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Camogli is magical. The colourful houses in this fishing village on the Italian Riviera overlook a pebble beach with a backdrop of craggy cliffs and forested mountains.
It’s so ridiculously picturesque that it doesn’t feel real—I felt like I was in a fairytale, or at the very least, on a movie set.
Even after staying 10 nights (we had to extend our stay, we loved it so much), every time I looked at the view, it made me happy.
There are other beautiful places on the Italian Riviera, such as Portofino and Cinque Terre, but those spots can be so crowded that they are hard to enjoy.
Camogli has a much more relaxed vibe. While it’s popular with Italians in the summer (July and August are busy), it’s overlooked by most foreign visitors.
In mid-May, it was quiet during the week and livelier (but never overwhelming) on weekends. And it was warm and sunny enough most days to enjoy the beach.
In this Camogli travel guide, I share our picks for the best things to do in Camogli, including hikes and day trips (it’s a great base for exploring the area), where to eat and stay, and how to get there.
At the end, you’ll find a Camogli map with all our recommendations.
Contents
Where is Camogli, Italy?
Camogli is located on the coast of Liguria, a region in northwest Italy between Tuscany and France.
The coastline is known as the Italian Riviera and includes famous towns like glitzy Portofino and the picturesque (but crowded) Cinque Terre villages.
The nearest major city (and international airport) is Genoa (Genova in Italian), which is 25 kilometres (16 miles) up the coast.
I include details on how to get to Camogli below.
Best Things To Do in Camogli Village
Camogli is a fairly small place with a population of around 5000 people. There’s not a ton to do, but it’s a lovely place to wander, enjoy a drink or meal, and relax on the beach.
In this section, I share what to do in Camogli village—everything is in easy walking distance. Following these are my picks of the best day trips (by foot, ferry, or train) to explore further afield.
Stroll the Promenade
There are really only two major streets in Camogli.
The main street (Via XX Settembre turning into Via della Repubblica) is above the sea. It is where you’ll find the train station, most of the local shops (including a supermarket), and some restaurants and bars.
Steep staircases (or an elevator opposite the station) lead down to the seafront promenade, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The promenade is slightly elevated above the pebble beach and leads to the harbour. It’s away from the road, which adds to the feeling of being far away from it all.
It’s lined with tall, narrow houses in vibrant gelato shades—lemon, strawberry, mint, peach.
The colours once helped the fishermen find their way home.
Trompe l’oeil details (found in many Ligurian towns) are painted onto the buildings—a creative solution to not being able to afford real balconies or decorative details.
The optical illusion makes Camogli feel even more like a film backdrop.
The promenade is the top spot for a stroll. You can browse the artsy shops, admire the view (Terrazza Panoramica Via Garibaldi is great for photos), or enjoy a drink or meal at one of the many bars and restaurants.
On weekends, kids play football in the tiny terraces off the promenade—flat spaces are limited in this hillside village.
Relax on Camogli Beach
From the promenade, head down a few steps to the beach.
Camogli has one of our favourite beaches on the Italian Riviera. It’s fairly large with a mix of grey pebbles and black sand leading to clear blue sea.
The view of the colourful houses and church is what makes it so special, and the fact that there’s no traffic noise as it’s away from the road. But you’re never far from a gelato or slice of focaccia.
Camogli Beach is a mix of free sections and lidos (also known as bagni), which are privately managed areas offering sunbeds and umbrellas for rent. Some have water sports gear too.
In May, the lidos cost €40 per day for two sun loungers and an umbrella (this varies throughout the year). They were never very busy at this time of year.
The free sections were busier on weekend afternoons, especially the end nearest the church.
The other end of the beach has a quieter free area. Access it by the stairs near Hotel La Camogliese.
We used the free section of the beach until we moved to Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi, where we had access to their private beach. It was far quieter than the main beach on a Sunday, and we appreciated having guaranteed sun beds and umbrellas.
Visit Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
Camogli’s most prominent church is the 12th-century Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta. It has a prime spot between the beach and the harbour.
You can reach it by heading up the stairs from the harbour. The entrance side is an austere white, while the back (which you see from the beach) is yellow with a pink bell tower.
Entrance is free, and the interior is worth a look for its ornate Baroque decoration and ceiling frescoes.
The church bells ring every quarter of an hour, starting with a 7.30am wakeup call—they were the soundtrack of our stay.
There’s a lovely view of Camogli Beach from the terrace between the church and the castle next door. Head to the left behind the church.
Look out for the blue and white plaque outside the church that shows “L’Isola di Camogli nel 1518” (The Island of Camogli in 1518). This part of the village was once an island.
See an Exhibition at Castle Dragone
Next to Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta is a little medieval castle called Castle Dragone or Castello della Dragonara.
It was built in the 13th century as a watchtower to defend the hamlet from raids by Saracen pirates.
