Liguria for Couples: 12 Romantic Experiences on the Italian Riviera

There’s a reason the Italian Riviera has been a honeymoon destination since the days of the Grand Tour. The combination of pastel fishing villages, hidden coves, candlelit trattorias tucked into medieval alleys, and those slow, golden sunsets over the Ligurian Sea — it’s almost unfair how romantic this coastline is.

But romance in Liguria isn’t just about booking a fancy hotel and hoping for the best. The most memorable experiences are often the simplest ones: a shared plate of trofie al pesto on a terrace overlooking the sea, a sunrise swim before the crowds arrive, a walk through a hillside village where the only sounds are church bells and your own footsteps. Here’s how to plan a trip that’s genuinely romantic — not just Instagram-romantic.

1. Take a Private Sunset Boat Trip Along the Portofino Coast

Skip the crowded ferries and hire a traditional gozzo (wooden Ligurian boat) with a local skipper for a private evening cruise. The stretch between Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino is studded with tiny coves only accessible by water — your skipper will know which ones are empty at sunset.

Most boats include a bottle of prosecco and can arrange for a seafood dinner at a waterfront restaurant in San Fruttuoso or Punta Chiappa, where you’ll eat with your feet practically in the water. Expect to pay €250-350 for a 3-hour private cruise. Book through your hotel or directly at the Santa Margherita port.

2. Sleep in a Converted Watchtower in the Gulf of Poets

The Gulf of Poets — named for Shelley, Byron, and the writers who found inspiration here — has some of Liguria’s most romantic places to stay. The standout is Torre di Venere, a 16th-century watchtower in Tellaro converted into an impossibly romantic B&B with just two rooms. The terrace overlooks the entire gulf.

For something slightly more accessible, book a room at one of Tellaro’s small waterfront hotels. The village itself — all narrow lanes, pink and yellow facades, cats sleeping on windowsills — is the kind of place where you’ll want to cancel your plans and just wander. Dinner at Locanda Miranda (one Michelin star, but wonderfully unstuffy) makes for the perfect evening.

3. Walk the Via dell’Amore at Dawn

The Via dell’Amore — the “Path of Love” — connects Riomaggiore and Manarola in the Cinque Terre. It’s the easiest and most famous section of the coastal trail, and its name isn’t just marketing: for decades, lovers from the five villages would meet halfway along this path.

The path has been closed since a landslide in 2012, but a partial reopening is underway. Check the latest status before you go. If it’s open, go at sunrise — you’ll have the view almost to yourself, and the morning light on the cliffs is magical. If it’s still closed, the alternative trail above the railway line still offers stunning views of both villages.

4. Share a Pesto-Making Class in a Genoese Palazzo

Making pesto together — grinding basil, pine nuts, and garlic with a marble mortar and wooden pestle — is surprisingly romantic. It’s slow, tactile, and fragrant. Several Genoa cooking schools run couple-friendly classes in historic palazzi, often ending with a pasta lunch on a rooftop terrace.

We recommend the classes at Palazzina Liberty, a restored Art Nouveau building near the Brignole station. They cap groups at 8 people and focus deeply on ingredient quality — you’ll learn why Genoese basil is different, how to choose the right olive oil, and the secret to getting that perfect creamy texture without a blender.

5. Discover Dolceacqua — The Village That Inspired Monet

Claude Monet spent three months painting in Dolceacqua and called its medieval bridge “a jewel of lightness.” The village, just inland from Ventimiglia in the Nervia Valley, is one of those places where every corner looks like a painting: stone archways, a ruined castle on the hill, the river running under that famous humpback bridge.

Come in the late afternoon when the tour buses have left. Cross the bridge to the old quarter (Terra), get lost in the carruggi, and find a table at La Rampa, a tiny trattoria with just six tables on a stone staircase. Order the michetti (Dolceacqua’s signature breadsticks) and a bottle of Rossese di Dolceacqua — the local red wine that tastes of wild berries and herbs. For more hidden gems, see our guide to Liguria’s most charming villages.

6. Stay in a Camogli Tower With a View of the Sea

Camogli has several former watchtowers converted into extraordinary accommodation. The most romantic is the Torre Saracena, a medieval tower with a private terrace directly over the water — you can hear the waves beneath you as you sleep. It books out months in advance for summer, so plan ahead.

If the tower is booked, Camogli itself is endlessly romantic at any level of budget. The evening passeggiata along the seafront, the focaccia from Revello, the ferry to San Fruttuoso at golden hour — everything here seems designed for two.

