Alassio: what to see, beaches, parking and where to stay

Alassio is the best-known resort on the Riviera di Ponente, and one of the few where you can spend a whole holiday without a car: the railway station is 200 metres from the Budello and less than 400 from the town-centre beach. This page gathers everything you need to plan — what to see, which stretch of beach to pick, where to leave the car (including for free) and which area to stay in — and points you to the detailed guides.

How far things really are on foot

The distances below are measured along the actual walking route from the station, not as the crow flies. Times assume a normal pace of 4.5 km/h.

From the station to	Distance	On foot
Budello (via XX Settembre)	200 m	3 min
Serviced public beach 3 (vico Palestro)	260 m	3 min
Piazza Partigiani	330 m	4 min
Town-centre beach (passeggiata Grollero)	390 m	5 min
Pinacoteca Carlo Levi (palazzo Morteo)	560 m	7 min
Public library and SLA 7 (piazza Airaldi e Durante)	730 m	10 min
Gardens of Villa della Pergola	790 m	11 min, but uphill
Eastern beaches (passeggiata Cadorna)	950 m	13 min
Western beaches (lungomare Ciccione)	950 m	13 min
Free beach beyond the harbour	2.5 km	33 min

The Muretto and the Budello are not listed separately because they are not points: the Budello is the 672-metre pedestrian street running through the whole old centre — via XX Settembre and, past piazza Matteotti, via Vittorio Veneto — and the Muretto sits along it, by the gardens on via Vittorio Veneto.

How Alassio is laid out

You only need one idea to find your way: the town is a long, narrow strip between the hills and the sea, and everything is lined up from west to east. Going from the south-western end to the north-eastern one you meet, in order:

West (ponente) — lungomare Ciccione: the quietest part, many long-established beach clubs, and serviced public beach 8 with the access for dogs.
Piazza Airaldi e Durante — serviced public beach 7 and the public library.
Centre — passeggiata Toti and passeggiata Grollero along the water, the Budello just behind, the station behind that. This is where the most services fit into the least space.
Piazza Partigiani — beach, underground car park and the square used for summer events.
East (levante) — passeggiata Cadorna: the longest row of beach clubs, with viale Hanbury behind it and its free parking.
Porto Luca Ferrari and beyond: the marina and, just past it, the town's largest free beach.

Arriving by train drops you at point 3, in the middle. Arriving by car you almost always come in from the west or the east, and you should choose the car park to suit the stretch of sea you care about, not the centre.

What to see

The Muretto, born in 1953 from an idea of Mario Berrino's, the Budello with its shops, the via Iulia Augusta towards Albenga and the gardens of Villa della Pergola are the four things almost everyone plans. Each one is covered, with visiting times, in what to see in Alassio.

The gardens of Villa della Pergola can only be visited on a guided tour lasting about 80 minutes, and booking is compulsory: the ticket must be bought in advance, and turning up at the gate does not guarantee entry.

Beaches

The beach is sandy and continuous along the whole town. Three different things coexist, and it pays not to confuse them:

beach clubs (stabilimenti), privately run, covering most of the shore;
serviced public beaches (spiagge libere attrezzate), eight of them, numbered 1 to 8, held by the municipality and run by private operators: you pay for the services you use, but access stays public, and all of them have cleaning, lifeguarding and an accessible walkway;
free beaches proper, where you pay nothing; the largest, according to the municipal tourist board, is the one beyond the Luca Ferrari marina.

In July 2026 the municipality approved a revision of its coastal plan bringing free and serviced public beaches to 40% of the total, with three municipal beach clubs due to become serviced public beaches when their current concessions expire.

Which stretch to choose, exactly where the eight SLA are, what beach clubs cost and what happens if you have a dog: all in Alassio beaches.

Getting there and parking

By train, Alassio is on the Genoa–Ventimiglia line and the station is inside the town centre. By car, leave the A10 motorway at Albenga, or at Andora if you are coming from the west.

