Where to stop in Ligurian coast on way from Nice to Piedmont?

We are going to be driving from Nice to Piedmont and stopping somewhere on the Ligurian coast for a one night stay. I am looking for a very nice hotel with a great sea view that is in a picturesque town where we can walk from the hotel and shop around, and where we can walk or drive to an excellent restaurant. Would rather stay somewhere between San Remo and Genoa, though a little past Genoa is not out of the question, as it would be nice to head up to Piedmont the next day without much backtracking. Not sure how driving is in Genoa, so would rather stay in smaller town. Willing to pay for luxury hotel with sea view balcony though would rather not exceed $450-500 if possible. Thought about Royal Hotel San Remo though not sure San Remo fits the bill for the quaint and picturesque town to spend the day walking around. Also thought about the Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi in Camogli but it is a little farther past Genoa, though for all I know the driving distances are shorter than I am imagining.

Whew! Any suggestions?

Portofino, Santa Margherita, Rapallo. We’ve stayed at the Excelsior Palace, which is located between Rapallo and Santa Margherita (walkable to both) and drive or bus to Portofino. You can easily walk through all three towns in a day. The Splendido/Splendido Mare in Portofino is the nicest hotel in the area, but significantly outside of your budget. Lots of places to eat in the vicinity. Camogli is a lovely town and 15-20 minutes by car. Getting to and from Nice may take longer than you think as traffic can back up at the border. The Ligurian coast is worth an extra night or 5 if you have time.

Portofino - $$$$$. A can of coke light cost 8 euro. Place is beautiful.

Been to Santa Margarita and Rapallo but I’d stay in Camogli just up the train tracks. Great little water front harbor, old fortress, cool church, good restaurants, sites to see and all within a quarter mile walking distance. It’s a cute Italian fishing village. We stayed at Hotel La Camogliese, nothing fancy. Decent breakfast, nice people, and 100 yards off the water front.

You MUST eat the local pasta specialities. Trofie pasta is the popular one but find a place that makes Testarolli, you can thank me later!
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Not sure if this response is to late, but my wife and I have been to the Ligurian coast 3 times. Agree with Kaplan’s suggestions. However, our reason for going is walking the coast trail in cinque terre. Can be done in 1 day. Last time we walked the 5 towns and then returned by ferry from town 5 to 1. Have stayed in both Repallo and Sante Margherita and local train makes going to cinque terre easy. Splendidlo hotel in Portofino is spectacular in both price and location. Two times my wife and I went there for pre dinner drinks on the veranda looking out over the sea. Two drinks each (served with nice nuts, olives, etc.) about $ 100, and then down into town on the water for salads and pizza or pasta for $ 25. All together priceless. If you want to stay in cinque terre, I would suggest Monterrosso de Mare which of the 5 towns has the most modern facilities. Go to Rick Steve’s for info on Cinque Terre. Believe it has recovered from floods from a few years back. Forgive spelling, since I did this quickly.

Agree with Camogli as a nice option. Still a small fishing village with great focaccia, trompe l’oeil buildings on the coast and a casual vibe. Cenobio dei Dogi (the old Doge’s palace) is a nice place to stay, paritularly if you get a room facing the Med. Portofino is very nice (particularly if you bring your yacht or stay at the Splendido) as is Sta Margherita.

Thank you for your suggestions.
We were just going to stop overnight on the way up to Piedmont, and I finally decided not to go past Savona so I would not have to backtrack since we were only going to be there for the afternoon and evening and then drive out the next AM.
After spending too much time trying to find a place between San Remo and Savona, nothing was quite right…either view rooms booked, or room had bath but no shower, etc.
Finally decided on the easiest choice…staying at the Royal Hotel San Remo in an ocean view room with a balcony, probably driving up into the hills to a rustic restaurant La Vecchia Ostaia (unless someone has a better recommendation for traditional “non-fussy” food closer to San Remo), and heading out the next AM.

Any CT fans been to the Dalmatian coast in Croatia? I’d like to go, but my wife thinks the CT will look a lot like Croatia, which we just got back from.

Hi Dan
I’ve not been to Dalmatia, but what you get in CT is attractive villages, touristed but not destroyed by tourism. Rugged coastline in places. The coastal paths are the main draw, and I found them overly busy, but the views are fine and they have the attraction of an interesting village at the end. The trains go straight along the coast, albeit raised a little above sea level. This takes a little getting used to as the provide more noise than you would expect of a picturesque coastal region. They do make hopping around easy, but the ferries are also useful. portovenere impressed, and we found a good enoteca serving interesting wines by the glass, plus small plates of very tasty food. Exactly what I seek for such enoteche.

To get away fron the crowds, the walks up the hills to shrines or sanctuaries are more energetic, yet much more peaceful.

La Spezia is also strongly recommended for its evening passaggiata after 4pm. Like quite a few otherwise plain large towns, it has a perfect pedestrianised area and all the locals come out to stroll, chat, show off babies and catch up with the gossip. It is a great window on Italian life. Recco, towards Genova is also very good in the same way I’m told.

sorry I did not see this before. I would have suggested Dolceacqua, cute village away from the touristy area and great wines. The vineyards are absolutely stunning as well

Good suggestion with Dolceaqua. I’ll add the imposing, but pretty, hill town of Apricale, which is just a 15 minute drive north of Dolceaqua. Plenty of very good Ligurian restaurants in Apricale, too.