Enjoying the Med – Monaco to the Ligurian Coast
We have now moved transferred from Arles in west of Provence the French and Italian Riviera to cycle what’s a bit of a bucket list route for us – the Riveria beach front. We arrived in Monaco and will follow the Euro Velo 8 route to the border, join some old railway lines and tunnels through to Genoa and the Ligurian Coast in the north of Italy. We expect this stage to take approx. 7 days as we also enjoy some time on the beach.
Getting to the Riviera
The initial plans had catching the train to Nice and then riding through Monaco into Italy on our first day. Our replanned route had us catch an early morning train from Arles, via Marseille and Toulon to Monaco, but a last-minute cancellation by SNCF meant we needed to rework this train journey. We already had tickets for specific trains however it turned out not to be a problem to simply join the next available ones – we even managed to get on a more direct service between Marseilles and Nice. We were thankful that Nice and Monaco stations both had lifts which helped us move between platforms and the crowds for the Grand Prix.
Even leaving the station in Monaco is tricky, but it did mean that we accidentally got to see the Grand Prix so not all was lost! (see insta post). Eventually we emerged through the car park and into the soft sunlight of the Cote d’Azur. We wound our way up and down through Monaco to avoid both the Grand Prix road closures and any inadvertent diversions onto the motorways – did we mention how the roads are almost stacked on each other here?
We descended to sea level and spent the bulk of the ride following the EV8 beside the sea travelling through the pretty towns of Menton and Ventimiglia. The blues of the water are truly captivating and bring a sense of calm despite the increased traffic and pedestrian demands (including Nonna’s yelling at us for riding where it seems we should not have been!)
The transition to Italy was seamless (apart from the language) as we simply followed the cycle path around the loose border control point. A couple more hills took us into Ospedaletti where we checked into the Hotel Petite Royal, which of course is on the upper levels of the town, and of course our room is on the second floor (no lift!). But it does give a glorious glimpse into 1950’s Italian Riviera holidays. There is a relaxed calm to this area, and it is intoxicating – we cannot wait to see more.
Where to begin – wow, what a day of riding – possibly one of the best of our lives. Sun shining, no wind and following what could be one of the greatest cycle paths in the world. We left Ospedaletti on the Bi-15: Pista Ciclabile Della Liguria which is a now defunct railway that runs directly on the beach with is azure-blue waters. It is currently developed for around 25km passing through Sam Remo to San Lorenzo al Mare and it is glorious! A fully paved bicycle path (with pedestrian paths adjacent) it makes use of the old railway tunnels (see insta post) to travel through hills and it is periodically lined with cafes and restaurants. On a Sunday, it could be described as a highway for families, bike packers, pro cyclists (of whom there seem to be many) and everyone in between. The views are constantly distracting and, on a Sunday, at least, you need to keep your wits about you as kids and less experienced cyclists weave their way along. Watch out also for the rollerblade club also! In its own right, this path is worth considering, particularly noting that they are clearly extending the path further down the disused railway.
After leaving the path we joined a lesser-known path, the Piste cyclable Prino-San Lorenzo, which joins the SS1 (main coast road) on and off and involves a few climbs (with associated great views). It took us through towns including Diana Marina and Cervo before arriving in the most excellent town of Laigueglia with its beautifully architected back streets. One more descent climb and we pulled into Camping Roma in Albenga. Chris’ bike has developed an ‘interesting’ creak that we think relates to some rear wheel play so we may hold up here for a couple of days and have this investigated.
A quick note on riding on Italian roads (or the SS1 in particular), there are plenty of cyclists and we have found that the drivers leave room when overtaking and are generally patient, though perhaps are a little more daring in the corners!
Update on Chris’s bike creak. The extra day in Albenga has proved fruitful thanks to both a google search and some local knowledge. A search for bike repair shops in Albenga returned Riciclo Albenga and others that are not open until 3pm on a Monday. We made our way 5 kms from Albenga to Ricilco who specializing in old bike restorations and caught him in the street prior to opening. He was more than happy to cross the road, provide an initial assessment of the issue and then highlighted that he could not fix the problem. He very kindly and in combination of gestures, Italian and English say ‘vai a sinistra, over the pont, Plando bicicletta over big shop, oltre 200 m‘. We concluded that there was a bike store, that we were not previously aware of 200 metres over a bridge on the left. His generously and patience was appreciated as we did find the Plando bike store and the owner and his friends who also in broken diagnosed a wheel bearing issue and had us up and running after a couple of coffees. Again, we have seen a few bike stores on this trip,. but each time we go in, the owners / mechanics are always to willing to stop what they are working on to prioritise our issues. I don’t think we would get similar expert service in Australia without an appointment.
