Sanremo, Italy — The Riviera's Living City
Updated: 19 hours ago
4B Travel Guide | Liguria · Italian Riviera
Sanremo (sometimes spelled San Remo) is the Italian Riviera at full volume. Where Bordighera whispers, San Remo sings — literally, as the home of the Festival della Canzone Italiana, the song contest that has shaped Italian pop music for seventy years.
This is a city of grand Belle Époque ambition: a casino that belongs in a film set, a seafront of monumental palm-lined elegance, and behind it all, one of the most atmospheric medieval old towns in Liguria — La Pigna — climbing its steep hill in tight spirals of vaulted lanes that most visitors never find.
Liguria is Italy’s mountainous Mediterranean coastal region centered around Genoa and the Italian Riviera. Is located between France to the west and Tuscany to the southeast, with Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna inland. Major places: Genoa, Cinque Terre, Sanremo, Portofino, and La Spezia. Landscape: Famous for a narrow strip of Mediterranean coastline backed by mountains. Regional identity: Liguria is part of the Italian Riviera, particularly its western and eastern coastal areas.
Special Info: We visited in May, and we were lucky enough to be guided by local friends who knew every corner of the city and every table worth sitting at. Their company, their hints, and their generosity made San Remo reveal itself in ways no guidebook can fully replicate.
Our Pictures
Important: Check our 4BTravelGuide's detailed picture albums and comments below:
Sanremo, Italy - The Queen of the Italian Riviera Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UkEY3WHj6ki5ChHt5
Tour Summary
Sanremo is a city with many lives — and it wears them all comfortably. Once a glamorous retreat for European aristocracy, today it remains a working Ligurian port, Italy’s celebrated flower-growing capital, and the birthplace of the country’s iconic Sanremo Music Festival.
What makes Sanremo particularly rewarding is that these identities coexist rather than compete. Grand Belle Époque villas stand alongside everyday cafés, fishing boats share the waterfront with pleasure craft, and elegant promenades lead into streets where local life continues largely unchanged.
For travelers, this means Sanremo offers more than a postcard-perfect Riviera experience. Come for the Mediterranean scenery and historic elegance, but stay to explore the old town, browse the markets, sample Ligurian cuisine, and experience the relaxed rhythm of a city that has never needed to reinvent itself for visitors.
Travel Smart: Sanremo is especially enjoyable when explored on foot. Give yourself time to wander beyond the seafront and into La Pigna, the atmospheric medieval quarter, where steep lanes, stone arches, small squares, and local shops reveal a quieter side of the city.
The old town, La Pigna, climbs the hill behind the seafront in a tight spiral of medieval lanes, blind alleys, and sudden terraces with views across the rooftops to the sea. It is largely unrestored in the cosmetic sense — the plaster is worn, the stairs are uneven, the cats are numerous — and that is precisely what makes it worth two hours of unhurried walking. At its summit, the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Costa watches over the city from a position that makes clear why this particular hill was chosen for settlement a thousand years ago.
Below, the Belle Époque seafront tells a different story. The Casino Municipale, opened in 1905, still operates behind its wedding-cake facade with the mild surreality of a building that has outlived every era it belonged to. The Corso Imperatrice palm promenade stretches westward along the shore, wide enough to feel genuinely grand, lined with the kind of mature vegetation that takes a century to produce. The Villa Nobel, where Alfred Nobel spent his final years and died in 1896, sits quietly in its garden a short walk from the waterfront — easy to miss, worth finding.
The market culture here is unhurried and serious. The Mercato dei Fiori, one of Europe's largest wholesale flower markets, operates in the early morning hours and supplies florists from Geneva to Hamburg. The covered food market near the centre rewards those who arrive before ten with excellent Ligurian olives, locally pressed oil, farinata still warm from the oven, and the small, intensely flavoured tomatoes that the Ligurian coast seems to produce better than anywhere else.
Sanremo's restaurant scene runs deep rather than showy. Look for places serving trofie al pesto made with the correct Ligurian basil — smaller leaf, more delicate than the Genovese variety — or the local speciality of sardenaira, a thick focaccia-like flatbread topped with tomato, olives, anchovies, and capers that has been feeding this coastline for centuries. The aperitivo hour along Via Matteotti draws a genuinely local crowd, which is always the best sign.