Outside are two 16th-century cannons.
You can’t always go inside the castle, but it’s sometimes open for exhibitions.
On our visit, it was open on weekends from April to June. In May, the free exhibition featured the falò (bonfires) built during the annual Camogli Sagra del Pesce—read my Camogli Fish Festival guide for more details.
It’s worth taking a look to see if there’s an exhibition on. There’s not much to see inside, but the terrace has good views.
The castle doesn’t have a website, so it’s best just to go up and see if it’s open (weekends are your best bet).
Admire the Harbour
Camogli’s seafront is in two parts—the beach and the harbour.
Camogli is one of Italy’s oldest fishing ports, and fishing has been a significant part of its history.
Its name is believed to have derived from “case delle moglie” (the wives’ houses) because the men of the village spent so much time away at sea.
Camogli’s harbour shows that it’s still a fishing village at heart with colourful, wooden boats bobbing in the clear green water. It’s a stark contrast to the fancy yachts you’ll find in Portofino.
The harbour is where you can catch the ferry to San Fruttuoso. It’s also the site of the giant frying pan during the annual Sagra del Pesce.
There are a few restaurants and bars overlooking the water.
You can find a fence of fishing nets with love hearts tied to them (known as the Hearts and Knots of Love). This is part of the village’s Valentine’s Day celebration where couples declare their love on the hearts.
Attend the Camogli Fish Festival
The Sagra del Pesce or Camogli Fish Festival celebrates the village’s fishing heritage every May.
It includes a feast for all with fish fried in a giant frying pan, as well as fireworks and impressive bonfires the night before.
Even though we don’t eat fish, we still enjoyed the festival. As Camogli gets very busy that weekend, we were glad we were staying all week so we could see it return to its usual tranquil self.
Read my guide to the Camogli Fish Festival for everything you need to know.
If you aren’t visiting in May, you can still see an old pan from the festival on the promenade (La Padella della Sagra del Pesce on Google Maps).
Another important festival in Camogli is Stella Maris, on the first Sunday of August, which includes a procession of decorated boats and thousands of floating candles.
Walk to the Lighthouse
From the harbour, you can walk out on the Molo di Camogli, a stone pier that leads to the lighthouse (Faro di Camogli).
This is a lovely place for a stroll and to sit on the rocks at the end and admire the view back to the harbour. Sunset is best.
Watch the Sunset with Aperitivo
The best places to see the sunset in Camogli are from the end of the Molo or with a drink on the promenade above the beach. You can’t see the sun go down from the harbour.
There are numerous bars on the promenade to choose from, and most offer a good selection of aperitivo snacks along with your drink.
We enjoyed ours at Il Barcollo, where they made us a vegetarian platter (included with our €8 Aperol Spritz). We also ordered their delicious focaccia al formaggio to make it a full meal.
Another place we really wanted to go was Bar Dai Muagetti in San Rocco, a hamlet high above Camogli.
The sunset views are supposed to be spectacular, but we could never face the steep 30-minute climb up the stairs in the evening (we did it a few times on the hikes below). Bookings are highly recommended.
Visit the Maritime Museum
Camogli’s golden era was the mid-19th century, when it was known as the “city of a thousand white sails” due to its vast fleet of tall ships available for rent.
To learn more about Camogli’s seafaring history, visit this free museum located opposite the train station (take the elevator down).
There are numerous ship models and paintings, as well as nautical instruments, dating from Napoleon’s time to the First World War.
I found the information about the relationship between Camogli and Tristan da Cunha, a remote archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, especially interesting.
An Italian ship was shipwrecked on the island in 1892 with some Camogli men onboard. Two of them decided to settle there permanently, and communication between Tristan and Camogli has lasted through the years.
The Civico Museo Marinaro Gio Bono Ferrari is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am – 12.30pm. It’s closed on Mondays.
Best Hikes and Day Trips from Camogli
Hike (or Ferry) to San Fruttuoso
My absolute favourite thing to do in Camogli is to hike to San Fruttuoso, an ancient abbey with a beautiful little beach that can only be reached on foot or by ferry.
We like to walk up to San Rocco and through the forested Portofino Regional Park on the inland route via Portofino Vetta. The 6.6 km (4.1 miles) one-way trail takes us just over two hours from Camogli Station.
At San Fruttuoso, we enjoy a meal and swim in the gloriously clear sea before taking the ferry back to Camogli (or onwards to Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Rapallo).
Read my detailed guide to hiking from Camogli to San Fruttuoso.
Even if you don’t want to hike, I recommend taking the Golfo Paradiso ferry from Camogli harbour to San Fruttuoso, which takes 30 minutes and costs €10 one way or €16 return.
Swim at Punta Chiappa
Another beautiful hike from Camogli is to Punta Chiappa, the rocky tip of the western side of the Portofino Peninsula.
