Soggiorna
There is one fact no guide puts up front, and it changes how you plan the trip: the nearest airport to Bordighera is not in Italy.
Bordighera lies a few kilometres from the French border, and Nice Côte d'Azur is appreciably closer than Genoa. For anyone arriving from abroad this is often the quickest and cheapest way in — and looking only at flights to Genoa complicates the journey for no reason.
By train, which here is the right choice
Bordighera is on the Genoa–Ventimiglia coastal line and the station is in town, a few steps from the seafront.
According to the town's tourist website, many trains from Milan, Genoa and France stop right at Bordighera; for some you change at Ventimiglia, and for that last stretch the town suggests a taxi to your hotel.
It is the recommended option for one precise seasonal reason: in August the coast road along this stretch is saturated. Between Sanremo and the border the traffic is what it is, and the train runs beside the sea while the cars sit still. Anyone coming in for the day from Sanremo, Imperia or Ventimiglia gets there in a fraction of the time.
Timetables and fares change and we do not print them: check them the day before on Trenitalia's site, where they are current.
From the station you can walk to the Lungomare Argentina, the church of Sant'Ampelio on the cape, and the climb up to the hill village.
By air
- Nice Côte d'Azur is the nearest airport, and it is in France. According to the town's tourist website it is about 40 minutes by car without traffic; to get there the town recommends local taxis, cheaper than French ones, or a car with driver. By train you go along the coast via Ventimiglia.
- Genoa is the Italian alternative, further away, with the rest of the journey on the same coastal railway.
By car
Bordighera has its own exit on the A10 motorway, the Genoa–Ventimiglia. From the toll gate, the town says, a scenic road takes you to the centre in a few minutes.
For parking, follow the signs and meters on site, with hours and rates that change with the season. If you are staying in Bordighera, ask your host whether parking is included and how far it is on foot to the seafront: once the car is parked, the lower town is all walkable.
Inside the town: two levels, and one of them is uphill
Here something has to be said that Albenga or Alassio never require: Bordighera is on two floors.
- The lower town is flat: the Lungomare Argentina runs two kilometres and is the longest pedestrian promenade on the western Riviera. You can walk the whole of it without a gradient.
- The hill village is above, and you get there uphill. It is not a climb, but it is a real slope, and with a pushchair or tired legs it is worth knowing in advance.
The practical conclusion: the car is for arriving, not for moving around. The old centre is made of alleys you cannot drive into, and the seafront is pedestrian.
Bordighera as a base, without a car
The border, which complicates things for anyone thinking only in Italian, is an advantage for anyone staying more than a day. From the same station, on the same line, you can go in both directions.
Eastward lie Sanremo, Imperia and the rest of the Riviera dei Fiori. Westward is Ventimiglia, the last Italian station, and beyond the border the French coast continues with the same kind of service.
The result is that a week in Bordighera needs no car even for day trips: the sea and the village are walkable, and everything else is reachable from the platform. Few places on this coast allow that, and none allow it across two countries.
Fitting the day together
The sun decides more than the map: the hill village is in shade in the morning, the promenade is open and unsheltered at noon.
- Morning: the climb to the village, the three gates, Sant'Ampelio.
- Middle of the day: the museums, which are indoors — the Bicknell, Villa Regina Margherita.
- Afternoon: the Lungomare Argentina and the sea.
The reasoning behind each stop is in Bordighera: the complete guide and in Bordighera Alta: the village and the palms; the hour-by-hour route is in what to see in Bordighera in a day.
Useful information
- Tourist office (IAT): via Vittorio Emanuele 172, in the gardens of Palazzo del Parco, +39 0184 262882.
- Emergencies: 112.
Frequently asked questions
What is the nearest airport to Bordighera?
Nice Côte d'Azur, in France: appreciably closer than Genoa. From Nice you continue by train along the coast through Ventimiglia, or by car.
Can you reach Bordighera by train?
Yes: the town is on the Genoa–Ventimiglia coastal line and the station is central, a few steps from the seafront. In August it beats the car, because the coast road along this stretch is saturated.
Does Bordighera have a motorway exit?
Yes, on the A10 Genoa–Ventimiglia, and from the exit to the centre the run is short. Inside the town, though, the car is of little use: the seafront is pedestrian and the hill village is made of alleys.
Where do you park in Bordighera?
Follow the signs and meters on site, with hours and rates that change with the season. If you are staying in town, ask your host; once parked, the seafront and the centre are walkable.
Is Bordighera flat?
Only partly. The lower town and the two kilometres of the Lungomare Argentina are flat; the hill village is above and you reach it uphill. With a pushchair it is worth knowing in advance.