The town outside the northern gate: a long sandy beach that catches winter surf, a real main street, hotels at about half the villages' prices, and an old railway line turned into a path through tunnels with windows on the sea.
Levanto is not one of the five villages, and that is its strength: it has room, a normal pace of life and prices to match.
The town spreads along a flat valley behind a long sandy beach, which gets real surf in winter. Behind the front, the old centre has a striped Gothic church, loggias and a main street of shops and cafés used by the 5,000 people who live here.
Levanto is the start of two of the area's best walks. The Punta Mesco path climbs over the headland and down into Monterosso. Going the other way, the old coastal railway line has become a flat path for walking and cycling: six kilometres to Bonassola and Framura through nine tunnels, with windows cut through the rock to the sea.
Monterosso is four minutes away by train, so Levanto is the right base for a family or a budget.
Rent a bike or walk the tunnels in the morning, swim in the afternoon.
Walk from the station through the old centre to the seafront.
Pick up the tunnel path at the western end of the front; bikes are for hire nearby.
Walk or ride through the lit tunnels with windows on the sea to Bonassola's beach.
Continue to Framura, then come back the same way or take the train.
Back to Levanto for a swim and an evening on the main street.
On the main line, with fast trains from Genoa and regional trains through the Cinque Terre; hop-on boats call in season.
Hotels and campsites at about half the villages' prices, and parking for a car.
In winter, swells bring surfers to the beach; check conditions locally.
Cinque Terre practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
