By car.
Liguria can be reached easily by car on the highway system or the state and provincial roads. The former, managed by the Autostrade per l'Italia company, are toll roads, and they connect the four Ligurian provinces to the main Italian cities. The others, free of charge, connect all the cities and towns of the Riviera and surrounding area.

By train.
The railway network covers most of the region, interconnecting the four provinces and the main communities both inland and on the two Rivieras. Genoa can be reached by train from all major Italian cities. The regional capital - just 2 hours from Milan and Turin, and 5 ½ hours from Rome - has two large stations: Genova Piazza Principe and Genova Brignole.

By ship.
Genoa's large port is a destination for many shipping lines, which connect Liguria with the rest of Italy and other principal Mediterranean ports every day of the year.

The port of Genoa is also an important destination for the cruise ships of the world's most important shipping lines. Their luxurious vessels depart from here, or simply stop for a visit to the city during tours of the Mediterranean Sea.

The other two large ports in the area are in Savona and La Spezia.

By airplane.
Genoa's Cristoforo Colombo airport connects Liguria with the principal Italian and European cities, with flights on the major national and international airlines. In a favorable geographic position, at the center of the two Rivieras, this stopover is well connected to the urban road system and the highways. From the internal access ramp to the airport area, you can access the A10 highway, from the Genoa-airport exit; the connector leads to the city, to the Genoa Cornigliano area, and state road SS1 feeds in, connecting with Savona and La Spezia.

The city center - six kilometers away - and the main train stations are connected with the airport by the AMT mobility and urban transport company buses.

The line Volabus 100 offers a quick connection with the stations at Genova Piazza Principe, the city center, and Genova Brignole. Departures are every 30 minutes starting at 5:30 A.M. - the first run from the Brignole station - until 11:45 P.M., the final trip to the airport.

Line 151 connects the airport with the Genova Cornigliano and Genova Sestri Ponente stations.

The C. Panero airport in Villanova d'Albenga, in the province of Savona, is also open to international traffic: it's a stop for small passenger planes, charter flights, and recreational craft.

By boat.
The over three hundred kilometers of Ligurian coast offer an ample array of ports and landings equipped for recreational boating.

All craft, on the basis of their size and characteristics, can count on the services available in the 35 tourist ports, eight Marinas, four landings, and other facilities - including a jetty, equipped beaches, and docks - located in Liguria.

With the search function you can find all of the small harbors and tourist landings classified by town, number of berths, and capacity on the basis of length (expressed in meters) of the boat. Using the map and completing one or more fields, you can display the town in which the docking facility you are looking for is located, along with a detailed listing of information and available services.

The mild climate and excellent facilities throughout the region mean that Liguria is a perfect place for sport all year round. There are many special facilities for traditional individual and team sports that can satisfy the needs of all enthusiasts.
In recent years, there has been an increased demand for so-called "extreme" sports, which are actually suitable for anybody provided that they have the right equipment and qualified instructors.
When presenting the region's sporting activities, emphasis has been given to those sports which do not require special sports complexes and those which bring sport and tourism together through facilities that form part of the natural environment and thus allow you to enjoy the natural scenic beauty of a landscape or a mediaeval village or the variety and richness of local flora and fauna. Here are a few examples: free-climbing practice areas, aquatic parks or more traditional sports such as golf.
During the summer months (but not only then) the sea is the greatest attraction for sports enthusiasts: the splendid underwater environments, the beaches and the coastal rocks offer many sporting possibilities - from diving to surfing and canoeing, which can also be practised on rivers and streams.
Hikers and trekkers can follow fixed itineraries both in winter (when you can also do cross-country or downhill skiing in some areas) and in spring.
Horse-riding enthusiasts will discover some wonderful panoramic itineraries along the Ligurian Alta Via, as well as many others in the hinterland areas, where there are paths taking you along the ancients routes from village to village far away from the din of the city.

Parks.
Protected areas.
Grottoes.

