Hi, Our family (2 adults, 2 kids under 12)is planning to drive from Barcelona to Venice in August. We're hoping to stop at a nice, relatively quiet beach for a few days to break up the trip. We'd really appreciate it if anyone has any suggestions? It doesn't have to be in or near Cinque Terre; we've read so many great things about this area that we're interested in stopping there. Thank you for any info you can supply...
Posted by
Boston, MA, United States
83 posts
I LOVED the town Levanto, one stop north of the CT (about 12 miles away). It has a large, free of cost (some beaches in Italy you have to pay upwards of 15e pp) beach with changing cabins and outdoor showers. The beach is sandy with almost no rocks. The nearby piazza is the perfect size-not too small or large with a large playground and many gelaterias and pizza places. The beach was not crowded, even on a bright sunny warm day in the end of May. There was a nice boardwalk as well. The Ospitalia del Mare hostel offers private rooms and we saw a large amount of families staying there (more than any other hostel).
Posted by
OP
Olympia
5 posts
Great. Thanks very much, Melissa. We'll check it out...
Posted by
cochranville, pa, usa
322 posts
I second the recommendation for Levanto. Its an easy train ride into the Cinque Terre and a lovely town on its own. Many nice restaurants in all price ranges, a supermarket and great beach.
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
Just as an alternative, there are beach areas in the Cinque Terre town of Monterosso al Mare. The nicer beach areas require that you pay to rent chairs and an umbrella, and a cabin with a key can also be rented.
Unfortunately, I never made it to Levanto so I cannot comment if one would be more desirable than the other.
Posted by
OP
Olympia
5 posts
Thanks for all of the suggestions. We're thinking of staying 2 nights at the Ospialia del Mare in Levanto and then leaving the rental car there and taking the train to Vernassa or Monterosso al Mare, staying overnight, and then going back to Levanto to pick up the car and continuing on toward Venice. Any comments on that plan? Safe to leave the car in Levanto over night? Also, we can take our time heading to Venice and apart from Rome, Naples, and Milan have never been to Italy. We were planning to stop in Florence. Any other must sees that don't require enormous detours? Thanks again.
Posted by
St. Louis, MO (formerly, Windermere, FL)
340 posts
Hi John,
I am not sure what your route from Barcelona to Venice will be but have you considered stopping in Antibes, France for a couple of days? Our children loved this area and we have returned several times over the years. Besides the beaches there are the hill towns of Eze and St. Paul de Vence to explore and Picasso and Matisse treasures to discover. I absolutely love the Cinque Terre but wanted to suggest this area of France as another option for a break on your drive.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
John, rather than packing up to go to the CT for 1 day, my suggestion would be to take the train and do it as a day trip. It's easy to underestimate the time it takes to change places, even ones just 20 minutes away. You need to pack everything up, check out, take the luggage to the train station, find the new hotel, check in (or more likely leave the luggage at the desk since you'll leave in the morning and your room won't be available until 3pm or so). Its a couple of hours of time and hassle when instead you could be hiking and exploring. If you want to stay for dinner in the CT then you could hike for a while, take a swim, and rent a beach umbrella and use the changing room to shower.