Soggiorna
The best thing about Sanremo for a family is not a museum and not a park: it is a 24-kilometre path with not one car on it.
A six-year-old who can pedal goes alone here — not alone as in unaccompanied, alone as in without the fear. There are no junctions, there are no cars, and it is flat because it was a railway. Few other Italian resorts allow that sentence, and it changes entirely what kind of holiday you have.
The cycle path, and how it actually works with children
It runs between Ospedaletti and San Lorenzo al Mare on the route of the railway taken out of service in 2001. Between Imperia and Ospedaletti, 28 kilometres are passable.
Three practical things nobody writes down:
- You do not have to do all of it. The right approach with children is to pick a stretch and turn back, reckoning that the second half is ridden on the legs of the first.
- It passes above the beaches. You can see from up there where there is room and where there is not, before going down with all the kit.
- There are rental places, and with a trailer or a child seat it works with the smallest too. With a pushchair the path is walkable without any trouble: it is paved and flat.
The rest on transport is in getting to Sanremo.
The sea: the choice that matters
Here is something the guidebooks do not say, because it is the difference between a good day and a day spent supervising.
At Sanremo the water does not shelve gently. If you have a child who cannot swim, the right choice is not in town: it is Arma di Taggia, a little over fifteen minutes by car, where the water has the Blue Flag, the beaches are sandy and the bottom shelves slowly. It is where a child can stand up in the sea.
In town, the handiest beach is Tre Ponti: the largest free beach in the area and one of the few with toilets and showers — which with children is not a detail.
The full picture of the shore is in beaches at Sanremo.
Villa Nobel
It is the house where Alfred Nobel spent his last years and carried out his final experiments, now a museum.
With children of nine or ten and up it works better than you would expect, for a simple reason: they already know the name from the prize, and finding out that the man behind the prize lived here and blew things up in the garden is the kind of connection that sticks. Below that age it is a house museum like many others.
Corso Imperatrice
The seafront promenade, with the palms given by the Russian empress Maria Alexandrovna. It is flat, wide, and serves one specific purpose on a holiday with children: walking without having to hold anybody's hand.
In the evening it is where all of Sanremo goes, and the ice cream is part of the programme.
What does NOT work with small children
We say it, because it is the useful part.
La Pigna is all staircases. The medieval old quarter spirals upwards and it is the finest thing in the city, but with a pushchair it is impassable and with a three-year-old it is a climb of complaints. With small children you look at it from below and go up another time.
The Festival is not a family event: in February the city is full of people who are not there for the sea, and prices feel it.
How to fit the days together
- Half a day: a stretch of the cycle path and a stop at a beach.
- A full day: morning at Arma di Taggia if they cannot swim, afternoon on the path, evening on Corso Imperatrice.
- Two days: on the second, Villa Nobel if they are older, or Bussana Mare by bike if they are small.
The overall picture is in Sanremo: a guide to the city.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sanremo good for children?
Yes, and the main reason is the cycle path: 24 flat kilometres, no cars and no junctions, on the route of the old railway. It is the right place for a family that wants to get around safely by bike.
Which is the best beach for children who cannot swim?
Not in Sanremo: it is Arma di Taggia, a little over fifteen minutes by car, with sandy beaches and shallow water. In town, Tre Ponti remains the handiest because it has toilets and showers.
Can you do the cycle path with a pushchair?
Yes: it is paved, flat and without junctions, so it is easily walkable. You do not have to do all of it — pick a stretch and turn back.
Do children like Villa Nobel?
From nine or ten it works well, because they already know the name from the prize and finding out the man lived here hooks them. Below that age it is a house museum like many others.
Can you visit La Pigna with small children?
Not with a pushchair: the old quarter is all lanes and staircases spiralling upwards, with no flat alternative routes. With very small children it is better postponed.