You arrive from behind, coming down

There is no flat way into Liguria. From Milan and Turin you come down over Apennine passes, from Parma and Piacenza over the Cisa and the Turchino, from France you arrive along the coast. The motorway that runs the length of the region is half tunnel and viaduct, and one of the slowest in Italy.

By car and motorhome

From the north you arrive at Genoa, Savona or La Spezia depending on the stretch of coast you have chosen. Once in the region the motorway remains the better choice: the coastal Aurelia is beautiful but passes through every town, and it is endless. In summer, avoid it at weekends.

With a motorhome there are two warnings. The first concerns the campsites, nearly all uphill: ask about the gradient of the access before you go. The second concerns the towns of the east, where the streets narrow until nothing passes: at Portofino, in the Cinque Terre and in many inland villages you arrive by train or leave the vehicle far away.

By train

The railway runs the whole coast and stops almost everywhere, often a few steps from the beach. It is the right way to the Cinque Terre, where the road does not exist or is not worth it, and to Genoa, where driving in is pointless. Many campsites are a walk from a station.

By plane and by ship

Genoa airport sits on the sea, on an artificial peninsula, and is small and convenient. Nice, an hour from the border, has far more flights. From the ports of Genoa and Savona ferries leave for Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily: for anyone travelling by motorhome they are often the best way onward.