The city earns its reputation as a base for the western Ligurian coast. Cap Mele to the east, the French border at Ventimiglia to the west, the hill villages of the interior — Bussana Vecchia, Dolceacqua, Apricale — all sit within easy reach. But Sanremo also justifies a stay in its own right, for anyone willing to look past the faded-glamour clichés and engage with what the city actually is: complicated, confident, and quietly magnificent.
Sanremo is an excellent multi-day destination in its own right.
The city rewards those who go beyond the lungomare and the casino — into La Pigna, into the flower market, into the back-street bars where locals drink Rossese and talk football. With the right company and enough time, it gives back considerably more than it first appears to offer.
Originally settled by Ligurian tribes and later Romans, Sanremo was a small fishing village vulnerable to Barbary pirates.
The name derives from "San Romolo" (Saint Romulus), the town's patron saint. Medieval fortifications and a castle were built for defense; the old town clings to the hillside of this defensive tradition.
Quick Facts
Fact | Details |
Location | Province of Imperia, Liguria; 20 km east of Bordighera |
Best Reached By | Train from Bordighera (12 min) or car via Via Aurelia |
Duration | Half day minimum; full day recommended; 2–3 days as a base |
Best Time | April–June and September–October |
Interests | History, architecture, food, beaches, cycling, flowers, music |
Physical Effort | Easy (lungomare and new town); moderate (La Pigna climb) |
Language | Italian; English in tourist areas |
Location
San Remo sits on a wide south-facing bay in western Liguria, sheltered by the Maritime Alps behind and open to the full warmth of the Ligurian Sea. It is the largest city on this stretch of coast — genuinely urban in a way that Bordighera and Menton are not — with 55,000 inhabitants, a functioning commercial port, and the dense, layered energy of a city that has been important for a very long time.
The Via Aurelia coastal road and the railway both pass directly through; the autostrada runs on the hillside above.
Why Visit Sanremo?
San Remo is the Riviera with real urban life behind it — a city where the Belle Époque grandeur of the casino and the lungomare gives way, one block inland, to the medieval labyrinth of La Pigna and the workaday reality of one of Europe's great flower markets. It is complicated, layered, and far more interesting than its postcard image suggests.
History of Sanremo
San Remo's history follows the arc of every great Riviera city: ancient Ligurian settlement, Roman transit point on the Via Julia Augusta, medieval hilltop fortification, and then — with the arrival of the railway in 1872 — an explosive transformation into one of the most fashionable winter resorts in Europe.
Russian aristocrats, British nobility, and Central European royalty built their villas on the hillsides above the seafront.
Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite and founder of the Nobel Prize, spent his final years here and died in his Villa Nobel in 1896. The Swedish Royal Family maintained a presence in San Remo for decades.
The Festival della Canzone Italiana — the Sanremo Music Festival — began in 1951 and rapidly became the defining event of Italian popular culture, launching the careers of generations of Italian singers and watched by millions on television every February. It continues today, filling every hotel in the city and turning the Teatro Ariston into a national obsession for five days each year.
Main Attractions
Pista Ciclabile - Riviera Cycle Path – Sanremo
Sanremo is part of the spectacular Ciclovia della Riviera, a coastal cycling and walking route developed along sections of the former railway line. The project is expanding the protected route across western Liguria, connecting Ospedaletti, Sanremo, Imperia and eventually Cervo. The priority programme covers about 44.8 km, with investment focused on creating a sustainable connection through the Ligurian coast.
One of the finest leisure cycling routes in Italy runs from Ospedaletti, just west of San Remo, east to Santo Stefano al Mare — 24 kilometres of car-free cycling path on the bed of the old coastal railway, following the sea the entire way. The route passes through the old stations (now converted into bars and rest stops), through tunnels blasted through the headlands, and over viaducts with open sea views. Bicycles and e-bikes are available for rent at multiple points along the route.
What makes it special?
The route was created by transforming the old coastal railway line into a dedicated cycling and walking path. The section around Sanremo connects with the wider Riviera dei Fiori route, running along the Mediterranean with spectacular sea views.
