My wife has a dream of swimming in the Mediterranean and it appears our best shot at getting wet will be the three days at the CT. (Doesn't look like there are any beaches per se in Venice!)
From the pictures I've seen it looks like most of the Italian beaches are in the south. It looks pretty rocky in the CT.
Could you please comment on the beach situation in the CT? I don't want to be the only one in the water (I'm shy). Do people go in the water there?
What town as the prettiest beach?
Pete
I guess I should have Googled this question before asking the community--I'll answer my own question to share what I found. Here is a good link:
http://kloobok.blogspot.com/2008/07/cinque-terre-beaches.html
Pete
No beaches in Venice but if you are there for several days you might look into taking a vaporetto over to the Lido, which is all Adriatic beaches. We went in the early spring---too early for beaching----and it was vacant. I have no idea if the beach there is swimable in summer but a lot of people go there.
Uhmm.. Viareggio?
Forte d. Marmi?
Rick is a little weird about his beach towns... its okay though if all the tourists are directed to the CT.
You'll love Vernazza. You can wade the beach there. :)
I don't know about wading; the beach in Monterosso drops off pretty quickly and that's been my experience at other beaches on that coast. But it's not jagged rock, just pebbly. Bring some swim booties or rafting flip-flops and you can walk on it. And yes, plenty of people go in the water.
Monterosso has the biggest and nicest wading/swimming areas.
I agree with Tim. There is a long beach with rentable spaces and snack-drink services in Monterosso. I've been there many times when the beach area has been covered with umbrellas and there were changing rooms. There is a charge for this, of course. Many people swim in the sea during the day and into the evening. I also like to stay in Monterosso--at Mueble Agavi which is just across from the beach.
Swimming/wading: Monterosso!
If you're just going there for the day, be sure to get there before early afternoon. The land curves right there and as you stand on the beach, the view over the sea is to the south. There is a hill/mountain/ridge that is to the west and it casts a shadow over the beach. When I was there in late September, that happened around 4:30 PM.
Even Rick has an answer to this one: "lured by Corniglia's scrawny beach, the nude Guvano beach nearby, and the Cinque Terre's best swimming"
It seems weird walking through the dark tunnel from the station to the beach, but it is the best swimming spot I've found in the CT. It costs a few Euro to get in and is a bit rocky, but it's secluded and quiet! Don't be put off by the nude part... you don't have to!
