Sestri Levante & Moneglia

The beach of Renà (old fishing village)

This beach is the closest to the campsite and is the stretch of coast between the “Moneglia tunnels” and the shipyard.
 Although at first glance going to the beach near a factory doesn’t appear to be the main desire of those who escape the city for a weekend of sun and sea, in fact the shipyard doesn’t pollute, doesn’t cause annoying noises, and after some time you don’t even pay attention to it anymore! 
The beach on the shipyard end is of coarse sand and gravel and ends on the tunnel end with large stones, rocks and “l’assou”, that’s the name of the large rocky outcrop with the cross on top that certainly won’t go unnoticed.
 In the distance we catch a glimpse of the Madonnina below Punta Baffe. 
Camping Mare Monti’s sea shuttle takes you within 100 meters of the beach. 
In the vicinity of Renà there are numerous free parking spaces and some for a fee. 
Almost the entire beach is free, equipped with cold showers and toilets, and there is a rental service for umbrellas, sunbeds, pedal boat and canoe rentals, plus restaurant, bar and tobacconist.

Beach of Riva Trigoso

Convenient to reach from Mare Monti Campground by sea shuttle (check availability).
 A number of parking spaces are available but in high season almost all of them charge a fee.
 There are actually two beaches: Riva Ponente and Riva Levante or as some prefer to say Riva Vecchia and Riva Nuova, separated by the mouth of the Petronio River, which often runs dry during the summer months.
 Riva Nuova beach runs from the shipyard to the mouth of the Petronio, Riva Vecchia from the Petronio to the promontory of Punta Manara. Along the shoreline there are alternating bathing establishments and areas used as equipped free beaches.
 Since this is a village beach, there are numerous amenities: bar, market, tobacconist, newspapers, pizza by the slice, pedal boat and canoe rental, bus, playground for children, etc.
 The beaches are coarse sand, toward the promontory rocks begin. Opposite the pharmacy in Riva Trigoso you can find a stretch of free beach where you can also bring your dog.

Sestri Levante

Sestri Levante’s long seaside promenade skirts the Bay of Fairy Tales, named in honor of Hans Christian Andersen, and features an extensive swimming area from the marina to the Sant’Anna galleries (those going to Lavagna).

 Gradually there is a transition from fine sand beaches to pebble beaches and then rocks (toward Sant’Anna).

 There are many bathing establishments, some thematically dedicated to young people; in between there are sufficiently large stretches of equipped free beaches.
 
The parking lot on Baden Powel Street allows you to park your car outside the town and use a bus to reach the center, the sea, the ferry embarkation, and the train station.
 
The Baia del Silenzio (Bay of Silence) is definitely one of the most enchanting places in Sestri Levante, fascinating both at night and during the day.

 From the point of view of bathing, it is a largely free beach of fine sand; the dam of rocks arranged to safeguard boats that are anchored to buoys in the center of the bay guarantees bathing even in rough seas. Even if you don’t want to swim, a visit to the Bay is a must if you are on vacation in Sestri Levante.

Moneglia and the long tunnel

Once the train used to pass through here… today cars pass through in an alternating one-way, with a traffic light that lasts 15 minutes, so it is better to know the times to avoid queuing under the sun (from Riva Trigoso to Moneglia: 0.15 – 0.35 – 0.55 of all hours, from Moneglia to Riva Trigoso 0.5- 0.25 – 0.45 of all hours). 
There are a total of 5 tunnels and you can’t walk or bike through them, but the first one is short… After the first one there is a stone beach, after the second one you can immediately go down and swim from the rocks, some people dive from a rock in the middle of the sea (the Fish), going up above the tunnel and then going down again or before the beginning of the third one there are two nice rock beaches but remember your swimsuits! Some people forget them at home… After the third you have a stone beach (the big valley); inside the fourth you will find parking for four vehicles, after which you can go down to the little valley passing through a ventilation opening: a small inlet between the rocks. Since it is forbidden to go through the tunnels on foot the only way is by moped.

 After the tunnels you come to Moneglia: the beach at Moneglia is suitable for children and people who cannot swim, it is a fine sandy beach surrounded by a rock dike, you can stand in the shallow water almost to the dike.