Itineraries.
There are many interesting itineraries in Liguria for tourists who not only wish to visit the traditional sights on the Riviera and in the hinterland but also wish to get to know the old town areas and mediaeval villages that are off the beaten track, the environmental resources of the region, and the history and traditions of places that are only "minor" from the point of view of size. The itineraries suggested here have been listed according to your means of transport and classified according to the main points of interest.
In addition to the first group of itineraries to be made on foot, by car, by bike , on horseback, or in special environments such as the promontory of Portofino or the Cinque Terre, there are six more Jubilee itineraries and the first of a series of itineraries that are of historical-artistic interest (the Baroque). These will be joined by other itineraries regarding monasteries, prehistoric sites, mediaeval towns and Romanesque architecture; one other itinerary will be dedicated to areas that were once industrialised but are now undergoing conversion. Finally, there will be a separate "museum" itinerary that will document the historical and cultural importance of the network of ancient military roads that runs across Western Liguria.

Cultural itineraries.
On horseback.
On foot.
By car.
By bike.
Religious itineraries.
Cinque Terre.
Portofino.

After the earliest prehistoric inhabitants, who left many traces in the grottoes at Balzi Rossi, Toirano and the Finale area, it was the Liguri tribe that brought territorial and cultural unity to Liguria: although they were actually divided into a number of tribes, they made up a single nation that occupied the entire region. They were succeeded by the Romans, the Byzantines and the Lombards, who also left marks on the territory that can still be seen today in the many archaeological sites and fortifications both on the coast and in the hinterland. Place names also bear witness to these past civilisations (for example, one of the districts of the old town centre in Varese Ligure is called "grecino", a name that dates back to Byzantine dominion).
The Middle Ages were a time when religious architecture flourished, first through the various monastic orders and then through the various dioceses that for a long time had the control of vast territories. The most common types of buildings in the region are churches and sanctuaries. But the mediaeval landscape was also characterised by castles: some have completely disappeared, many are now just a few ruins, while others were incorporated into later constructions; however, many castles are still intact both on the coast and in the hinterland thanks to regular maintenance or appropriate restoration work.
The villas and historic buildings in Genoa and throughout Liguria testify to the changing fortunes of the Ligurian nobility and bourgeoisie and to an intense cultural life in Genoa, especially from the sixteenth century onwards, when it was one of the most prestigious cities in Europe. Besides the artists who came here from all over Italy and Europe to embellish the local churches and historic buildings, we should not forget the numerous Ligurian artists who assimilated and applied the lessons of the master artists (as was the case with painting in the seventeenth century, for example). The libraries and archives to be found throughout the region document the civic, cultural and artistic history of Liguria, as well as the visits or longer terms of residence of many famous people, figures from the field of the arts, the sciences and letters. Those who are interested in the subject can find a number of online publications by clicking on catalogue of libraries in Liguria.

Archaeology.
Religious buildings.
Villas and buildings.
Castles and fortresses.
Celebrities.

Ligurian cuisine is typically Mediterranean: olive oil, vegetables and aromatic herbs flavour the simple and genuine dishes providing a healthy, balanced diet. These are accompanied by a wide range of wines that are produced from grapes grown on the sunny local hillsides.
"Pesto" is the typical basil sauce and something more than a gastronomic speciality: it is a symbol of Liguria and an "ambassador" for Ligurian cuisine abroad. Other well-known typical dishes are "buridda", made with fish, potatoes and peas, and "cima", a dish of meat filled with vegetables or other ingredients; stockfish is also a basic ingredient of many local recipes.
The poet Camillo Sbarbaro wrote a classical poem about inimitable Ligurian fish soup.
In the hinterland, where there is an abundance of chestnut trees, mushrooms have pride of place in the kitchen: whether they are cooked "alla Genovese" (with potatoes, garlic and oil) or fried in breadcrumbs, it is well worth going for a mushroom-picking trip in the right season or going to a local restaurant to taste them. In the territory close to the border with Piedmont, you can also find truffles growing.
There are many original local recipes for sweet specialities ; a nice way to end your meal is with one of the liqueurs produced locally, such as "nocino" or "luigia" herb liqueur.
"Focaccia" and "farinata" are simple but very popular foods and as you smell them cooking when you walk along the streets, you may be tempted to stop for a quick snack. Finally, there are the delicious local vegetable pies, which have varying recipes from area to area.

Wine.
Specialities.
Wine.