tagliaferro windmill on the ridge, from the Marina to Rollo, the medieval loop around Borgo Castello, and the hamlets of Conna and the valley. They are short routes on mule tracks and dirt roads, suited to half-day outings. Bring water and walking shoes, and in summer start early: there is little shade on the ridges.<\/p>\n

For a full day, climb from Colla Micheri towards Capo Mele and descend to Laigueglia, or follow the ridge towards Monte Chiappa and Cervo.<\/p>\n

Whale and dolphin watching<\/h3>\n

The sea off Andora is part of the Pelagos Sanctuary, the international marine protected area for whales and dolphins. In summer boat trips leave the marina to look for them: book ahead and pick a calm day.<\/p>\n

What to eat<\/h3>\n

Andora is olive country: the Merula valley has grown Taggiasca olives for centuries, and a few mills still work the traditional way. Restaurants serve the cooking of the western Riviera: farinata (chickpea pancake), stuffed vegetables, Ligurian-style rabbit, anchovies and the catch of the day. In Borgo Castello the old rectory has become a restaurant.<\/p>\n

Day trips from Andora<\/h2>\n
\"Panorama<\/figure>\n