Plando Bikes does not have a website or appear in Google at his stage, but they are above the Plando – Macchine Agricole at Via Paccini, 7/Fraz, 17031 Bastia SV. Thanks again to helping us out
Another great day along the Italian riviera. We left Albenga with the aim of riding give or take half-way to Genoa and ended the day in Varazze. The ride was very much along the SS1 road route, through several towns including Finale Ligure and Varigotti, with the highlight being Noli. The road into Noli is also specular as you first climb out of Varigotti and then wind close to the roads edge, through tunnels with fantastic views up the coast towards Genoa. Noli has a beautiful old town and is dominated by the Castello di Monte Ursino. Further on is the port town of Savona, which also has a dedicated bike path in, but not out and the impressive medieval Primamar Fortress. It was on the way out for a few km’s that we found the SS1 very busy and laden with trucks – more suited to the more experienced road rider.
We were hoping to find a campsite for the night but have instead chosen to stay in town at the Hotel Spot and self-cater. The hotel is also very welcoming of cyclists and has dedicated a room for their storage.
We have spent the last couple of days riding shorter distances and making our way from Varazze through Genoa to the Ligurian Coast town of Santa Margherita Ligure. The ride from Varazze to the outskirts of Genoa was again one for the highlight reel with around 13kms of a couple of the most specular dedicated bike paths. The Lungomare Europa runs from Varazze to the birthplace of Christopher Columbus in Cogoleto is an again an old railway and the Via Fabrizio de Andrè is a combination of bike dedicated path and old rail routes as well. We also continued to ride on the SS1 when not on the dedicated paths and once again we found that this was not an issue approaching Genoa. We also took the opportunity to take a dip in the Med on a lovely stone beach 13km from Genoa called Punta Nave. The water was amazingly clear and the cool water offered some relief to tired legs!
Making our way into Genoa was not for the faint of heart. We continued to follow the SS1 but around 12km from the centre of town the route took us past the many ports that have built the historically important Genoa into the busiest port on the Mediterranean. Traffic increased, including many trucks, with decreasing space for cyclists and deteriorating road conditions that go with heavy traffic made, and for an interesting final approach. The is an attempt to get a cycling route on and off the road, but this is also a work in progress. That said it did at least act as a guide to navigate the backstreets into town. We love visiting cities that are of historical significance and Genoa is no different with it’s grand architecture, city walls and old town walkways (see Insta post). It is very much still a working city, but well worth a visit as a touring cyclist. We stayed in the Hotel Doria and were greeted by staff willing to go the extra mile (which was helpful given that we accidentally booked for the wrong night!). They found a place to store our bikes and were very interested in our plans – it is a great place to base yourself if in Genoa – particularly if you are fond of a pint on Britain’s best – a pub is just around the corner!
After a short search for coffee, we left Genoa under threatening skies and a head wind for a short day of riding, but with our first testing climb. There were a few warmup rises as we continued to follow the SS1 along the coast towards Recco. After a quick refuel at a local cafe the climbing started in earnest as soon as we left town. We left the SS1 and followed the via Romagneno through Camogli climbing all the way. We rejoined the SS1 just prior to the summit and were relieved to reach the Rutta tunnel and begin our descent (in a fraction of the time), through San Lorenzo and into Santa Margherita Ligure – our base for the next few days. We have chosen an apartment here so we can have a short ‘holiday,’ explore the coastal towns of Rapallo and Portofino, do some laundry and eat some home cooked meals! We stumbled across Ciclomania, a local bicycle store in Santa Margherita who specialise in race bikes and Shimano group sets and they think they can quickly (and finally!) repair Janette’s broken gear lever.
From here we will catch a train to Rome – with reserved bike spots, and begin our next stage riding up through Lazio, Tuscany to Bologna.