The well-known coastal section between San Lorenzo al Mare and Ospedaletti is about 24 km, and is largely flat, making it accessible for recreational cyclists as well as walkers.
🌊 What do you see?
You ride or walk through:
🌴 Mediterranean coastline
🌊 Sea views and beaches
🌿 Mediterranean vegetation
🏘️ Coastal towns and villages
🚇 Restored old railway tunnels
🌉 Bridges and panoramic sections
🚲 Bike-rental and refreshment areas
It passes through or connects places including Sanremo, Arma di Taggia, Riva Ligure, Santo Stefano al Mare and San Lorenzo al Mare, depending on the section you choose.
In Sanremo, the cycle path runs along the coast and includes the Passeggiata dell'Imperatrice, with views toward the sea and landmarks such as the Russian Church
Practical: The path is flat throughout. E-bikes make the return leg effortless. Allow half a day for the full return journey.
Villa Ormond and Its Park
One of San Remo's most beautiful and undervisited treasures sits quietly above the city centre — a large Belle Époque villa surrounded by one of the finest public parks on the western Ligurian Riviera.
Villa Ormond was built in the late 19th century by the wealthy Ormond family and set within an extraordinary botanic garden that reflects the ambitions and exotic tastes of the Riviera's golden age.
The park is free to enter and open daily — a rare and generous gift to the city.
The Park — What to Expect
The Parco Ormond is a 4-hectare garden of considerable botanical variety, planted in the English landscape style with winding paths, large specimen trees, and a strong collection of exotic and Mediterranean species that thrive in San Remo's exceptional microclimate.
Highlights of the park:
The Palm Collection — mature date palms and Canary Island palms of impressive age, giving the garden its distinctly North African atmosphere that defines this entire stretch of coast.
Japanese Garden Section — a small but beautifully maintained Japanese-inspired corner with bamboo, stone lanterns, and a water feature. An unexpected and peaceful discovery inside an Italian Riviera park
Exotic Species — the mild Ligurian winter allows plants from the southern hemisphere, the Canaries, and subtropical Asia to grow in the open air. The collection includes dragon trees, cycads, and flowering species that would not survive a single northern winter.
Large Specimen Trees — several trees of exceptional age and size, including a magnificent Ficus macrophylla (Moreton Bay fig) whose aerial roots have colonised a large section of the garden
Quiet Terraces and Benches — the park has several shaded seating areas where locals come to read, eat lunch, and escape the summer heat of the city below. Genuinely peaceful even in high season
Hint! The park is one of the best picnic spots in San Remo — buy provisions at the Mercato Coperto five minutes away and eat under the palms. Entirely free, entirely lovely.
Villa Ormond — The Building
The villa itself is a handsome late 19th-century building in the eclectic Riviera style — rendered facade, arched loggia, shuttered windows, and the kind of generous proportions that the Belle Époque built without hesitation. It is used today as a cultural centre hosting exhibitions, concerts, and civic events. The interior is open when events are scheduled — worth checking the San Remo events calendar before your visit, as the rooms retain much of their original character.
The villa hosts the Centro Culturale Villa Ormond, which organises regular cultural programming through the year — classical music concerts in the garden in summer are particularly atmospheric.
The Mayor's Villa — Villa Comunale
A short walk from Villa Ormond, the Villa Comunale — historically associated with the civic life of San Remo and known locally as the Mayor's Villa — is another surviving example of the grand residential architecture that once lined the hillsides above the lungomare. The building represents the layer of San Remo that existed between the extravagance of Nobel's villa and the commercial energy of the port: prosperous, cultivated, and architecturally confident.
The surrounding garden is integrated into the broader green corridor of the upper city — a quiet escape from the busier streets below, with views over the rooftops towards the sea.
What makes it worth a stop:
The exterior architecture — a textbook example of Ligurian Belle Époque civic building
The garden terracing, which follows the natural slope of the hillside in the manner of the old agricultural terraces that preceded the villas
The view from the upper garden level back over San Remo and the bay
La Pigna — The Medieval Old Town
La Pigna — named for its pine-cone shape when seen from the sea — is the reason to go beyond the lungomare. It is a steep, tightly wound medieval city rising above the modern town in concentric rings of lanes, arches, and stairways, almost entirely car-free and still genuinely inhabited.
