Exorbitant Beach Chair Prices

It is a supply and demand thing, and yes, they can get expensive. While I have not been to the CT in a long time, I know in Cefalu, Sicily, they were running 40-50 euro each at beach clubs, more on weekends, maybe less off season. 70 euro per? sounds too high priced, but you never know. This website https://www.bestofcinqueterre.com/en/most-popular-beaches indicates that the prices this year are closer to 20 euro per day for one, 30 euro for two.

For the Cinque Terre, Monterosso is the only beach I believe that would have chairs, the other places are pretty narrow stretches of rocks rather than beaches.

€140 for two chairs and an umbrella.

Is it like an airport lounge, i.e., open bar and snacks included?

If not, I hope they had the decency to be wearing a mask ( like the Lone Ranger) and carrying a gun, so one has the full "getting robbed" experience.

Hmmm, I'm not seeing those reports so I must be missing something. Bigger fees might have something to do with the length of time people are reserving space (I read that you can reserve for more than a day), the size of the group, and/or whether they're renting sunbeds, chairs, umbrellas and/or private cabins or changing rooms. I did see someone mention last year that because they had a family of 5 they required to book two sets of umbrellas and chairs; 70 euro or so total, I believe. But that was also last year and prices may have gone up. You also did say that the €140 price you saw was for 2 chairs/1 umbrella. LOL, did they throw their bar tab in with that? :O)

This (http://bagnifegina.net) is the website for the large private beach in Monterosso, and while they don't provide prices, they state that they rent sunbeds by the sea, umbrella combined with deck chairs or sun loungers, and private cabins or common changing rooms. They also provide an email address so why not contact them with your questions? While you're at it, you can inquire about making advance reservations; from what I read, those are pretty much mandatory during high season to land a spot.

[email protected]

You might also ask your accommodation if they'd be willing to make reservations for you; they'd very likely also know what current pricing is.
(I have been to Monterosso and walked the beach; we just weren't interested in sunning so didn't need those amenities).

Most Italian bagni don't post a complete price list publicly, so perhaps this image would be of interest to hopeful beachgoers . I happened to see this one last month outside a nice beach club adjacent to the 4 star Hotel San Terenzo along the lungomare in the popular San Terenzo district of Lerici,on the Gulf of the Poets about 6 air miles from Monterosso.
It shows prices by the season, the month, and the day. Fila refers to the row starting at the water side. Festivi means Sunday and Holidays and pre-festivi is the day before those.
https://imgur.com/eT7TrJu

Is it like an airport lounge, i.e., open bar and snacks included?
If not, I hope they had the decency to be wearing a mask ( like the Lone Ranger) and carrying a gun, so one has the full "getting robbed" experience.

Hilarious! Thanks for the laugh, joe32f

One Ombrellone (umbrella), two chairs, and the use of a changing cabin in the Ligurian Riviera for one day should be under €40, not €140. These are the prices I read for this July/August 2022. You might pay a few euro more for beach beds. Still outrageous, but not as outrageous as the prices you cited.

This is one of those things about Europe that is not better than the US.

Its absolutely supply and demand. If its not worth it, no one would pay, and they would go out of business. They are not out of business, ergo its worth it.

Bear in mind that the beaches themselves are public (mostly). So just take a towel and sit on the beach like you would in the US. Or buy a cheap chair at a store over there. But if you want to have a resort day with lounge chairs, umbrellas and waiter service, yes you'd expect to pay for that.

Hi!
We were in Monterosso (CT) in August 2022. The cost to rent 2 chairs + 1 umbrella at Bagni Eden Prezzi was €35 (for max 3 people).

Likewise on the 35€; We were in Monterosso al Mare in late June (RS Heart of Italy). Nota bene, some kind of beach-friendly footwear might be desirable as most beaches seem to be stony and definitely NOT sandy, was a bit rough on the feet!

Monterosso Al Mare and elsewhere

Levanto, just north of CT and on the same train line, has a nice beach with umbrellas for rent.

If you're staying in Monterosso, the staff at your hotel can recommend a reasonably priced location to rent beach umbrellas at a fair price. AFAIK, that's the only one of the five towns that offers beach umbrellas.