Homes by the sea in Liguria
A swim before breakfast. The train at the end of the road.
Liguria is a thin strip of land between the Mediterranean and the Apennines, and almost every coastal town is built on that strip: a railway, a promenade, a beach or a harbour, and the houses climbing the slope behind. Living by the sea here usually means a flat or a small house a few minutes on foot from the water.
The coast is not one place. The western Riviera, from Sanremo to Alassio, has mild winters and wide beaches. Around Genoa and the Tigullio gulf (Rapallo, Chiavari, Santa Margherita) the towns are larger and linked by train. In the east, the Gulf of La Spezia around Lerici is greener and more sheltered.
A home "by the sea" on this page is one in a coastal town, or one whose seller has tagged a sea view. Homes with both come first. A hill home with a sea view counts too: it is the classic Ligurian offer.
Homes that fit
Search with filtersBellissimo Attico in Centro a Santa Margherita Ligure
VILLETTA TRANQUILLA PRIMA COLLINA CON VISTA SPETTACOLARE A RAPALLO
Apartment to Renovate in the Center of Rapallo
Quadrilocale via Costaguta 30, Costaguta, Rapallo
Trilocale in vendita in Via Giuseppe Mazzini
Appartamento in buono stato al primo piano nel Centro di Rapallo
Bilocale buono stato, quarto piano, Centro - Esterno Ferrovia, Rapallo
Two-room apartment via Tubino, Castello - Don Minzoni, Rapallo
Three-room apartment in good condition, first floor, Golf - Castellino, Rapallo
Bilocale in buono stato al terzo piano nel Centro Storico di Rapallo
Bilocale ottimo stato, secondo piano, Costaguta, Rapallo
Three-room apartment in good condition, third floor, Center - Interno Ferrovia, Rapallo
Trilocale via Fratelli Betti 289, Cerisola, Rapallo
Trilocale ottimo stato, secondo piano, Centro - Esterno Ferrovia, Rapallo
Two-room apartment to renovate, fourth floor, Golf - Castellino, Rapallo
RENOVATED TWO-ROOM APARTMENT SEMI-CENTRAL
Trilocale in vendita in Via San Maurizio di Monti – Rapallo
Coastal towns with homes for sale
Alassio
A long sandy beach and a flat promenade, with the old lane known as the Budello behind it. Busy in summer, calm in winter.
AlassioRapallo
A bay with a promenade and a castle on the water, and a direct train to Genoa. Daily life happens on foot.
RapalloSanremo
The biggest town on the western Riviera, with a flower market, a cycle path on the old railway line and Nice airport about 50 km away.
SanremoLerici
A small harbour town in the Gulf of La Spezia, with a castle above the bay and the village of Tellaro a few kilometres along the coast.
LericiDiano Marina
Flat, easy to walk and built around a long beach and an old centre.
Diano MarinaLaigueglia
A compact old town right on the beach, small enough to cross in minutes.
More places with homes that fit
- Genova
- La Spezia
- Taggia
- Imperia
- Loano
- Arma di Taggia
- Borghetto Santo Spirito
- Andora
- Marina di Andora
- Savona
- Varazze
- Vernazza
- Riva Ligure
- Ameglia
- Santa Margherita Ligure
- Ospedaletti
- Lavagna
- Chiavari
What to check before you buy by the sea
- Ask for the walk, not the kilometres: how many minutes to the water, and is the way back steep?
- A sea view carries a price premium. Compare the price per square metre with a similar flat one street back.
- Flats near the beach can be noisy and damp. Visit once in winter as well as in season.
- Ask about parking. In many old coastal centres a garage is worth more than an extra room.
- Check the monthly building costs (spese condominiali) and whether there is a lift. Many seafront blocks date from the 1960s and 1970s.