As with the San Fruttuoso trail, the walk begins with a steep climb up stairs to San Rocco, but after that, it’s a shorter and easier downhill trail along the coast.
From Camogli Station to Punta Chiappa, the hike was 3.75km (2.3 miles) and took us 1 hour and 10 minutes.
It’s doable as a return hike (see Punta Chiappa via Camogli on AllTrails), but the climb will be much steeper on the way out. We took the ferry back instead (15 minutes/ €7).
Punta Chiappa is a tiny settlement with a few houses and restaurants. We also saw an Airbnb and the Stella Maris hotel—this would be an interesting place to stay if you want to get away from it all (and don’t mind minimal transport links).
We were too early for lunch, so we just had a swim off the rocks (go past the restaurants and ferry stop). The water is wonderfully clear, and you can see quite a few fish.
On a weekday in May, we had the place to ourselves, but I imagine it’s popular in the summer.
Visit Glamorous Portofino
Portofino is the most famous town on the Italian Riviera and a popular destination for celebrities and super yachts.
The small harbour is utterly gorgeous, expensive, and can be very crowded (in May, it wasn’t too bad). It’s still worth visiting, though.
We love the walk up to San Giorgio Church and Castello Brown, then out to the lighthouse where there’s a bar with great views.
See my post on the best things to do on the Italian Riviera for more Portofino tips.
Camogli to Portofino
There are a few ways to get from Camogli to Portofino (which is not on the train line):
- Ferry (or hike) to San Fruttuoso, then change to another ferry to Portofino.
- Train to Santa Margherita Ligure, then take a ferry or bus (or walk) to Portofino.
- Hike from Camogli to Portofino (not via San Fruttuoso), which is 8.5km (5.3 miles) and takes about 3.5 hours.
You can, of course, take one route there and another back.
We combined our latest visit to Portofino with a morning in Rapallo. We took the train to Rapallo, explored a bit there, walked to Santa Margherita Ligure (about 40 minutes; you can also take the train), then took the bus to Portofino (we’d just missed a ferry).
To return, we took the ferry from Portofino to Santa Margherita Ligure, then the train to Camogli.
Take the Train to Italian Riviera Towns
Camogli is a fantastic base for exploring the Italian Riviera by train.
Here are the towns I most recommend with the train times (on the fastest regional trains) from Camogli. There’s usually a train every 30 minutes.
See my Italian Riviera travel guide for more details about many of these places.
- Santa Margherita Ligure (5 minutes) – A chic resort town with beautiful architecture. The gateway to Portofino.
- Rapallo (10 minutes) – A bigger, less touristy town that’s worth visiting for restaurants, the promenade, and the cable car up into the mountains. See my Rapallo travel guide.
- Chiavari (20 minutes) – A hidden gem with a beautiful historic centre. Go to Luchin for lunch and get the wood-fired farinata (chickpea pancake).
- Sestri Levante (35 minutes) – The sandy beach at Baia del Silenzio is my favourite in Liguria.
- Cinque Terre (1 hour+ with a change) – Cinque Terre is a series of five picturesque villages. It’s further than the other places, but it’s doable as a day trip. The first village is Monterosso, but it’s only five minutes on the train between the villages, so you can return from a different one. We love the Corniglia to Manarola hike.
- Genoa (46 minutes) – The towns above are east of Camogli, but Genoa is west. This underrated port city has lots to explore and affordable restaurants. A good option on a rainy day.
Our Favourite Places to Eat in Camogli
We love the food in Liguria—the pesto and focaccia are especially delicious.
Camogli is a small fishing village, so it isn’t the best for vegetarians, but we still found plenty to enjoy.
Casual Spots
- Focacceria Revello – We tried lots of focaccia spots in Camogli, and Revello is the best. Simon loves their onion focaccia, but get whatever is straight out of the oven. It’s right next to the beach. It’s open from 8am – 7pm, so it was our go-to for breakfast or lunch.
- Pasta Fresca Fiorella – Next to Revello is this fresh pasta shop. Since we had a kitchen, we bought gnocchi or trofie pasta and fresh pesto for an easy and affordable dinner. If you don’t have a kitchen, you can also order cooked pasta and pesto (€7) from 12-2pm to take away and eat on a bench outside. They are supposed to be open from 8.30am – 7pm, but sometimes close at 5pm, so pick up your dinner early.
- Bar Barracuda – We really enjoyed the Tasche Gourmet Farcite (sandwiches) with grilled vegetables and stracciatella cheese at this seafront bar. Perfect for a light lunch. Aperitivo looks good too.
Restaurants
- Il Doge – This upscale restaurant in Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi is open to everyone (bookings recommended). It has incredible sea and sunset views, as well as the most vegetarian options in town. The trofie with pesto was the best I’ve had. It’s pricey but worth it.