Our local friends led us up through it on a warm May evening, through lanes so narrow the buildings overhead nearly touch, past open doorways where families were eating dinner, through small piazzas where nothing seemed to have changed since the 15th century. Without them, we would have been lost within five minutes and delighted throughout.
At the summit, the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Costa offers a panoramic view over the entire bay — the city below, the sea beyond, and on clear days the coastline curving west towards Bordighera and France.
Don't miss: the 13th-century Cathedral of San Siro at the base of La Pigna — dark, solid Romanesque, with a beautiful black Christ above the altar.
The Casino Municipale
It remains a casino, but the historic building continues its original role as a palace of entertainment, culture and social life.
Standing on Corso degli Inglesi street, the Casino Municipale Sanremo has been part of the city’s identity since 1905. Designed by Parisian architect Eugène Ferret, who had previously worked on casinos in Cannes and Saigon, the building was conceived as much more than a gambling house. Ferret’s original plan included a theatre, restaurant, café, reading and conversation rooms, a grand Winter Garden and elegant gaming rooms — essentially a complete Belle Époque entertainment complex for Sanremo’s international visitors.
The Casino Municipale of Sanremo is not merely a gambling house — it is one of the most beautiful Belle Époque buildings in Italy, a monument of architectural ambition built in 1905 in the Moorish-eclectic style that was fashionable among Riviera resort architects of the era. The exterior, with its white onion domes and ornate terracotta detailing, is visible from across the bay. The interior — grand salons, chandeliers, gilded ceilings — can be visited without gambling, and should be. It is also the venue that hosts the San Remo Music Festival each February.
The basic architectural idea: a palace of leisure
The building was designed by the Parisian architect Eugène Ferret and inaugurated in 1905. The brief was much broader than "build a gambling hall": the original programme included a theatre for about 625 people, Winter Garden, ballroom, conversation rooms, reading and correspondence rooms, club and gaming rooms, restaurant and café.
That tells you a lot about the architectural thinking.
The casino was intended to be a social machine:
arrive → see and be seen → promenade → meet people → eat/drink → listen to music → watch theatre → gamble → socialise again.
In other words, the architecture was designed around experience and movement, not around a single function.
The façade is deliberately theatrical - The most obvious element is the central composition with three large arches, flanked by two towers.
The towers are particularly important. They give the building a kind of urban stage-set quality: you can recognise the Casino from a distance, almost like a landmark or hotel-palace.
The Sanremo historical documentation specifically notes the influence of Charles Garnier, particularly in the treatment of these two towers. Garnier was the architect of the Paris Opéra, so this is an important clue to Ferret's design language.
You can almost read the façade as:
two vertical towers → frame → ceremonial central entrance → grand staircase → interior spectacle
This is not modest architecture. It tells the visitor: something special happens inside. It is actually a mixture of architectural languages
This is one of the things I find most interesting.
It is often described simply as Liberty / Art Nouveau, but that isn't quite enough.
The original design combines:
Art Nouveau / Liberty
Neo-Baroque
French Beaux-Arts influences
elements of eclectic historicism
later Art Deco
and subsequently modern interventions.
The Sanremo historical archive explicitly describes the overall project as Art Nouveau/Liberty while identifying an eclectic plan and neo-Baroque treatment of the façade, with Garnier's influence particularly visible in the towers. The most beautiful architectural idea: the Winter Garden
This is probably the key to understanding Ferret's original concept.
The Winter Garden was a large interior garden-like hall, with a huge glazed/skylit roof. Historical photographs show the space filled with natural light, plants, tables and chairs, surrounded by highly decorated walls and large arched openings. Architecturally, this is clever because Sanremo was not merely selling gambling.
It was selling the Riviera lifestyle.
The Winter Garden brings the outside Mediterranean experience inside:
sunlight + plants + architecture + music + conversation + food + people.
For wealthy northern European visitors escaping winter, this must have been extremely attractive.
The building therefore becomes almost a climatic resort machine: even when the weather outside was unpleasant, the visitor could experience an artificial version of the Riviera indoors. The building connects Mediterranean and Parisian ideas
This is where Sanremo's location becomes important.