7. Soak in the Thermal Baths of Acqui Terme

An hour inland from the coast, Acqui Terme has been a spa town since Roman times. The thermal waters bubble up at 75°C from a natural spring in the centre of town — you’ll see steam rising from the marble fountain in Piazza della Bollente. The Grand Hotel Nuove Terme has a couple’s spa package that includes private access to the thermal pools and a mud treatment that leaves your skin unbelievably soft.

It’s an ideal rainy-day or low-season activity, and the town itself — with its Roman aqueduct, elegant piazzas, and excellent Piedmontese-influenced restaurants — is worth a full day. Pair it with a visit to the wineries of the Gavi hills for the ultimate indulgent day trip.

8. Watch the Sunset from the Hanbury Gardens

The Hanbury Botanical Gardens, on the Capo Mortola promontory near the French border, is one of Europe’s most romantic gardens — 18 hectares of exotic plants cascading down a hillside to the sea. Sir Thomas Hanbury created it in 1867, filling it with plants from five continents, and the result is a lush, fragrant paradise with sea views at every turn.

The gardens close at 19:00 in summer, so time your visit for the last two hours when the light is soft and the crowds thin out. The Temple of the Four Seasons, a small classical pavilion overlooking the Mediterranean, is the spot for a proposal if you’re planning one. It’s less than 30 minutes from Sanremo by car.

9. Dine by Candlelight in an Olive Grove

Several agriturismi in the hills behind Imperia and Albenga offer private dinners in their olive groves — your table is set among centuries-old trees strung with fairy lights, and the meal is whatever the family has harvested that week. It’s impossibly romantic and costs a fraction of what you’d pay at a Michelin-starred restaurant on the coast.

Agriturismo Cascina Rio (near Diano Castello) and Agriturismo Nonna Nella (in the Valle Prino) both offer this experience. You’ll need a car to reach them, and you should book at least a week ahead. The drive back through the hills under the stars is part of the magic. Check our where to stay guides for more accommodation inspiration.

10. Wander the Carruggi of Bussana Vecchia — An Artist’s Paradise

Bussana Vecchia is unlike anywhere else in Liguria. Abandoned after an earthquake in 1887, the medieval village was resettled in the 1960s by an international community of artists who rebuilt it, stone by stone, and turned it into an open-air art gallery. Every doorway leads to a studio or workshop, and the whole place has a bohemian, slightly mystical atmosphere.

Come in the late afternoon, wander the car-free lanes hand in hand, and chat with the artists in their studios — many have been here for decades and have fascinating stories. There’s usually live music in the piazza on summer evenings, and the views down to the sea from the top of the village are extraordinary. It’s a short drive from Sanremo, and you can easily combine it with a visit to the Hanbury Gardens for a perfect romantic day out.

11. Take a Sunrise Kayak Tour to a Deserted Beach

Several outfitters along the coast offer guided sunrise kayak tours to beaches that are only accessible from the water. The stretch between Fiascherino and Tellaro in the Gulf of Poets is particularly good — you’ll paddle past caves and cliffs as the sun comes up, then land on a tiny pebble beach for a swim and a thermos of coffee.

No experience is needed; the guides provide all equipment and basic instruction. It’s one of Liguria’s most underrated couple’s activities — active enough to feel adventurous, relaxed enough to feel romantic. Book through Outdoor Portofino (for the Tigullio area) or Tellaro Kayak (for the Gulf of Poets).

12. End the Night With Gelato on the Lungomare

Sometimes the most romantic thing you can do is the simplest. After dinner, find a gelateria artigianale (look for signs that say “produzione propria” — made on site), grab two cones of stracciatella and pistachio, and walk the lungomare — the seafront promenade. Nearly every coastal town has one.

The best lungomare for an evening stroll: Alassio (wide, palm-lined, with the famous “kissing wall” covered in ceramic tiles), Camogli (short but impossibly atmospheric after dark), and Finale Ligure (long and lively, with bars spilling onto the sand). No reservations needed, no dress code — just you, the sea, and a perfect Italian summer night.

When to Go for Maximum Romance

July and August are beautiful but busy. For a more intimate experience, aim for late May to June or September — the weather is still warm enough for swimming, the villages are less crowded, and you’ll get restaurant tables without booking weeks ahead. October is underrated: the sea is still swimmable, the light is golden all day, and the olive harvest means fresh-pressed oil on every table.

Learn more about seasonal planning in our month-by-month guide to Liguria, and when you’re ready to start planning, explore our full destinations collection for ideas on where to go next.

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