Soggiorna
Two days in Sestri Levante are enough to see it well, as long as you split them like this: the first for the town and its two bays, the second for the Punta Manara headland and Riva Trigoso. Everything is done on foot or by train. This itinerary also explains how to avoid the summer crowds and what to do if it rains.
Day 1, morning: Palazzo Fascie and the old town
From the station you reach Palazzo Fascie, the red palace with the tower on corso Colombo, in eight minutes. The tourist office is on the ground floor; the MuSel, the archaeological and town museum, on the third and fourth floors. Start on the fourth floor: the oldest copper mines in Western Europe, the Copper Age jasper quarries, the two Roman boundary stones from Monte Ramaceto, unique in Italy. Entry is free on the first Sunday of the month.
Then the old town, among 14th-century slate doorways:
- the basilica of Santa Maria di Nazareth, with Maragliano's wooden Pietà;
- San Pietro in Vincoli, built by the Capuchins in 1640;
- Palazzo Durazzo-Pallavicini, the town hall, with Francesco Bassano's Adoration of the Magi;
- up on the headland, San Nicolò dell'Isola, from 1151, Sestri's oldest church.
Day 1, lunch and afternoon: the Bay of Fables
Lunchtime is the right moment for the Bay of Fables, the big bay with the marina and the beach clubs: an afternoon at the sea with facilities, or a walk along the promenade. How to pick a beach is in our guide Beaches of Sestri Levante.
Day 1, evening: the Bay of Silence
In July and August the Bay of Silence has capped numbers from 8.30am to 5.30pm: that is why it is best to go in the late afternoon, when the bay is open again and the light is at its best. On the bay are the Galleria Rizzi, with a discount for MuSel ticket holders, and at via Portobello 6 the small aquarium of the Club Subacqueo, open until 8pm. All the details on the bay are in our guide Bay of Silence.
Day 2: the Punta Manara crossing
On the second day you set off from the old town at vico del Bottone, twelve minutes from the station. The trail climbs the Mandrella path to Colla Mandrella, 113 metres, and continues on the sea side among olive and holm oak trees to the spianata del telegrafo and the ruined tower on the point, with views from Portofino to Punta Baffe. Then you go down, steeply, towards Ginestra, Le Rocche and the beach of Riva Trigoso. The crossing takes about 2 hours 45 in total. The step-by-step route is in our guide Punta Manara from Sestri Levante.
Day 2, afternoon: Riva Trigoso
You arrive in Riva on the beach promenade, one of the few wide, deep beaches on this coast, with the 2026 Blue Flag. After a swim, in Trigoso there is the church of Santa Sabina, documented since at least the 12th century, with its pebble-mosaic churchyard. You return to Sestri by train, one stop on the same line.
If you want to walk less: instead of the crossing there are the Rocche di Sant'Anna, about an hour on the old Roman-era road with five bridges, up to the ruins of the church of Sant'Anna with views over both bays.
If it rains
- The MuSel and the Galleria Rizzi, with discounted tickets between the two museums.
- The MuCast, the archaeological mining museum of Castiglione Chiavarese, inland: it tells the story of the Copper Age copper mine, more than 5,500 years old, that the MuSel presents in town.
- The events at Palazzo Fascie, with concerts, talks and workshops, listed on the tourist website.
When to go
- July and August: the Bay of Silence early in the morning or after 5.30pm. On the second-to-last weekend of July there is the Sagra del Bagnun in Riva Trigoso, and in summer the Barcarolata in the Portobello bay.
- Spring and autumn: the bays without crowds and the right weather for Punta Manara.
- All year: the museum and the tourist office are open in winter too.
Frequently asked questions
What can you do in Sestri Levante in a weekend?
Day one the old town, the MuSel and the two bays, with the Bay of Silence in the late afternoon; day two the Punta Manara crossing to Riva Trigoso, returning by train.
Do you need a car for a weekend in Sestri Levante?
No. The station is in town, the centre and the bays are walkable, and you come back from Riva Trigoso by train.
How long is the walk from Sestri Levante to Riva Trigoso via Punta Manara?
About 2 hours 45 in total, with a steep descent towards Riva.
What can you do in Sestri Levante when it rains?
The MuSel at Palazzo Fascie, the Galleria Rizzi and, inland, the MuCast in Castiglione Chiavarese.