Ferret was French, and his architectural references were strongly connected to the French casino/resort world. But he was designing for Sanremo, which was becoming an international winter resort for wealthy foreign visitors.
So the building sits between two worlds:
Paris / Côte d'Azur elegance
and
Mediterranean Riviera lifestyle.
That explains the combination of:
formal monumental façade
French-style theatricality
terraces and balconies
palms and gardens
abundant daylight
decorative interiors
large social spaces.
The staircase is part of the show - the broad entrance stairs are not merely functional.
They create a processional sequence. You don't simply walk through a door.
You:
approach → ascend → become visible → pass through the monumental entrance → enter the social world.
That is exactly the kind of spatial choreography you find in theatres, opera houses and grand hotels.
And that is appropriate because the original Casino was conceived partly as a theatre and cultural venue, not simply as a gaming facility.
The architecture therefore makes the visitor feel like a participant in a performance.
Today, the Casinò di Sanremo is a multifunctional entertainment and cultural centre:
🎰 Casino: roulette, blackjack, poker and slot machines.
🎭 Theatre & concerts: theatre performances, classical concerts and cultural events.
🎶 Sanremo heritage: birthplace of the Italian Song Festival in 1951–1976.
📚 Culture: literary events, exhibitions and conferences.
🥂 Events: gala dinners, corporate events, conventions and private functions.
🍽️ Hospitality: restaurants, bars and social spaces.
💻 Online casino: also operates an online gaming platform.
Practical: smart dress required after 3pm; bring ID. Travel Smart: You don't have to gamble to appreciate the Casino. Its architecture and history make it worth including on a walk through central Sanremo, particularly if you're interested in Belle Époque architecture, Italian music history or the glamorous side of the Riviera. The casino is still an operating venue, so check current visitor and event arrangements before planning an interior visit.
Sanremo beaches
Sanremo's coastline is a mixture of free public beaches (spiagge libere / spiagge libere attrezzate) and private bathing establishments (stabilimenti balneari or bagni).
The coast is generally a combination of sandy and small-pebble beaches, often protected by breakwaters.
Public vs. private beaches
Free public beaches can be used without paying an entrance fee. You can normally sunbathe, swim, bring your own towel/chair/umbrella and enjoy the sea. A spiaggia libera attrezzata goes one step further: access remains free, but the municipality/operator may provide facilities such as showers, toilets, changing areas or limited beach equipment.
Private beaches (bagni/stabilimenti) charge for services such as a reserved sunbed and parasol. However, the beach is not simply "private property": Italian coastal bathing areas are subject to public-access rules. If you only want to reach the sea and swim, ask the lifeguard/operator about access; you do not necessarily need to rent a sunbed. Services such as loungers, umbrellas, changing rooms, showers, restaurants and pedalos may require payment.
Water quality
Sanremo's bathing water is officially monitored by ARPAL Liguria, normally at least monthly during the bathing season. Samples are analysed mainly for E. coli and intestinal enterococci, and the coast is classified as Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor based on historical data.
For 2026, Sanremo has an official monitoring network, and the municipality publishes links to the ARPAL bathing-water map and current bathing restrictions. The Italian Ministry of Health also provides a real-time map showing current bathing status and any temporary prohibitions.
One important distinction for tourists: water-quality classification is not the same as today's bathing permission. A temporary pollution event can result in a short-term swimming ban even where the historical classification is good.