Parking in the blue-lined bays costs €1.80 an hour, from 8am to 11pm between April and September and from 8am to 8pm the rest of the year. But free parking in Alassio does exist: the white-lined bays on viale Daniel Hanbury, via Adelasia by the former hospital, corso Europa and via G. B. Pera, where there is also a free multi-storey car park. Watch out for the time-disc zones in some of these streets.

The full table of car parks, with measured distances from the Budello and from the nearest beach, is in getting to Alassio and where to park.

Alassio in one, two or three days

One day. Arrive at the station, walk the Budello up to the Muretto, drop down to the sea through one of the side passages, lunch in the centre, an afternoon on the beach along passeggiata Grollero, and back into the Budello towards evening. All within one kilometre on foot.

Two days. The first as above. On the second you choose: the via Iulia Augusta towards Albenga starting early, or the gardens of Villa della Pergola with a morning booking and an afternoon by the sea, or the train to Laigueglia, one stop away. The detailed itinerary, with times, is in Alassio in two days.

Three days. Add a day on the eastern beaches or on the free beach beyond the harbour, with a detour inland: the Rosmarino trail and the climb to Monte Pisciavino both start from the hills behind the town. With children, the third day works better split in two: sea in the morning, centre in the afternoon, as described in Alassio with children.

Where to stay: the areas

The right area depends on how you get around, not on how "central" the address is.

Area	Suits	Worth knowing
Centre and Budello	people who want to walk everywhere	pedestrian street: car access must be arranged
Near the station	people arriving by train	Budello 200 m away, sea under 400
East (Cadorna, Hanbury)	people after the classic beach clubs	free parking 100 m from the sea, but 12 min from the Budello
West (lungomare Ciccione)	people wanting quiet, and dog owners	13 min from the station
Beyond the harbour	people after the big free beach	2.5 km from the station: you need transport

The full comparison, with the pros and cons of each area, is in where to stay in Alassio.

The verified property listed on SoggiornaQui in Alassio is Sabbia Blu Alassio, guest rooms 300 metres from the beach and 800 from the station, with parking on request 100 metres away and pets allowed. Your enquiry goes straight to the host: it is not a confirmed booking, and we add no commission.

When to go

July and August are the peak months, with beach club prices at their highest and paid parking running until 11pm. June and September cost less and are still swimmable. From October to March the town does not shut down: serviced public beaches 4, 5 and 6 stay open at least ten months a year with changing rooms, showers and hot water, paid parking ends at 8pm, and October to March is also the only period when dogs are allowed on the sand.

If it rains

Alassio has little under cover, and it is better to know in advance: there is no working cinema in town, and the two picture galleries open in narrow time slots. What is left — galleries, exhibitions, the library, the gardens with a poncho, the train to Albenga — is gathered in what to do in Alassio when it rains.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Alassio without a car?

Yes, and in high season it is the easier choice. From the station the Budello is 200 metres away and the town-centre beach less than 400. The only destinations that need transport are the free beach beyond the harbour, 2.5 kilometres out, and the hill villages.

Where can you park for free in Alassio?

In the white-lined bays on viale Daniel Hanbury, via Adelasia by the former hospital, corso Europa and via G. B. Pera, where there is also a free multi-storey car park. Some of these areas use a time disc. Viale Hanbury is the handiest for the sea, about a hundred metres from the eastern beach.

Are there free beaches?

Yes. Eight are serviced public beaches, numbered 1 to 8 and spread from lungomare Ciccione to passeggiata Cadorna. The largest genuinely free beach, with no services and no charge, is beyond the Luca Ferrari marina.

How many days do you need?

One is enough for the centre. Two let you add a long walk or the gardens. Three leave room for the eastern beaches or the hills inland.

Can you take a dog on the beach?

From 1 May to 30 September, no — not even at night, on the open shore. What remains are the authorised beach clubs and serviced public beach 8, which has a dedicated access and corridor for dogs to swim. Outside that period the ban does not apply.