- Civico 32 – This casual restaurant overlooks the harbour and opens at 6pm (useful for hungry foreigners). The pizza isn’t the best you’ll find in Italy, but it’s decent, as was the pasta pesto. The green salad was just a bowl of iceberg lettuce, so skip that!
- Lo Spuntino – Our meal at this seafront restaurant was nothing special, but it’s worth visiting if you need vegan or gluten-free options, as it unusually has separate menus for both.
Gelato
Here are my favourite places for gelato in Camogli (in priority order):
Restaurant in Recco
Recco is a town a few miles west of Camogli. It’s not as pretty as the other Italian Riviera towns, as it was bombed in World War Two and rebuilt with modern apartment blocks.
But it has a very local feel and is famous for its Focaccia di Recco (also known as Focaccia col Formaggio). You can find this paper-thin bread stuffed with cheese in Camogli, but we wanted to try it at its source.
So we headed to Ristorante Da O Vittorio Recco. This large restaurant has multiple rooms, each with a different atmosphere.
The Foccacia di Recco speciality is indeed delicious with lots of oozing cheese, but we accidentally ended up with one each, which was far too much.
The pansoti (stuffed pasta with walnut sauce) was the best I had on this trip. Our grilled vegetables were also delicious.
It took us 30 minutes to walk to the restaurant from Camogli. The path is located next to a busy road and is not particularly pleasant (although there are nice sea views), so we took the 3-minute train ride back.
Where to Stay in Camogli
We stayed at two different places in Camogli—an affordable apartment with harbour views and a luxury hotel on the beach.
A Due Passi Apartment
We rented a one-bedroom apartment with balcony and sea view at A Due Passi Dal Cielo e Dal Mare (which translates to A Stone’s Throw From the Sky and Sea).
Owner Lara rents out a few apartments in this building in a prime spot just a few minutes’ walk down stairs to the harbour (8 minutes from the station along the main road).
The view of the harbour and mountains beyond from the two balconies is spectacular. There’s a table and chairs, and enjoying meals and drinks out there was a highlight.
It was also the perfect spot to watch the fireworks during the Camogli Sagra del Pesce.
Our one-bedroom apartment was spacious with a living/dining room, bedroom, small kitchen, and bathroom. The washing machine was useful for our longer stay.
The decor is a bit dated, but overall, we loved our stay.
Lara is extremely helpful and will give you lots of advice on restaurants in the area.
She also has a two-bedroom apartment, but it’s on a lower floor, so it doesn’t have as good a view.
There is a small elevator, which was handy to reach our high floor.
Check prices and availability of A Due Passi on Booking.
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi
Even after eight nights in our apartment, we didn’t want to leave Camogli, so we booked a cheeky last-minute stay at Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi.
This is the best hotel in town, located at one end of Camogli Beach.
Highlights are the amazing views, wonderful restaurant, private beach, and heated saltwater pool. It’s the perfect place to relax.
Our elegant room had a balcony and sea view, and we slept to the sound of waves.
We absolutely loved it and want to return for longer (it’s pricey, though). See our Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi review or check availability on Booking.
How to Get to Camogli
I highly recommend visiting Camogli by train. A car is more hassle than it’s worth on the Italian Riviera (if you want to venture inland, it can be useful).
Driving in the centre of Camogli is restricted to locals, and parking is limited and expensive (Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi, unusually, has free parking).
Getting around by train is easy. Check schedules on Trenitalia (make sure to use the Italian place name, i.e Genova, not Genoa). The local station is called Camogli – San Fruttuoso.
We used the Trenitalia app to book the regional trains we used to hop along the coast, which saved us queuing at the machines or the counter. Plus, we didn’t have to validate our tickets (you have to use machines on the platform to stamp paper tickets).
There’s no need to book regional trains in advance (just book more than five minutes before the train departs), but when travelling further afield on the faster Freccia trains, it’s cheaper to book a few months ahead.
The nearest airport to Camogli is Genova (GOA), which has international flights from across Europe. A taxi takes 45 minutes – 1 hour depending on traffic.
Or you can take the Airlink bus five minutes to Sestri Ponente Aeroporto Railway Station and then take the train to Camogli (about 1.5 hours in total). You can purchase a single ticket for the entire trip on Trenitalia.
Camogli, Italy Map
Is Camogli Worth Visiting?
Camogli is absolutely worth visiting! I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone looking for a charming seaside town in Italy, complete with a lovely beach and nearby hiking trails.
It’s also very easy to explore the more well-known spots on the Italian Riviera by train and ferry.
Some people might prefer more choice of restaurants and shops (for that, I recommend Rapallo), but if you are looking for tranquillity, Camogli is ideal (at least outside of July and August).
We’ll definitely be back!
More Italian Riviera Tips
Read more about this beautiful part of Italy with our other posts:
Camogli
Elsewhere on the Italian Riviera
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