Main beaches and areas
Beach / area | Type | What you'll find |
Tre Ponti | 🆓 Free + equipped areas | One of Sanremo's larger beach areas; sand/pebbles, swimming, beach services nearby, bars/restaurants |
Spiaggia dei Porti | Mixed | Close to the city centre, between Porto Vecchio and Portosole; small sheltered beaches, restaurants and beach clubs |
Lungomare delle Nazioni | Mostly private establishments | Several bagni, sunbeds/parasols, showers, changing facilities, restaurants/bars |
San Martino | Mixed | Free sections plus equipped establishments; swimming, beach services and restaurants |
Imperatrice | Mixed/private | Attractive central area near Corso Imperatrice; beach clubs, restaurants and rental equipment |
Foce / Foce Ponente | Free + equipped/private | Smaller beaches around the Rio San Bernardo; several beach establishments and restaurants |
Tiro a Volo | Mixed | Beach area west of the centre, with free/equipped sections and bathing establishments |
Bussana Mare | Mixed | Broader sandy/pebbly coastline; beach clubs, bars, restaurants and water activities |
Cala degli Orsi | Mixed/private | Bussana area; attractive beach, beach establishments and nearby bars |
Capo Pino | Mixed/private | Quieter eastern/western coastal area with clear water and beach establishments |
The municipality specifically identifies Tre Ponti, Imperatrice, Bussana, Baia Capo Pino and Tiro a Volo among Sanremo's recognised bathing-water areas associated with its Blue Flag programme.
Some useful beach-club examples
Spiaggia Tre Ponti — one of the principal public beach areas.
Boca Beach Sanremo — a more upscale beach-club experience with restaurant/bar facilities.
Mandala Beach Club — beach club in the central-western waterfront.
Spiaggia Antenna San Martino — equipped beach in the San Martino area.
Stabilimento Balneare Spiaggia Delle Nazioni — beach establishment on Lungomare Italo Calvino.
Bussana Beach Spiaggia — equipped beach in Bussana Mare.
The key message is: you don't have to pay to enjoy Sanremo's sea.
Bring your own towel and use a free beach, or choose a private bagno when you want the comfort of a reserved sunbed, umbrella, shower, changing room, restaurant and other services.
Always check the current signs/municipal notices for bathing restrictions, particularly after heavy rain.
Sanremo sea temperature & swimming conditions
Month | Sea | Typical conditions |
January | ~13.5°C | 🥶 Very cold; mainly for experienced swimmers |
February | ~13°C | 🥶 Coldest period |
March | ~13°C | 🥶 Cold |
April | ~14°C | 🧥 Still cold for swimming |
May | ~17°C | 🌤️ Possible for hardy swimmers; short swims |
June | ~21°C | 👍 Comfortable for most people |
July | ~24°C | ☀️ Excellent swimming conditions |
August | ~24°C | ☀️ Warmest water; peak swimming season |
September | ~22°C | 👍 Excellent; often one of the nicest months |
October | ~20°C | 👍 Still good for swimming, especially early in the month |
November | ~17°C | 🌤️ Cool; suitable for hardy swimmers |
December | ~15°C | 🧥 Cold |
The sea typically reaches its warmest point in July–August, while February is generally the coldest month.
What this means for visitors
Best overall swimming period: June–OctoberWarmest water: July–August, around 24°C
Best combination of warm water + fewer peak-season crowds: June and September
Possible year-round: yes, but from November to May the water is generally cold enough that most visitors will not want a long swim.
Lungomare Imperatrice
The seafront promenade of San Remo is everything a Riviera lungomare should be: wide, palm-lined, faced by grand hotels and elegant villas, with the sea on one side and the casino gardens on the other. Named for Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, who spent winters here in the 1870s, it stretches for 2 km from the old harbour westward. Walk it at any hour; it is best at the passeggiata hour — 6 to 8pm — when the entire city seems to be on its feet.
Mercato dei Fiori — The Flower Market
Sanremo is the capital of the Italian flower industry — and has been since the late 19th century, when the mild microclimate and terraced hillsides above the city proved ideal for cut flower cultivation. The wholesale flower market (Mercato dei Fiori) is one of the largest in Europe: an extraordinary wholesale auction operating through the night and early morning where hundreds of millions of stems change hands each year. Carnations, roses, mimosa, and ranunculus grown on the Ligurian terraces above the city are loaded onto trucks and trains destined for Amsterdam, Paris, and London.
The market is not always open to casual visitors, but the flower-growing culture is visible everywhere — in the terraced hillsides above the city covered with greenhouses, in the flower stalls around the covered market, and in the presence of cut flowers in every bar and restaurant in the city.
Hint! Our local friends took us to a small flower grower's cooperative on the hillside above the city on a May morning — the greenhouses full of carnations, the smell extraordinary, the price of a bunch of roses approximately nothing.
