Hotels in Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso al Mare Hotels

Lick up drops of your melting ice cream while lying on the soft sands of Monterosso al Mare's beach - where you can watch tiny fishing boats catching the plump anchovies that you'll later dine on. The first thing that will strike you about Monterosso al Mare is its colors – beautiful, blue-green ocean stretches out from the shore, while a gorgeous kaleidoscope of painted houses glows above the Old Town's beach. The unspoiled Cinque Terre coastline is a hiker's paradise, with winding footpaths leading deep into the mountains, and connecting the small villages that dot the coast. Feel your heart rate rise with equal parts amazement and fear while navigating rickety wooden walkways, perched precariously – but safely - on spectacular cliff edges.

Things to see

Emerge from the darkness of Monterosso al Mare's tunnel, which connects the old and new towns, into the dazzling sunlight bouncing off the sands of Monterosso Beach. The occasional picturesque wooden fishing boat is the only litter to be found on what is one of the few stretches of sandy beach in this part of Italy. Take a boat tour just off the shore to look back on the stunning beauty of the hued town, before docking and walking to the Monterosso Giant. This huge figure - sculpted into the cliff side – looks proudly out to sea, having survived countless batterings dished out by its coastal location, and an Allied bombing raid that blew off its arms. If the giant's resilience inspires you to take on a challenge of your own, test your fitness with the steep climb to Dawn Tower. You can rest at the top but, be warned, you won't have your breath back for long - the views over the coastline, framed by the ruined castle, will soon snatch it away again.

Hotels in Monterosso al Mare

Feel the sun's warmth bronzing your skin from the privacy of your own balcony, or unwind with iced champagne on a terrace snuggled into the mountains. During the day, you can cool off in a blissful outdoor swimming pool, before retiring to a bubbling hot tub as the sun descends. Monterosso al Mare offers a wide selection of hotels, and even the cheapest rooms often come equipped with stunning sea views. Free WiFi is available in the public areas of most Monterosso al Mare hotels, and the rooms are usually furnished with televisions and hot drink facilities.

Where to stay

Most hotels are located in the new town, which is a place where the salty smell of delicious seafood drifts along the streets. A glass of chilled Cinque Terre wine, made from the white grape vines that line the surrounding hills, is the perfect way to wash down succulent lobster ravioli. The 5 charming seaside towns that make up the Cinque Terre all offer a beautiful selection of hotels, and hiking between them usually takes around 90 minutes. Keep it quiet, but they are also linked up by rail, which makes exploring the whole coast easy, regardless of which town you stay in.

How to get to Monterosso al Mare

The Cinque Terre's towns are largely cut off from modern life - so road travel is close to impossible. The best plan is to arrive by train, hopping on a local service from either La Spezia or Genoa. Train services from Northern Italy's major destinations, like Florence, Milan, and Turin, all offer connections to these cities for those traveling from further afield. The hotels are used to visitors arriving by train, so will often pick you up from the station free of charge.