Of the five Cinque Terre towns Monterosso has by far the best beaches and water to swim in. Very…read moresheltered. Plenty of places to grab a drink or bite near by

The only decent beach amongst the towns in the Cinque Terre. It's mostly privately owned which…read moresucks, so I ended up paying 35€ for two lounge chairs and an umbrella. The first time I was here I did the Public option. Get here early if you want a decent spot! The public beach also has a shower and you can bring umbrellas and chairs if you like. It does get very crowded here and finding a decent public restroom is a joke. If you pay, you get a changing room as well as access to a private toilette. I personally love the Italian Riviera as the water is temperate, the waves aren't strong and you don't have to worry about sharks (at least I didn't). It's also very very salty in comparison to the Pacific. It was easy to float in the sea on my back! I've been to sandy beaches from California to Australia to Hawaii so having a rough pebbly beach can hurt your feet a bit and takes some getting used to. I took a few rocks as souvenirs however as they're colorful!

Nice bar, inexpensive drinks Just make sure to keep to the…read moreleft when you enter so you don't have to show off with the perfect body people! It's also a beauty beach where slim food is served and guys and girls are posing all over The left / more quiet part is much better

This is a lovely Summer bar on the beach. What makes it special is that there are large mats with…read morecandles and cushions spread out across the small beach and you can drink under the stars whilst watching the waves lap in. The downside is that drinks are quite expensive and it is a little out of the way as it is in Marina di Pisa. There is a regular bus service running from Pisa bus station to Marina di Pisa though but it stops around midnight. I would say it is well worth the effort though.

We love San Vincenzo. Friendly people, nice restaurants, wonderful landscape around the area. And…read morethen this beach! This beach is one of the reasons we love to come here. We always stay in town right after Easter. Temperatures are quite nice at that time (with some rainy days between) and the town and its beach are very empty. A bunch of visitors on weekends. But on weekdays there are times where you really have to beach for yourself. And it's a nice beach. Goes on for miles. Nice and clean. The water is pretty cold around this time of year though. But we love having some long walks on the sand. And we always bring our dog with. Which is fine in off-season (no way to do that in summer season). Around town there are a bunch of restaurants on the beach (some still closed in spring) and public access everywhere. But further north you go, the more quiet it gets. Very nice if you look for some peace and quiet like us. If you look for some bustle and hustle you should come back for summer I guess. We just love it here. Impressed by the nice and clean stretch of sand and the views...and sunsets over the ocean. A great place to be.