Villa Nobel
Alfred Nobel — chemist, engineer, inventor of dynamite, and founder of the Nobel Prizes — chose San Remo for his final home and died here in 1896. His Villa Nobel, set in a garden above the lungomare, has been preserved as a museum dedicated to his life and work: his laboratory equipment, personal correspondence, and the extraordinary story of a man who invented the most destructive explosive of his era and left his fortune to reward those who worked for peace and human knowledge. The garden is beautiful and the museum unexpectedly moving.
Mercato Coperto — The Covered Market
The covered municipal market of San Remo, in the city centre a few blocks from the lungomare, is the best place to encounter the real daily life of the city. The stalls sell: vegetables from the hillside terraces, Taggiasca olives and oil from the groves above Imperia, salt-packed anchovies from the local catch, Ligurian cheeses and charcuterie, and fresh flowers at market prices. Go on Saturday morning for the full version.
Hint! Our friends bought us a jar of Taggiasca olives packed in local olive oil from a stall at the back of the market — we have been trying to find the same thing since. Ask the stallholders which oil producer they use.
Porto Vecchio and the Fishing Harbour
The old port of San Remo, below La Pigna and to the east of the lungomare, is a working harbour — fishing boats alongside pleasure craft, a small fish market on the quay in the morning, and several restaurants where the day's catch goes directly from boat to kitchen. Our local friends brought us here for lunch on a Tuesday in May: grilled orata (sea bream), a carafe of Vermentino, bread with olive oil, and the sound of the harbour. One of the best meals of the trip.
Eating in San Remo
Ligurian cuisine in San Remo leans slightly richer than in Bordighera — more meat, more elaborate preparations, a stronger French influence in the sauces. Our friends steered us away from the tourist menus on the lungomare and into the back streets of the city, where the real eating happens.
What to order:
Farinata — chickpea flatbread, eaten standing at a sciamadda bakery at noon. Non-negotiable.
Trofie al pesto — the canonical Ligurian pasta with the finest basil in the world
Acciughe di Liguria — local anchovies, marinated, fried, or in salsa verde
Coniglio alla sanremese — rabbit braised with olives, pine nuts, and white wine; the city's signature meat dish
Sardenaira — San Remo's own version of pizza, topped with tomato, anchovies, capers, and olives. Thinner and more savoury than Neapolitan pizza. Order it at any bakery.
Rossese di Dolceacqua — the local red wine, light and fragrant. Our friends ordered it everywhere and were always right to do so.
Our favourite experience: a late lunch with our local friends at a small trattoria behind the covered market — no menu in English, paper tablecloth, handwritten daily specials, and three hours of conversation about San Remo, Ligurian food, and the correct way to prepare brandacujun. The kind of meal that is only possible with people who know the city.
Hint! Ask your hotel or any local for the nearest sciamadda — the traditional Ligurian fry shop selling farinata, torta di verdure, and fried fish. There is always one within two blocks. It is always correct.
Walks in Sanremo
There are menz trips options in Sanremo.
Walk 1 — La Pigna Ascent: Enter from Piazza Eroi Sanremesi and climb through the concentric rings of medieval lanes to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Costa at the top. The complete ascent takes 30–40 minutes; allow double that to stop, look, and occasionally get deliberately lost. Descent via the opposite side for different views.
Walk 2 — Lungomare Circuit: From the old port along the full length of the Lungomare Imperatrice to the casino gardens and back — 4 km, completely flat, 1 hour at a relaxed pace.
Walk 3 — Via Julia Augusta Trail: Sections of the ancient Roman road are still walkable in the hills above San Remo — the tourist office has a trail map. The path passes through old olive groves and abandoned terraces with extraordinary views over the bay.
Day Trips from Sanremo
San Remo makes an equally good base to Bordighera for day trips across the western Ligurian Riviera:
Bordighera (20 min west by train) — old town, Monet's palms, the Pallanca Exotic Garden
Dolceacqua (25 min inland by car) — medieval bridge, Doria castle, Rossese wine
Cervo (30 min east by car) — the perfect small medieval village above the sea
Taggia (10 min east) — a large and undervisited medieval village with an important Dominican convent
Monaco (40 min west by train) — the principality, Oceanographic Museum etc.
Getting There
By train: 12 minutes from Bordighera; 50 minutes from Nice; 2h from Genova. San Remo has two stations — San Remo (main, central) and Arma di Taggia (eastern suburbs).
By car: Via Aurelia coastal road from Bordighera (25 min); autostrada A10, exit San Remo.
Cycling: The coastal cycling path connects San Remo to Ospedaletti and Santo Stefano al Mare.
A Final Word
We arrived in Sanremo as day-trippers from Bordighera on a warm May morning and stayed until well after dark, guided throughout by local friends who treated the city the way only people who truly love a place can — showing us not the monuments but the spaces between them, not the restaurant on the lungomare but the trattoria behind the market, not the view from the tourist terrace but the view from the top of La Pigna at sunset with a glass of Rossese in hand. San Remo rewarded our time in the way that only complicated, layered cities can. Go beyond the lungomare. Climb La Pigna. Find a sciamadda. And if you are lucky enough to have a local friend, follow them without question.
Sanremo After Dark: Music, Culture & La Dolce Vita
Sanremo does not have the loud, all-night nightlife of a major Mediterranean party city — and that is exactly its charm. As the sun sets, the city moves naturally from aperitivo to dinner, live music, theatre and late-evening drinks, with much of the action concentrated around the centre, the old town of La Pigna, Piazza Bresca and the waterfront. For live music, La Cave Art & Music club offers a more intimate atmosphere, while Piña Social Club is a stylish option for cocktails and an evening out.
Sanremo's cultural life is even more impressive. The legendary Teatro Ariston Sanremo is at the heart of the city's identity, hosting concerts, theatre, cinema and major national events — most famously the Festival di Sanremo, which transforms the entire city every February. The Ariston also has a regular programme of live performances throughout the year.
For classical music and outdoor performances, the Auditorium Franco Alfano is another beautiful venue, while the Teatro del Casinò di Sanremo hosts concerts, literary events and cultural programmes. The city's official events calendar also includes jazz and blues, outdoor cinema, exhibitions, literary evenings, festivals and sporting events.
The big events to look out for
🎵 Festival di Sanremo – February
The event that puts Sanremo on the international map. During Festival week, the city becomes one enormous celebration of Italian music, with performances, television productions, street events and crowds throughout the centre.
🎶 Premio Tenco – October
One of Italy's most respected events dedicated to songwriting and musical culture, bringing artists and music lovers to Sanremo. The 2026 edition is scheduled for 21–24 October.
🎷 UnoJazz & Blues – Summer / September
Jazz and blues performances bring international musicians to Sanremo, including events at the Casino and other city venues. The 2026 UnoJazz&Blues Contest final is scheduled for 18 September.
🌸 Flowers, music and outdoor events – Spring & Summer
Sanremo's identity is deeply connected with flowers, music and outdoor celebrations. During the warmer months, concerts and cultural events spill out into Piazza Borea d'Olmo, Piazza San Siro, Piazza Colombo, Pian di Nave, the Old Port, Villa Ormond and La Pigna.
A perfect Sanremo evening
18:30 – Aperitivo in the centre
20:00 – Dinner in or around La Pigna
21:00 – Concert, theatre or outdoor event
23:00 – Walk along the seafront
23:30 onwards – Cocktail or live music
4B TravelGuide tip: Don't plan Sanremo nightlife too rigidly. The best evenings are often about walking through the old streets, discovering a small bar, listening to music from a piazza and eventually ending up by the sea. Sanremo is less about one famous nightclub and more about the Italian tradition of spending the evening outside, together, enjoying food, music and conversation.
Sanremo Fashion: Discover Italian elegance through fashion shows, catwalks and haute-couture events hosted at the historic Casinò di Sanremo, continuing the city's long tradition of fashion, music and Riviera glamour.
4B Travel Guide | San Remo — Ligurian Riviera Edition Buying or long term rental of properties in Sanremo:
If you are looking to buy a property in Sanremo we can recommend you to talk to
Agent Name: Mrs Barbara Pertili
Agenzia Tema Casa Centro
Address: Via Roma, 129 - Sanremo (IM), Italy
Email: centro@temacasa.it
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